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No pork, thank you


SaligoBay
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Just a thought, really.

I have a friend who doesn't eat pig, or bits of pig, or derivatives of pig.  He's not a Muslim, it's just the way he is.

I have fed Muslim friends, but they tend to be a kind of "one-off", so there's not a problem.  But I see this other friend more often, and having to think about avoiding pork made me realise what a pork-laden food culture there is in France.

So many everyday basics that you see all the time - lardons (and all the recipes that include them, like tartiflette), saucisson sec and other charcuterie, saucisse (all sorts), rôti de porc, jambon baguette, jambon fumé with melon, rillettes, pâté, cooked ham, the sausages that go with choucroute, chorizo, pig trotters, pig ears..... it just goes on!   And even other pâtés like canard often have gras de porc as a main ingredient.

And then, of course, I started thinking about how hard it must be for a Muslim in France.  Almost like being a vegetarian!! 

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Hi,

The Jewish diet being similar.

Living in Brittany, where apparently, there are more pigs than humans & pork is so cheap, i'm glad i'm neither. 

Surely, you'd have to live near a big city to be able to get hallal & kosher food. 

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[quote]The big towns and cities have hallal butchers. I knew someone who wouldn't touch pork, but were quite happy to eat donkey saussison.......... funny old world.[/quote]

Not a funny old world at all - to this day pigs carry tapeworm and a nasty mess of you it can make. I eat port but I cook it very very well.

Smoked duck, smoked turkey, lots of other food that will do instead of port. We eat a lot of very spicy lamb sausages with no port additives what so ever. If push came to shove I could manage with out it.

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My OH is the same - no pork or derivatives at all (something to do with helping out on a roofing job on a pork pie factory in his teens!!). We have loads of problems eating abroad due to lack of fluency with the language. An example: we were staying at one of the chain hotels in Cherbourg for our return home to the UK and my OH ordered steak (no sauce mentioned). It arrived with a lovely (to me) sauce of red wine and lardons. The waiter, when accosted, said it contained no pork... and what may I ask are lardons?!? He was really rude, took the steak away, washed it, plonked it back on the plate via a quick shot in the pan and served it up. I suppose he wondered why it wasn't touched!

Many people don't understand (we've even had friends serve up roast pork without thinking) especially as it's not a religious thing - but it is a pain for me as I love sausages, salami, lardons, etc, etc. What is a good phrase to use with waiters when ordering - any suggestions?

Ewa

Devon & 27
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Pork is probably the cheapest of meats and so is popular with people who can't manage without meat. We don't eat pork, and if I fancy a vegetable quiche or a pizza from a bakery I ask if it contains any jambon. We used to eat bacon, and still miss this especially the smell of smoked streaky bacon sizzling in a pan, preferably outdoors on a campfire. Di mentioned that pork is sometimes infested with worms. There is another condition which we came across when living in Singapore supposed to be due to bad pork ( the chinese love their pork.) Men who are affected feel their penis withdrawing into their body and fear losing it altogether! No joking. Pat.
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