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The very IMPORTANT but PERPLEXING question of BACON


Katgoesonholiday
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Forget not crispy...It was completely RAW

 

I keep seeing this comment throughout the forums - mainly from American posters - and I just want to clarify what qualifies as raw vs cooked.

 

This is my perspective:

 

RAW

bacon.jpg

Note how it is nearly translucent.

 

COOKED BY NZ STANDARDS

Fried-and-grilled-back-ba-004.jpg

Its a similar colour but not translucent. The meat is cooked and safe to eat.

 

WHAT SEEMS TO BE THE AMERICAN CONCEPT OF COOKED

4679959039_a086981352_b.jpg

This stuff is stiff and really browned. Its rare to encounter bacon like this in NZ. Its mostly confined to American burger chains such as Wendys.

 

 

Do you think this cultural difference in cooking bacon is the source of all the appalled comments about how MSC serves raw bacon?

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You had me at bacon! :D

 

Yes, Americans prefer thinner bacon which means it will get crisper and browner than thicker bacon. But as long as it's bacon, I don't care and will consume whatever is within arms reach! :)

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Never understood why anyone would want to "burn" it to a crisp?

 

papcx ... That is the stuff you usually buy in a sealed bag at the local shop or supermarket or even the pub!

 

kate ... As discussed before real Bacon is what we have in the UK similar to the second photo you posted and cooked in the correct way.

Edited by sidari
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You know this raw to undercooked bacon might be fine for the salons of Europe and the boohai of New Zealand but it isn't how we do things here in America.

 

:p

 

Because there are two ways of doing things - the wrong way and the American way! Right? :p

 

Coincidentally, I have just been reading a stack of research on 'sociological imagination' which is basically being able to step outside ones own experience, values and cultural norms in order to consider another perspective. I suspect it should be required reading for all Americans travelling on MSC ships!

 

*ducks to avoid a barrage of abuse and rotten tomatoes*

 

PS I know may very well travelled and flexible Americans who have no problem accepting different cultures. Its not universal though - as the reviews clearly demonstrate!

Edited by Katgoesonholiday
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I'm american...most of us don't like it burnt. Sometimes the bacon here is very fatty. So it has to be cooked slowly so that the fat dries out but the lean meat doesn't burn and remains chewy. Undercooked or raw bacon in the states means the fat is still rubbery, for lack of a better word. Bacon cooked to fast and burnt can cause cancer..or so we are told.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Because there are two ways of doing things - the wrong way and the American way! Right? :p

 

Coincidentally, I have just been reading a stack of research on 'sociological imagination' which is basically being able to step outside ones own experience, values and cultural norms in order to consider another perspective. I suspect it should be required reading for all Americans travelling on MSC ships!

 

*ducks to avoid a barrage of abuse and rotten tomatoes*

 

PS I know may very well travelled and flexible Americans who have no problem accepting different cultures. Its not universal though - as the reviews clearly demonstrate!

Oh how I agree with you! That is why we have embarked on a mission to take each of our grandchildren on a trip outside the US, to give them a different viewpoint and to appreciate and value other cultures. We're 4 down, 4 to go. Sure hope we live long enough and our wallet doesn't empty out too early.

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Oh how I agree with you! That is why we have embarked on a mission to take each of our grandchildren on a trip outside the US, to give them a different viewpoint and to appreciate and value other cultures. We're 4 down, 4 to go. Sure hope we live long enough and our wallet doesn't empty out too early.

 

Its a great policy! We are looking forward to taking our three boys to Asia and Europe - they have already been to Australia and America. The problem is that NZ is so darn far away from everything that it really costs to be able to travel!!!

 

We also host international students at the local secondary school (years 6-13, ages 11-18). So far we have had a Khazastani, two Chinese and a Thai living with us for a year or more. Its been such a valuable experience for my boys!

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Kat. I'm with you. The NZ cooked bacon is perfect in my opinion.

 

Never understood why anyone would want to "burn" it to a crisp?

 

Some people like it crispy. It's personal preference. I wonder the same about how Aussies love Vegamite! Ughhhh!!! :)

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Because there are two ways of doing things - the wrong way and the American way! Right? :p

 

Coincidentally, I have just been reading a stack of research on 'sociological imagination' which is basically being able to step outside ones own experience, values and cultural norms in order to consider another perspective. I suspect it should be required reading for all Americans travelling on MSC ships!

 

*ducks to avoid a barrage of abuse and rotten tomatoes*

 

PS I know may very well travelled and flexible Americans who have no problem accepting different cultures. Its not universal though - as the reviews clearly demonstrate!

 

You do know it's not just Americans who have difficulty adjusting to other cultures behaviors, right? How many Brits have you read about who don't believe in tipping, even when in the US, because it is not part of their culture.

 

I, as an American, lived outside of the US for over 13 years (with the US Air Force) and for one, I LOVE learning how other people do things. I enjoy driving on the left hand side of the road, chugging a stein of beer, and checking out naked women behind glass windows in Amsterdam! Other places do some things better than in the US and the US does some things better than in other places. The trick is having an open mind to find out all of the best things in the best places! :)

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We not only cheerfully fry it, but we also leave the fat 'undercooked' so it is still 'rubbery'. I peel that bit off and feed it to the dog anyway. Why would you want to eat pure fat?

 

I guess you've never been to the true South in the US. Gotta try "Cracklin" sometime (fried fatback). Pure fat and there ain't nothing like it! :)

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Being from the south-I do love bacon! I like it crispy and brown with my eggs and grits. After many trips in Europe-I have found that I like it also like the poster from New Zealand does. I always like to try everything and have not found anything I actually hate in different countries. I even loved Haggis! I don't eat oatmeal at home, but absolutely love the steel cut oats in Ireland. I believe in trying to eat like the locals when you visit their country. All Americans came from Europe-so I would never poke fun or say our way to eat is right or wrong. We, in the south, do eat some strange things ourselves and talk funny too! LOL!

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Well we are a colonial outpost of good old Mother England! :P

 

Any reference to 'Canadian Bacon'? Speaking Colonial(y) ...That was the good stuff when I was a kid, center cut, no fat, like a steak. Last trip to Christchurch, we were served Colonial Goose. Great surprise. But fish n chips was our mainstay, and enjoyed the Victorian stained glass and Fiordlands. However, the bacon was a bit undercooked.

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I found this video on the American way of cooking bacon:

. A bacon station like that along with an omlette station would bring MSC all the raving reviews in the world. :D
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