NationStates Jolt Archive


Chickens = Disgusting?

Hatesmanville
06-01-2008, 08:21
Anybody else here think that Chicken's are losing their flavor? I've had to convert to pork!
Thumbless Pete Crabbe
06-01-2008, 08:23
Chicken is chicken. It's as good as you are a cook. I haven't noticed any decline in quality lately. :confused:
Kyronea
06-01-2008, 08:26
I fail to see how this is possible, seeing as how all chicken meat does not come from the same chicken, unless everything I know is a lie.
Avarum
06-01-2008, 08:29
Chicken hasn't lost it's flavor for me, but good pork is better by far.
Vetalia
06-01-2008, 08:36
Pork will remain by far the most disgusting meat of them all. That's not to say it isn't good, in fact, it's delicious, but pork is pretty damn nasty when you take in to account the kinds of things pigs consume in their normal diet.

There was a very good reason for Jewish dietary laws, above and beyond ritual reasons (not so much now but back when they were developed): most of the things they were prohibited from consuming could make them quite sick if improperly prepared, and back in the days of the Old Testament that was hardly uncommon. Shellfish and pork are both excellent vectors for serious illnesses, even moreso than other animals, even cattle.

Although one wonders why they forgot some of those bottom-feeding fish...
Cannot think of a name
06-01-2008, 08:40
I fail to see how this is possible, seeing as how all chicken meat does not come from the same chicken, unless everything I know is a lie.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y12/sheeatsglue/CBOC/bill.jpgMega Ultra Chicken? No, shhhh, she is legend!
Vetalia
06-01-2008, 08:45
Mega Ultra Chicken? No, shhhh, she is legend!

Hey, at least we're not eating sligs...
Kyronea
06-01-2008, 08:52
Pork will remain by far the most disgusting meat of them all. That's not to say it isn't good, in fact, it's delicious, but pork is pretty damn nasty when you take in to account the kinds of things pigs consume in their normal diet.

There was a very good reason for Jewish dietary laws, above and beyond ritual reasons (not so much now but back when they were developed): most of the things they were prohibited from consuming could make them quite sick if improperly prepared, and back in the days of the Old Testament that was hardly uncommon. Shellfish and pork are both excellent vectors for serious illnesses, even moreso than other animals, even cattle.

Although one wonders why they forgot some of those bottom-feeding fish...

You should see some of the things humans eat.

Seriously, though, pork isn't the best meat. Chicken is. But pork is good too. And since we can eat it safely, I see no reason to deny ourselves it.
Boonytopia
06-01-2008, 09:10
Hey, at least we're not eating sligs...

What are sligs? :confused:

Lamb is my favourite anyway, better than pork, chicken & beef.
Kyronea
06-01-2008, 09:15
What are sligs? :confused:

Lamb is my favourite anyway, better than pork, chicken & beef.

Everyone praises the virtues of lamb, but I find it disgusting.
Vetalia
06-01-2008, 09:27
What are sligs? :confused:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slig#Sligs
Kyronea
06-01-2008, 09:44
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slig#Sligs

The people who made that up were Jews, weren't they?
Hoyteca
06-01-2008, 09:48
Chicken companies like money. So, my theory is that many of those companies are injecting new chemicals into chickens to make them grow. Let's call some "hormones" and the rest "steroids". What do these possibly fictional chemicals do? More meat. Less food required to feed poultry. What CAN'T they do?

Many of these chemicals could theoretically ruin the taste of the meat. However, the average consumer is an idiot. Need evidence? Look in your dishwasher or washing machine or possibly your dryer. "Do not let children play in dishwasher". If you are American, you're bound to find that written somewhere on or in your dishwasher. Why? Because consumers are idiots. If they don't find a warning label in their car warning them not to run over their children, guess what? They'll run those damn children over and actually be surprised if the child needs medical attention or possibly a funeral.
Kyronea
06-01-2008, 09:51
Chicken companies like money. So, my theory is that many of those companies are injecting new chemicals into chickens to make them grow. Let's call some "hormones" and the rest "steroids". What do these possibly fictional chemicals do? More meat. Less food required to feed poultry. What CAN'T they do?

