[net.misc] A Lamb by any other name - psychological distance revisited

anton (06/24/82)

Assuming that you are not refering to the populariser of Shakespeare,
Lamb and sheep are two distinct things.  Hence in English English, the idiom
"mutton dressed as lamb" meaning something old tarted up to look young.

Within the 'meat' category you also differentiate between calf meat, meat
from the cow, and meat from the castrated bull.  Why ?

Age, tenderness and taste.	They are *NOT* merely different cuts 
				from the same animal.

Note that the difference in nomenclature *does* seem to be based on what
you can extract from the food animal that is well differentiated:

	You can order caviar, whic isn't the same as sturgeon	
		
To take a culturally different one, there is enough of a whale 
(as oppose to most fish ((yes, I know a whale isn't a fish, but it is
fish shaped and lives in water, and once we thought it was a fish)) to have 
different types of meat (and other things).  The eskimos do have
words for the differerent parts, just as we have rib, sirloin, neck, tounge,
tail, liver, kidneys, brain, heart, leg.... when refering to parts of
the cow-family of meat animals.  (And if you have objections to some of
those being on the list as edibles you are merely demonstrating your lack
of cultural experience.  If you call them offal and turn your nose up you
are also displaying a lot of preconcieved notions.  What do you think all
that beautiful sausage and pate you pay such high prices for in the European
deli's is made from ?)

/anton aylward ..!decvax!hcr!anton