this post was submitted on 01 Feb 2025
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[–] [email protected] 45 points 12 hours ago (6 children)

Human flesh is said to smell and taste very similar to pork. At least one culture that partook in cannibalism called human meat "long pig" probably because of that. I'm also fairly sure I've heard stories of fire and rescue workers reporting delicious pork-roast smells that turned out absolutely horrifying and put them off pork for a very long time.

It may also be one of the reasons that certain religious texts and cultures forbid the eating of pork. It's probably more to do with how pork spoils quickly in the climates where those religions originated, as well as the risk of roundworms if it isn't cooked properly, but it does also stop the butcher from selling you a pork steak that isn't actually pork, so that's a bonus.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 hours ago

the risk of roundworms

I thought it was tapeworm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=002oyVnhO5o

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

Been firefighting for about 17 years now. Nothing burned up has ever smelled good.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 hours ago

Thank you for your service 🫡

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 hours ago

Origin of “long pig”, copied from this Reddit comment:

I think you might be right. In A St. Johnston's Camping among Cannibals (which the OED quotes in its etymology of the term), he describes how:

The expression "long pig" is not a joke, nor a phrase invented by Europeans, but one frequently used by the Fijians, who looked upon a corpse as ordinary butcher's meat, and call a human body puaka balava, " long pig," in contradistinction to puaka dina, or " real pig."

Which makes it sound like they were just distinguishing between the length of pigs and people.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 12 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours ago) (1 children)

I was in the basement working on a electronic project sitting in the floor My parents house. Couldn't find my soldering iron holder so I just had a somewhat deep bowl and set it in upside down

Something surprising was on TV and I looked up, subconsciously I reach down to pick up the soldering iron which was upside down of its normal orientation.

I heard a sizzle. It took a good half second for me to realize it was me.

The lead on the iron was sweet when I touched the burned finger in my mouth, the skin had a decidedly porky flavor to it. Not going to lie it was kind of barbecuey...*

Edit: dictation did me dirty

[–] [email protected] 5 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago)

I was distracted by some other students and grabbed a soldering iron in a metal workshop class when I was young.

The results were predictably uncomfortable and now when Im soldering it is impossible to distract me.

It’s the kind of lesson you don’t ever forget.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 12 hours ago

“For a long time.”

Implying that the allure of pork cannot be denied.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 hours ago

but it does also stop the butcher from selling you a pork steak that isn’t actually pork, so that’s a bonus.

or maybe it's just a translation error haha