Many of these chemicals could theoretically ruin the taste of the meat. However, the average consumer is an idiot. Need evidence? Look in your dishwasher or washing machine or possibly your dryer. "Do not let children play in dishwasher". If you are American, you're bound to find that written somewhere on or in your dishwasher. Why? Because consumers are idiots. If they don't find a warning label in their car warning them not to run over their children, guess what? They'll run those damn children over and actually be surprised if the child needs medical attention or possibly a funeral.

Uh, no, those warning labels are actually to protect companies from lawsuits.
Vetalia
06-01-2008, 09:58
The people who made that up were Jews, weren't they?

I'm not sure anybody, inside or outside of the Dune storyline, knows what the hell the Bene Tleilax originally were.
Hoyteca
06-01-2008, 09:59
Uh, no, those warning labels are actually to protect companies from lawsuits.

Yeah, because consumers are actually dumb enough to do the stupid things they're warned not to do. I just didn't mention lawyers. They're often smart. They're educated. They practically know how to run the system.
Lunatic Goofballs
06-01-2008, 10:06
Anybody else here think that Chicken's are losing their flavor? I've had to convert to pork!

It's an evolutionary survival trait. When they start exploding when their heads are chopped off, then it's time to worry. *nod*
Kyronea
06-01-2008, 10:07
I'm not sure anybody, inside or outside of the Dune storyline, knows what the hell the Bene Tleilax originally were.
I meant the guy who wrote the Dune stuff. Frank Herbert, right?
Yeah, because consumers are actually dumb enough to do the stupid things they're warned not to do. I just didn't mention lawyers. They're often smart. They're educated. They practically know how to run the system.
No. Really, it's not so much people being intentionally stupid as it is accidentally doing something and then suing companies because of it. Those warning labels only appeared in about the early eighties or so after the huge amount of lawsuits in the seventies. Neo Art and Cat Tribes can tell you a lot more, since they're actually lawyers.
New Granada
06-01-2008, 11:15
It wasnt until living in southeast asia that I realized how insipid most food in the united states really is.

I ask: how can a chicken which has been farmed, processed, frozen, butchered, left to sit in a refrigerator for lengths of time and then sold without bones or skin taste like a chicken which was killed an hour or two earlier ?

Meats and vegetables here, by virtue of being fresh-killed and recently, locally picked taste better in themselves than their counterparts in the states do, and when the ten thousand methods of the food worshipping Yue people are applied, it makes for the best eating in the world.
Hatesmanville
06-01-2008, 11:18
Chicken companies like money. So, my theory is that many of those companies are injecting new chemicals into chickens to make them grow. Let's call some "hormones" and the rest "steroids". What do these possibly fictional chemicals do? More meat. Less food required to feed poultry. What CAN'T they do?


I went to USA a few times... all the chicken tasted like water... had NO chicken taste what so ever (except KFC of course). But here in Australia, we ARNT a aloud to put ANY drugs or chemicals into the chicken.. so it taste pretty good... but pork is still #1
Cannot think of a name
06-01-2008, 11:33
I went to USA a few times... all the chicken tasted like water... had NO chicken taste what so ever (except KFC of course). But here in Australia, we ARNT a aloud to put ANY drugs or chemicals into the chicken.. so it taste pretty good... but pork is still #1

Are you kidding me? Except KFC??? Really? That's the wateriest chicken one the planet, it's what water would taste like if it came in meat form. We have good chicken, but man alive, KFC ain't it.
SaintB
06-01-2008, 11:58
When it come sto pultry I usually buy the cheaper generic stuff. It often has less add-ins and hence a better flavor. I used to live near a farm that raised chickens; they would empty them from their pens using a back hoe.. the ones that got mangeled int he process became Mcnuggets....
Mirkai
06-01-2008, 12:08
I base my poultry purchases on animal rights, mostly. Which is something of a non-issue because I don't really buy any poultry. I typically eat whatever is cooked for dinner here, and while I hold no control over the purchasing habits of the people that buy the groceries, I still don't like food going to waste (as that would mean a particular animal died for nothing). Hence I'm inclined to eat it even if it's something I'd never buy myself.
The Infinite Dunes
06-01-2008, 12:13
If you buy cheap food don't be surprised when it tastes crap or nothing much at all.

