So, if a Jew or Muslim stated made an OP stating their religious reasons for not eating pork, they are open for ridicule?
I’m not trying to “stir things up”, I’m just curious why the OP of this thread is fair game for his or her religious beliefs. Usually religions are treated with more respect around here.
Not that I care, I’m an atheist who finds all supernatural belief a bit silly, and I have in the past ridiculed them (and likely will in the future). Is it because the religion wasn’t specifically mentioned in the OP that made it fair game?
There is a difference between saying, “You shouldn’t eat pork! Nobody should eat it!” as opposed to, “I don’t eat it because of religious reasons, and look, here’s some apparent objective justification for those reasons.”
A RATIONAL discussion of this would be fine, but the OP is anything but rational. sigh
What I find ridiculous is the notion presented in the OP which is trying to support his religion with a really stupid argument. Hey, if you don’t want to et pork, that’s fine by me. But don’t try to justify it with a really stupid argument beacuse then you open yourself up to ridicule.
On the other hand, pig parasites may help the immune system, cite. The immune system is a balance of two systems (cite) – without parasites, one type of immune response is not stimulated. Therefore, the other part of the immune system becomes overactive, causing autoimmune diseases like Crohn’s disease. So the theory goes.
So, the well-intended elimination of all pork parasites from our food supply may have created the rise in allergies, Crohn’s disease, and a host (pun intended) of other auto-immune problems found in industrial countries since the 1960s.
Er, what WhiteRabbit and Sailor said. In any event, the OP only tangentially refers to religion; the main thrust of the OP is that eating pork is medically dangerous. The fact that enormous numbers of people eat pork for decades without apparent harm shows that the OP’s assertion is silly.
Jews avoid pork because of the mitzvah. The OP urges us to avoid pork because of the danger of trichinella spiralis. The OP is open to ridicule, not because of his abjuration to avoid pork, but because of his reasoning.
There is certainly ample basis to question whether or not G-d truly exists, and, if so, commanded his people to avoid pork. Bu there is also ample reasonable basis to accept those propositions. The OP’s reasons on the other hand, are without reasonable support.
If I urged you to avoid smoking because it is through tobacco smoke that the CIA is able to implant nanotechnology in our bodies to control us, you can certainly ridicule that belief without endorsing smoking, or ridiculing those who oppose smoking for more supportable reasons.
So what’s the consensus on cooking pork now? I ordered pork at a restaurant awhile back, and the waiter asked me how I wanted it cooked. I said, “Well done, of course”. I asked someone about that later, and they said that trichonosis isn’t a problem anymore.
Easily, yes. Depending on the supermarket, they may sort of create a separate areas by placement of aisles, and put up a sign “Pork products” or “non-Muslim products.” Or, in more expat areas, it will just be on a separate refrigeration shelf, easily viewable by all. I have no idea if Muslims are prevented from buying it (like they usually are alcohol at the Airport Duty Free), but they probably aren’t that interested in it, unless they’ve spent extensive time abroad and picked up a habit for bacon sarnies.
In restaurants, cheaper restaurants nearly always have stuff like “turkey ham” or “beef bacon.” More expensive, western-style restaurants will have dishes containing pork, and they will use a little “P” code by that dish to alert people, similarly an “A” for dishes containing alcohol.
I imagine other countries or areas with large Muslims or Jewish communities must do similar. Anyone know what the pork availability status is in America, in big Jewish/Muslim areas? Or in Israel?
You can get pork anywhere in the U.S. - Chain supermarkets are pretty much everywhere. Some might include more ethnic food than others, but I don’t think any exclude pork.