Queasy Questions

I wouldn’t describe myself as leading a sheltered life.  I’ve lived in various places throughout the United States, traveled to numerous countries around the globe and had some experiences that one might consider atypical for the majority of the American population.  I’ve watched my share of HBO featured segments on sex, gone to a nudist colony, done my share of drugs, studied crime families, researched cult groups, gone topless on a beach in France, earned my New Orleans beads the good old fashion way, done more than my share of body shots, danced on a grand piano, danced on a bar, danced half-naked… what can I say, I like to dance...I’ve jumped from an airplane, had sex in a submarine, rode a wave runner, and crashed a motorcycle.  The point I’m trying to make is that…I’ve seen a lot…but today I witnessed something I’ve never seen before.

There’s a reality television show called “My Strange Addiction” and they showed a woman, named Michelle, who is addicted to drinking blood.  She says she prefers pig blood to beef blood because it is gamier, and that she also drinks human blood; stating that she extracts it from the upper arm, elbow area, upper back or inner thigh.  She also explains that she stays away from drawing blood from the neck area because it is too cliché; and she emphasizes that she is not a vampire.  Full Story and Video Here.

Okay…okay…maybe she’s not among the living dead, but clearly she has vampire-like tendencies.  After all, drinking blood is not exactly a “normal” behavior…or is it? 

I decided to conduct a brief study on the effects of blood drinking and found that there are no medical advantages to guzzling hemoglobin.  Though it can be a good source of protein and iron, it can also cause severe nausea and increase your risk of contracting blood related diseases.  All in all, the medical community recommends against blood consumption.  But, historically speaking, blood has been used in many recipes for hundreds of years and is still being used today.  Here are just a few:

Polish Czarnina (duck blood) soup is made with spices, dried fruits, vinegar, and more or less the whole duck including its blood.

Blodplattar are blood pancakes made in Nordic countries like Sweden and Finland. They're savory but made with molasses, and they are typically served with Lingonberry jam.

Pig's Blood Sundae is on the menu at Washington, D.C., restaurant The Pig. Apparently it uses a chocolate ice cream made with blood instead of egg yolks.

Your own placenta is another way to eat some blood.  (I think I’m going to go throw up now!)

Pig's blood cake is a Taiwanese specialty that -- contrary to rumor -- is legal throughout the U.S. It is sticky rice drenched in pig's blood, steamed, bathed in a pork soy broth, rolled in peanut flour, and then topped with cilantro.

Blood sausage, also known as black pudding, is a sausage made with blood and any number of other ingredients like meat or cornmeal. Blood sausage is made all over the world. In Spain it's called Morcilla, in France it's Boudin Nor, and in China it's Xue Doufou.

This makes me wonder if the original Bloody Mary recipe was made with blood instead of tomato juice?  A good study topic for another time.     

Though I am not naïve to the fact that there are people in this world who drink their own and/or other’s bodily fluids…it never ceases to amaze me.  Aside from the occasional tear that has trickled down my cheek and landed on my lips, I have not ingested my own bodily secretions; nor do I desire to do so.  I am certain that blood, sweat and tears were not meant to be shared with others in a toasting fashion, nor consumed over ice for one’s own partaking pleasure.  ~