The nerve, indeed
Posted by Word Camel on October 14, 2002
In Reply to: Lobster neuroanatomy posted by R. Berg on October 14, 2002
: : : : : : with regards
to bleeding, my grand mother has always said that some one or something had "bled
like a stuffed pig". To me this does not make much sense as I would think it might
be a stuck pig that would bleed more than a stuffed pig. Any suggestions or sites
for where to find the answer would be much appreciated.
: : : : : : thx.
: : : : : It's a stuck pig--stuck with a slaughtering knife, I believe. "Bleeding like a stuck pig" is a traditional phrase.
: : : :
: : : : Unlike cattle
or sheep, pigs, when frightened, release a hormone that taints the flavour of
the meat. To avoid that, they were killed as suddenly as possible by sticking
them through the heart with a sharp knife. They were bled immediately by suspending
them by the back legs and the blood spurting from the wound was collected to make
black puddings (blood sausages?)
: : :
: : : That's interesting. I have
some Egyptian friends who - though they do not stick pigs, were explaining Halal
meat to me. They were saying that when and animal is frightened, its muscles tense
up and the meat isn't as tender. Halal butchery is supposed to be a gentler way
to go since it drains the blood and the animal basically falls asleep. I don't
know if this is true, but I do know that if you cut the spinal cord of the lobster
(it runs down the back and can be cut by snipping just where the head and joins
the rest of the body) before you put it in the pot of boiling water the meat is
also supposed to stay tender. Or so said James Beard.
: : : I'm not really a gruesome person, but it seemed relevant.
: : I'm sure you're a really delightful person!! But, umm . . , lobsters are invertebrates and are therefore disqualified from all Spinal Cord events on the grounds that they have no backbone, multitudinous appendages that give them an unfair advantage over biped competitors, and are unbeatable on a large plate when accompanied by the tipple of your choice!
: What nerve! No, I mean "What nerve?" That which is to be severed (I poked around Google to find out) is probably the ventral nerve cord, a major neural highway in the lobster.
Yes, it's the nerve I meant. I don't know why I wrote spinal cord. Shea is quite right to suggest that there is no spinal cord because there is no spine, just the exoskeleton.
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