There are exceptions to that though. Chicken thighs are dirt cheap, but that's because most westerner's are food snobs and only want to eat breast. Therefore it's hard to get rid of thighs and is therefore normally sold at dumping prices.
BackwoodsSquatches
06-01-2008, 12:33
Pork will remain by far the most disgusting meat of them all. That's not to say it isn't good, in fact, it's delicious, but pork is pretty damn nasty when you take in to account the kinds of things pigs consume in their normal diet.

There was a very good reason for Jewish dietary laws, above and beyond ritual reasons (not so much now but back when they were developed): most of the things they were prohibited from consuming could make them quite sick if improperly prepared, and back in the days of the Old Testament that was hardly uncommon. Shellfish and pork are both excellent vectors for serious illnesses, even moreso than other animals, even cattle.

Although one wonders why they forgot some of those bottom-feeding fish...

Because fish is easy to dry, or salt.

Most of the old testament rules in Levitcus, in particular, like no pork, or shellfish, are not becuase the animals are dirty, per se, but becuase they didnt travel or keep well.
Pork goes bad quickly, and can result in trigynosis, shellfish, in botulism, both of wich, can be deadly.

Youre basically correct, its just that pigs being filthy animals is only half of it.
BackwoodsSquatches
06-01-2008, 12:34
Are you kidding me? Except KFC??? Really? That's the wateriest chicken one the planet, it's what water would taste like if it came in meat form. We have good chicken, but man alive, KFC ain't it.

"Popeye's chicken is fucking awesome" -Little Nicky.
Smunkeeville
06-01-2008, 14:58
Chicken has no flavor because you are preparing it improperly. Chicken is the protien in at least 4 of my meals weekly and it's always wonderful.

Pork is gross Vetalia is right, but I eat it about twice a month anyway......I just don't think about it too much.
Theoretical Physicists
06-01-2008, 17:09
Chicken is only disgusting if you don't know how to prepare it correctly. Some methods leave it tasting like a globule of chicken fat, others will leave it dry, stringy and bland. One needs to know what one is doing in order to cook chicken safely without ruining it.
Infinite Revolution
06-01-2008, 17:22
chicken is just boring. unless it's from the chippy, love fried chicken.
Anti-Social Darwinism
06-01-2008, 17:22
Anybody else here think that Chicken's are losing their flavor? I've had to convert to pork!

No, but then I buy free-range chickens and cook them properly.
Infinite Revolution
06-01-2008, 17:25
If you buy cheap food don't be surprised when it tastes crap or nothing much at all.

There are exceptions to that though. Chicken thighs are dirt cheap, but that's because most westerner's are food snobs and only want to eat breast. Therefore it's hard to get rid of thighs and is therefore normally sold at dumping prices.

i never undertand this, breasts are flavourless and you can never get them with the skin on. thighs are way better, even if they have less meat on them.
Ifreann
06-01-2008, 17:26
The last time I had chicken it tasted pretty much the same. It was covered in curry though.
Marrakech II
06-01-2008, 17:36
i never undertand this, breasts are flavourless and you can never get them with the skin on. thighs are way better, even if they have less meat on them.

I treat breasts and thighs equally.
Ifreann
06-01-2008, 17:38
I treat breasts and thighs equally.

This sort of innuendo should have come up on the first page.
Domici
06-01-2008, 18:42
Anybody else here think that Chicken's are losing their flavor? I've had to convert to pork!

Perdue, or any other big factory farm chicken is disgusting.

See if there's a local farm raised chicken available. The bigger supermarkets usually have them. If not, look up a butcher shop in the area and buy chicken there.

Not that I'm trying to dissuade you from buying pork, but you'll find that the pork probably tastes better from a butcher too.
Daistallia 2104
06-01-2008, 19:13
Anybody else here think that Chicken's are losing their flavor? I've had to convert to pork!

Which things belonging to chickens are loosing their flavor? :confused:

As for your title, yes chickens are relatively disgusting animals.

My brother raises free range chickens mostly organically, and they do taste a heck of a lot better than the battery checkens you get at the supermarket.
Intestinal fluids
06-01-2008, 19:27
My brother raises free range chickens mostly organically, and they do taste a heck of a lot better than the battery checkens you get at the supermarket.

