The National Post in Canada thought my thoughts on society, individuals and their raw meat was fit to run as a letter to the editor. From this morning’s paper:

I don’t care what adults choose to eat, smoke, drink or derive pleasure from; I do care when it affects kids, and that’s why many such activities are regulated based on age. For public health, it’s about reducing societal risk. For individuals, it’s balancing risk with choice. But choice should be based on credible evidence.

Medium-rare hamburger is not the same as a medium-rare steak.

The difference is that meat, no matter how lovingly it is cared for and slaughtered, is prone to poop, somewhere, and when grinding steaks or other cuts, the outside becomes the inside.

Meat is just one offshoot of the Church of Raw, which sees nature as benign and good. I see nature as awesome and a great teacher, but also as an entity that is too busy to worry solely about the welfare of humans. Me say, fire is good.

The term "pink burger" is used throughout this article to denote a medium-rare burger, yet it has been known for almost 20 years that the colour of meat has little to do with its actual temperature (and bacteria-wasting capabilities). Food safety types are concerned about hamburger because people, especially kids, routinely get sick from undercooked hamburger and raw milk. Some die.

What individuals do with their raw meat in the privacy of their own homes is their own business – until it involves children. Or fairytales.

Doug Powell, professor, food safety, Kansas State University,
Manhattan, Kansas.