On Feb 1, 10:31*am, "Jean B." > wrote:
> Mark Thorson wrote:
> > I have the TV on most of the day, even though I'm not
> > watching most of the time. *I'm usually working, and
> > just have the TV as sort of background music. *And
> > of course, I like cooking shows. *If Lidia Bastianich
> > had a 24 hour channel, that's what would be on my set
> > most of the time.
>
> > Sometimes I get desperate. *Sometimes I'll tune in the
> > Spanish-language cooking shows from V-me. *Or an
> > infomercial for the Magic Bullet. *(I'd rather have
> > an infomercial with Ron Popeil in it -- where are
> > you, Ron?)
>
> > Rarely, I'll tune in to Cooking Time, the Korean
> > language cooking show. *The host often uses obscure
> > or weird ingrediants, like oligosaccharide or
> > slim eel fish paste. *But what really gets me is
> > the food quackery. *She'll say this is food is good
> > for the joints, or that food is good for the muscles,
> > or this other stuff is good for your brain.
>
> > Yesterday, she was saying that because the salad
> > she was making was made with raw vegetables which
> > are still alive and have their life force, you
> > shouldn't mix the salad dressing into the salad
> > with your hands. *You should use chopsticks.
> > If the vegetables had been cooked, you could go
> > ahead and use your hands. *She wasn't clear on
> > whether the life force from your hands would
> > ruin the salad, or whether there was some ill
> > effect you'd receive from the salad through your
> > hands.
>
> > You learn something about other cultures by
> > watching their TV. *Koreans are a bit kooky.
>
> I dunno that the first things are quackery. *The last part seems
> most dubious to me though.

Sounds like folk medicine or animism to me. I would bet it goes back
to when folks would get sick if the uncooked veggies were handled by
hand, but not cooked ones.

maxine in ri