Color me skeptical. Id be interested in seeing blind taste tests and see how many people can "really" tell the difference and accuratly identify which is which. I suspect much of the organic tastes better effect is psycological.
Nobel Hobos
06-01-2008, 19:54
Anybody else here think that Chicken's are losing their flavor? I've had to convert to pork!

I go off foods for no apparent reason -- chicken being one of the first I can remember losing my taste for. It was having a bad effect on my mood (probably due to hormone content) but I kept eating it because it was available and still tasted good to me. Then I started to look at it with trepidation (a bit like considering strong drink or mega-spicy food, just wary of it) and only eating small quantities. Then one day I ate some of a perfectly ordinary roast chicken and it tasted bad, a subtle bitterness like chemicals. So I stopped eating chicken (or any fowl) altogether.

A few years later I stopped eating all kinds of meat, in much the same kind of way. I ate less and less, then one day stopped eating it altogether and felt much better for it.

Last year, fish started to make me feel queasy. Fish is a very important part of my diet (which is ovo-lacto-vegetarian now) and I really want to be able to eat it again some day ... so this time around I stopped eating it completely BEFORE I lost my taste for it or began to find it unpleasant. Over Christmas I ate a bit, and I'm afraid it's going the same way as the fowl and the meat. I really don't like it any more.

So, I think you're right to follow your sense of taste. Don't eat things you are losing your taste for ... you'll only develop an active dislike of it, making it much harder to eat food which might have small quantities of the ingredient. Chicken stock is quite common as a base for soups, and in Chinese food, and it would be awkward for you to have to avoid it altogether.
Isidoor
06-01-2008, 20:00
Chicken companies like money. So, my theory is that many of those companies are injecting new chemicals into chickens to make them grow. Let's call some "hormones" and the rest "steroids". What do these possibly fictional chemicals do? More meat. Less food required to feed poultry. What CAN'T they do?

Many of these chemicals could theoretically ruin the taste of the meat. However, the average consumer is an idiot. Need evidence? Look in your dishwasher or washing machine or possibly your dryer. "Do not let children play in dishwasher". If you are American, you're bound to find that written somewhere on or in your dishwasher. Why? Because consumers are idiots. If they don't find a warning label in their car warning them not to run over their children, guess what? They'll run those damn children over and actually be surprised if the child needs medical attention or possibly a funeral.

Actually some of the companies add a mix of water and protein to the meat after that it has been prepared to add weight to the meat. Actually there now is a limit of 15% in the UK and non-chicken proteins can't be used (http://www.foodstandards.gov.uk/aboutus/ourboard/boardmeetoccasionalpapers/128019), so 15% of the chicken you buy might be added water.

Steroids are hormones btw. And I don't know what they do to the taste since they only stimulate the animal to make more muscles.
Celtlund II
06-01-2008, 20:11
I've heard of curried chicken, curried fish, curried lamb, and even curried beef but never curried pork. If you can't make a curried dish with it I'm not sure it's fit to eat. Unless you BBQ it. Yummmm BBQ pork. :D
http://msauer.mvps.org/Menus/bbqpig.gif
The Mindset
06-01-2008, 21:07
Color me skeptical. Id be interested in seeing blind taste tests and see how many people can "really" tell the difference and accuratly identify which is which. I suspect much of the organic tastes better effect is psycological.

I suspect that the battery chickens would actually taste better than the "organic" ones, purely because the hormones and additives in them taste good to the human palate. They wouldn't be there otherwise.

See http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23376875-details/Organic+chicken+'less+nutritious'+than+battery-farmed+birds/article.do
Hatesmanville
06-01-2008, 23:00
so what's the verdict?
Anti-Social Darwinism
06-01-2008, 23:16
I suspect that the battery chickens would actually taste better than the "organic" ones, purely because the hormones and additives in them taste good to the human palate. They wouldn't be there otherwise.

