Through an unscientific survey of friends, I have concluded that my entire generation uniformly hates liver. Yet our parents like it, and so did their parents.
Isn’t that strange?
“Maybe not so strange,” Tod posited. Liver’s full of iron, vitamins A & D, the entire panthoen of B, plus bits of elegantly named components that give us bright eyes and glossy coats.
Our parents and grandparents liked liver because their bodies craved that nutrition. That’s the same reason some people eat clay and dirt.
But my body doesn’t crave liver or dirt because my vitamins and minerals come via supplements. And not just vitamin pills. I get my vitamins thanks to food manufacturers (and they do it becasue of the military, according to this January 2003 John Hopkins University report.)
- Iodized salt (1924).
- Vitamin D milk (1932).
- Fortified breakfast cereal (1933). Try this nifty experiment.
- Enriched bread (1941).
- Calcium-added orange juice (1987).
- Vitamin A enriched rice (1999).
- Thiamine enriched beer?? (tba)
Maybe liver’s looking better than it used to.
Not sure if I fit into your generation, but I probably do (I’m 29) but I do like liver. Don’t want to spoil it for you or anything. But I do like liver…nicely fried with sauteed onions…yum. :o)
K
Posted by: K on March 22, 2003 08:04 PMI never liked liver, not even the smell of it, until I had some at a posh restaurant in London a couple of years ago. Then I began to crave it. Fortunately, we can get good liver here (from cattle raised without steroids).
Posted by: M Sinclair Stevens on March 22, 2003 11:13 PM certain of your generation, as I recall, cried, gagged and caused minor family crises when forced to eat liver.
In the name of drama, long live liver!
M
Mmm yes. At Meson Sabika in Naperville Illinois they sometimes serve up calves liver with carmelized red onions and raspberry vinaigrette. It’s wonderful!
Once my mother and a friend passed a homeless man on their way out of a downtown restaurant. He said he was hungry and my mom gave up her leftovers.
“How could you do that?” Asked the friend.
“He was hungry.” My mother replied.
“Yes,” Said the friend, “But you had liver!”
As much as I enjoy a well-prepared liver dish, the one thing I can’t get over is that I’m eating a waste filter.
Liver is yucky :p
Posted by: gomichild on March 24, 2003 02:54 AM