[385] in Vegetarian_Support_Group
in case you ever wondered
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (elsiedee@MIT.EDU)
Fri Feb 24 23:27:37 1995
To: vsg@MIT.EDU
Cc: conti@wpi.wpi.edu, jayscott@wpi.wpi.edu
Date: Fri, 24 Feb 95 23:27:58
From: elsiedee@MIT.EDU
Have you ever wondered what gelatin is?
A (non-veg) friend happened to have a book last summer called "Return of
the Straight Dope" by Cecil Adams -- apparently based on a popular
newspaper column where people write in and ask all kinds of questions.
Here's what one person wrote in:
How is gelatin made? A friend of mine said he visited a "gelatin factory"
where he saw cow skins piled to the ceiling. The skins are left to putrefy
or "cure" for about a month, during which time they're overrun by rats,
mice, and insects. The stench, my friend said, is unforgettable. After the
hides are ripe, a tractor pushes them into a vat of acid that disintegrates
the cow hairs, skin, cartilage, rat excrement, etc., into a nice, tasty,
homogenized gel. Can this be true? I've been fortunate enough not to have
had gelatin since childhood, but there are a lot of people out there trying
to strengthen their nails. -Victor D.
Cecil Adams: Victor, what's the problem here? We're talking about a process
that is the epitome of the waste-not-want-not postindustrial ethic, whose
only drawback is that it happens to be a little disgusting. Setting aside a
few gratuitous details, notably the bit about the rats, mice, and insects,
your description of the gelatin-making process is reasonably close to the
mark. But instead of being grossed out, you should thank God you live in a
country where they've learned to harness even the humblest forms of protein
for the good of...well, if not all mankind, at least the shareholders of
General Foods.
Cowhides are used for gelatin because they contain a seminutritious
substance called collagen. They don't molder in the open air, but instead
are immersed for a month in vats of lime, then dumped in acid, washed in
water, and finally cooked. Pig hides get an expedited version of this
process, but the result is the same, namely a uniform proteinaceous goo.
The gelatin is then filtered, dried, and shipped off for manufacture into
Jell-O, marshmallows, candy, and what have you.
A considerable body of off-the-wall legend surrounds the gelatin biz. For
example, I've been told that the factory where they make the gelatin for
Jell-O is the only General Foods plant off-limits to the public, owing to
the repulsiveness of what goes on inside. As a matter of fact, the plant,
which is located just outside of _Boston_, isn't open to the public, but
then neither are a number of other General Foods sites. The place is
inspected periodically by the feds and is said to be pretty sanitary.
As for the smell...well, the place does have a certain fragrance, the
company admits. A spokesman loyally describes it as "not bad," which I
suppose could mean "not bad compared to a Bolivian skunk ranch," but who
knows. You want to make a midnight raid and check for yourself, be my
guest.
***