See http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23376875-details/Organic+chicken+'less+nutritious'+than+battery-farmed+birds/article.do

Actually, the hormones and additives are there because they make the chickens (and all the other animals that receive them) grow bigger and faster - to the actual detriment of flavor and nutrition. But, most people think that plump is better so they'll buy the nice, tasteless, plump battery birds. The free range chickens aren't supposed to get hormones and additives so they grow naturally, they're leaner and more flavorful.
Kyronea
06-01-2008, 23:21
Actually, the hormones and additives are there because they make the chickens (and all the other animals that receive them) grow bigger and faster - to the actual detriment of flavor and nutrition. But, most people think that plump is better so they'll buy the nice, tasteless, plump battery birds. The free range chickens aren't supposed to get hormones and additives so they grow naturally, they're leaner and more flavorful.
Even so, I would very much like to see some blind testing done, taste-wise, just to see if it really is psychological or not, mostly for the sake of curiosity.
Anti-Social Darwinism
06-01-2008, 23:25
Even so, I would very much like to see some blind testing done, taste-wise, just to see if it really is psychological or not, mostly for the sake of curiosity.

And I'll stick with free-range, because those hormones and additives have been demonstrated to have unwanted and unhealthy effects on both the birds and the people who eat them - flavor notwithstanding.
Kyronea
06-01-2008, 23:29
And I'll stick with free-range, because those hormones and additives have been demonstrated to have unwanted and unhealthy effects on both the birds and the people who eat them - flavor notwithstanding.

True indeed.

Sadly I doubt I'll have any access to organic food in the Navy...:(
The Infinite Dunes
06-01-2008, 23:38
Even so, I would very much like to see some blind testing done, taste-wise, just to see if it really is psychological or not, mostly for the sake of curiosity.Pfft, who cares if it's just psychological. If you can make something taste better just by saying it tastes better then I'm up for that.
Hatesmanville
06-01-2008, 23:42
Pfft, who cares if it's just psychological. If you can make something taste better just by saying it tastes better then I'm up for that.

There's extra tasty dog poo out the back
Celtlund II
06-01-2008, 23:56
True indeed.

Sadly I doubt I'll have any access to organic food in the Navy...:(

You got that right so you should join the Air Force so you can eat off base every day. :p
Ifreann
06-01-2008, 23:58
Pfft, who cares if it's just psychological. If you can make something taste better just by saying it tastes better then I'm up for that.

It's the placebo affect. What's a placebo? A pill that cures cancer. Here, have one.
The Mindset
07-01-2008, 00:05
Actually, the hormones and additives are there because they make the chickens (and all the other animals that receive them) grow bigger and faster - to the actual detriment of flavor and nutrition. But, most people think that plump is better so they'll buy the nice, tasteless, plump battery birds. The free range chickens aren't supposed to get hormones and additives so they grow naturally, they're leaner and more flavorful.

Did you even bother to read the article I linked? Organic chicken, according to that article, is "less nutrious, contains more fat and tastes worse" than free range, non-organic chicken. Note: "Organic chicken even fared poorly in blind taste tests, gaining the lowest marks for succulence."
The Shifting Mist
07-01-2008, 00:10
Anybody else here think that Chicken's are losing their flavor? I've had to convert to pork!

Chicken hasn't lost it's flavor for me, but good pork is better by far.

Brainwashing (http://www.weebls-stuff.com/toons/Pork/)
Kyronea
07-01-2008, 01:22
You got that right so you should join the Air Force so you can eat off base every day. :p

Nyet. Ships keep me much safer. The only way I'd be in huge danger as a sailor in a war would be to war against Russia or China. (Or the European Union, but that'll never happen.)
The Infinite Dunes
07-01-2008, 01:26
There's extra tasty dog poo out the backHmm... maybe, but dog poop still has a low nutritional value and can also be a vector for disease. I'll think I'll pass.
Lord Tothe
07-01-2008, 01:45
Get chickens from the Hutterites, the Amish, the Mennonites, etc. - raised organic, prices reasonable, and the burds are almost bug enough to substitute for the Thanksgiving Turkey. Free-range, no growth hormones, and you're not supporting corporate farming.
Vetalia
07-01-2008, 01:46
Actually, the hormones and additives are there because they make the chickens (and all the other animals that receive them) grow bigger and faster - to the actual detriment of flavor and nutrition. But, most people think that plump is better so they'll buy the nice, tasteless, plump battery birds. The free range chickens aren't supposed to get hormones and additives so they grow naturally, they're leaner and more flavorful.

