# You're in France and they're serving you brains. Now what? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 22, 2001, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-in-france-and-theyre-serving-you-brains-now-what/51228 "2001-01-22T05:57:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Pjen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Pjen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pjen)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-in-france-and-theyre-serving-you-brains-now-what/51228/41 "2001-01-24T09:21:15Z")
The French are now banned from purchasing anything with cow brain or spinal cord. I’m not sure that the French were ever great on cow brains anyway. I have had brains in French restaurants but they were sheep brains. French food frequently uses variety meats- kidneys, heart, liver, sweetbreads (thymus glands), stomach (tripe a la mode de Caen), intestines (rillettes de Normande). None taste particularly foul- its the thought of what it is that puts people off. I’ve eaten them all. English cookery historically uses kidneys, tripe, heart and tripe. I had steak and kidney pudding for lunch in a good pub/restaurant on Monday- delicious. Where do you think brains and other offal from American cows, sheep, etc. go, just to dog and cat food. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that they found their way into the human food chain at some point; but they wouldn’t want to let you know that. Non-americans find some food styles of the USA strange. Green Jello with salads sits a little oddly. Some people have trouble with grits, although I love them. Looking at the food history of the USA shows that the disavowal of variety meats etc. is relatively recent- local historic food, especially ethnic and of the poorer people including Afro-Americans gives just as wide a use of foods as anywhere else. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-in-france-and-theyre-serving-you-brains-now-what/51228/42 "2001-01-24T11:28:59Z")
These are situations when it is SO NICE to be a vegetarian… no need to make up excuses. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-in-france-and-theyre-serving-you-brains-now-what/51228/43 "2001-01-24T12:34:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by OpalCat \* > \*\*These are situations when it is SO NICE to be a vegetarian… no need to make up excuses. 🙂 \*\* Ah…but what if someone tries to serve you slimy algae stew or, worse The Dreaded Lima Beans? Then you’re in the same Cow-Brain-esqe boat as the rest of us! 😉 (Frankly if it was a choice between the dreaded Lima Beans and Fricasseed Cow Brains, I’d have to think reeeeaaaall hard about which one to choose.)\_\_\<–note lack of smilie. I’m serious about this sentence! Fenris (who _hates_ Lima Beans) ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-in-france-and-theyre-serving-you-brains-now-what/51228/44 "2001-01-24T12:50:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Pjen \* > \*\*Looking at the food history of the USA shows that the disavowal of variety meats etc. is relatively recent- local historic food, especially ethnic and of the poorer people including Afro-Americans gives just as wide a use of foods as anywhere else. \*\* Hmmmm…does anyone else here have the same violent negative reaction I do to the word… **scrapple**?:eek: ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-in-france-and-theyre-serving-you-brains-now-what/51228/45 "2001-01-24T15:43:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fenris \* > **Frankly if it was a choice between the dreaded Lima Beans and Fricasseed Cow Brains, I’d have to think reeeeaaaall hard about which one to choose.** Hey! I LIKE lima beans! Try stewing them in chicken broth (or water with a chunk of smoked bacon if you don’t mind the cholesterol) with chopped onions, seasoned with salt and a LOT of black pepper and crushed red pepper! Simmer 'em until the onion has melted into Bean Gravy, and serve with cornbread. (Okay, I admit this is even better if you use BUTTER beans…) ---
**Author:** ![Melpomene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/0ea827/32.png) [@Melpomene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melpomene)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-in-france-and-theyre-serving-you-brains-now-what/51228/46 "2001-01-24T17:36:29Z")
You’re in France and they’re serving you brains?? Well, there goes my Spring Break trip to France! ---
**Author:** ![andygirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@andygirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andygirl)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-in-france-and-theyre-serving-you-brains-now-what/51228/47 "2001-01-24T22:57:36Z")
[QUOTE] \*Originally posted by jr8 \* \*\* > [@](#): > > Hmmmm…does anyone else here have the same violent negative reaction I do to the word… **scrapple**?:eek: \*\* Scrapple is a very Delaware food. I find myself trying to explain it to my friends from other parts of the country… the just don’t get it. Come to think of it, I don’t either. New essay: “Well, I have eaten and liked scrapple, so…” ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-in-france-and-theyre-serving-you-brains-now-what/51228/48 "2001-01-24T23:17:17Z")
1. What’s scrapple? 2. If you broiled the brain, wouldn’t that take some of the fat out of it? ---
**Author:** ![andygirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@andygirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andygirl)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-in-france-and-theyre-serving-you-brains-now-what/51228/49 "2001-01-24T23:39:07Z")
Scrapple… well… It’s mostly pig bits that are left over after sausages are made, oatmeal, and some stuff you probably don’t want to think about. It’s popular in some parts of PA, DE, and some other nearby states. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2001, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-in-france-and-theyre-serving-you-brains-now-what/51228/50 "2001-01-25T05:15:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Pjen \* > **The French are now banned from purchasing anything with cow brain or spinal cord. I’m not sure that the French were ever great on cow brains anyway. I have had brains in French restaurants but they were sheep brains.** Umm… considering that sheep get scrapie, which is another degenerative brain disease similar to mad cow disease, like this is any improvement? ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2001, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-in-france-and-theyre-serving-you-brains-now-what/51228/51 "2001-01-25T06:51:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by andygirl \* > \*\*You’re in France and they’re serving you brains. Now what? \*\* Um, tell them you’re allergic to brains and would rather have beauty? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Pjen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Pjen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pjen)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2001, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-in-france-and-theyre-serving-you-brains-now-what/51228/52 "2001-01-25T08:35:25Z")
Reply to Lumpy. I had sheeps brains last in 1989 before the real rise of the BSE scare. Scrapie has been endemic in sheep for at least 60 years and this does not seem to cause any problems. This is one of the arguments against a pure new-variant CJD prion cause for the recent problems. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-in-france-and-theyre-serving-you-brains-now-what/51228.md?page=2)