That's why I buy free-range. If you want big portions, don't come to me; I'd rather have a smaller, better meal than a big pile of (hopefully figurative, but after learning what hamburger is made of...) shit.
Daistallia 2104
07-01-2008, 03:30
Color me skeptical. Id be interested in seeing blind taste tests and see how many people can "really" tell the difference and accuratly identify which is which. I suspect much of the organic tastes better effect is psycological.

Well, I suspect that the freshness and lower degree of handling has a lot to do with it in my brothers case.

I've heard of curried chicken, curried fish, curried lamb, and even curried beef but never curried pork. If you can't make a curried dish with it I'm not sure it's fit to eat. Unless you BBQ it. Yummmm BBQ pork. :D
http://msauer.mvps.org/Menus/bbqpig.gif

Lots of pork curries out there - my favorite fast food curry place back in Japan uses a pork base. Try Thai curries.

I suspect that the battery chickens would actually taste better than the "organic" ones, purely because the hormones and additives in them taste good to the human palate. They wouldn't be there otherwise.

See http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23376875-details/Organic+chicken+'less+nutritious'+than+battery-farmed+birds/article.do

In the case of battery chickens, the additives (largely antibiotics) are there to keep them alive and healthy. The use of antibiotics in livestock is creating a public health risk.

And I'll stick with free-range, because those hormones and additives have been demonstrated to have unwanted and unhealthy effects on both the birds and the people who eat them - flavor notwithstanding.

Indeed.

Did you even bother to read the article I linked? Organic chicken, according to that article, is "less nutrious, contains more fat and tastes worse" than free range, non-organic chicken. Note: "Organic chicken even fared poorly in blind taste tests, gaining the lowest marks for succulence."

This research contradicts the bulk of evidence which shows organic food is higher in omega 3, vitamins and minerals than conventional chicken.'

The article states that most of the evidence is contrary.
Nobel Hobos
07-01-2008, 04:26
True indeed.

Sadly I doubt I'll have any access to organic food in the Navy...:(

Oh for fuck's sake! They're going to teach you to shoot, they'll give you a gun and sail you around in the midst of all this organic free-range fowl ... and you aren't allowed to shoot yourself a bird?

What kind of fucking authoritarian nightmare is that?
Kyronea
07-01-2008, 04:33
Oh for fuck's sake! They're going to teach you to shoot, they'll give you a gun and sail you around in the midst of all this organic free-range fowl ... and you aren't allowed to shoot yourself a bird?

What kind of fucking authoritarian nightmare is that?

Bweehee...

In truth, though, unless I go into a specific job I won't be touching any firearms after basic training.

And it's the military. It's rather authoritarian. That's why military dictatorships are bad.
United Chicken Kleptos
07-01-2008, 04:34
Anybody else here think that Chicken's are losing their flavor? I've had to convert to pork!

I think not.
Sel Appa
07-01-2008, 04:41
Well when "everything" tastes like chicken, what do you expect to happen?
Neesika
07-01-2008, 04:44
Anybody else here think that Chicken's are losing their flavor? I've had to convert to pork!

I find most mass produced meats to taste like watered down versions of the real thing. It's why I hunt, and it's why I try to buy local poultry. Ditto with eggs...I can't stand eating an egg with a pale yellow yolk. The yolk should be freaking deep orange!
Nobel Hobos
07-01-2008, 07:13
And it's the military. It's rather authoritarian. That's why military dictatorships are bad.

We should go back to commissioning privateers. The navy pays for itself, plus at least someone has some fun. Arrrr!
Anti-Social Darwinism
07-01-2008, 08:17
I find most mass produced meats to taste like watered down versions of the real thing. It's why I hunt, and it's why I try to buy local poultry. Ditto with eggs...I can't stand eating an egg with a pale yellow yolk. The yolk should be freaking deep orange!

I am becoming, more and more, an advocate of sustainable agriculture and local agriculture. That's why, in spite of the price, I get my produce and meat from Whole Foods or Wild Oats Markets. They aren't as good as something fresh from the farm or the garden, but they're worlds better than what you can get at Safeway or King Sooper's.

I used to work on a research farm, one that was investigating sustainable and organic agriculture on a large scale. I got oranges, asparagus, artichokes, corn - just about every kind of vegetable and fruit you could think of at the peak of ripeness and, even better, I knew exactly how they were grown. I miss that.