We should respect each other’s cultural traditions. That doesn’t mean we can’t be completely baffled by them.
A lot of people are processing their recent discovery of a holiday treat that’s popular in Wisconsin called “Tiger Meat” or “Cannibal Sandwiches.” Both those names conjure up some horrifying images, but none can compare to the truth: it’s a raw ground meat sandwich.
People in Wisconsin already knew about it. The wider world was exposed to the recipe on Twitter by @miniondealthcult, who shared screenshots of a warning about the delicacy from the Wisconsin Department of Health.
Because, you know, eating raw ground beef is dangerous:
What the heck pic.twitter.com/ZUD1NCz4QV
— Minion Death Cult Podcast (@miniondeathcult) December 13, 2020
The screenshots include a few comments on the Health Department’s post from Wisconsinites who absolutely refuse to take any kind of health advice because they love eating ground up raw beef so very, very much:
Some people on Twitter confirmed that it’s a thing, and some of them are super into it. Wisconsin has a lot of people in it from Germany, and some claimed it’s a European dish gone wrong. Others were horrified. And some diplomatically explained that there are lots of dishes that involve raw beef.
However, most of those are cuts that get seared in the pan or have limited surface area for bacteria. Ground beef is kind of mostly surface area, so it’s a bacteria playground:
Sitting down at the table in my ripped long Johns, soot on my face, enjoying raw beef because I can’t afford any fire
— Minion Death Cult Podcast (@miniondeathcult) December 13, 2020
I literally do not care who eats what but this is probably the funniest dichotomy in the discourse pic.twitter.com/BJyhoJfpEU
— Minion Death Cult Podcast (@miniondeathcult) December 13, 2020
Remembering now that my nana would eat her jello with a dollop of Mayo on top. Germans are a sick, sick people
— Minion Death Cult Podcast (@miniondeathcult) December 14, 2020
It's delicious, but I don't eat it now that I know how risky it is. My dad never thought twice about giving this to his children, starting when we were very small
— Louise (@FoolishGiant) December 13, 2020
Extra disturbing because of all the pointy pointers
— Truman Burbank (@elahcmekaj) December 13, 2020
No one I know who eats raw ground beef (aka cannibal sandwiches) uses store bought ground beef. While I don't grind mine at home I have a butcher I trust who uses the cuts I want. Been eating this at Christmas for 40 years and I'm fine thus far.
— They call me zdubs (@zwisniewski) December 14, 2020
In the Middle East we have a similar dish its called Kibbeh Nayeh and it is bomb af (except it’s made with lamb, goat or veal) pic.twitter.com/gQX6JytDjW
— well damn, Jackie (@lady_urbosaa) December 13, 2020
A lot of Wisconsin traditions were brought over from Germany
— Grant (I'm sorry I left) Simons (@GrantLeft) December 13, 2020
Yeah there is a BIG difference between steak tartare and just raw ground beef. It's like the difference between sushi grade fish and the grocery store salmon you've had in your fridge for a couple days
— Katie Schenkel writes comics (@JustPlainTweets) December 14, 2020
eating the meat of a single animal you killed yourselves is like 1 thousandath of the risk of eating ground industrially processed meat
— The Extremely Disappointed Ghost of Victor Jara (@biggestallende) December 13, 2020
"Fine" in the same way licking a public handrail is fine
— Dan Dawson (@Dawesomedawson) December 13, 2020
There are so many versions of raw food out there that seem to mostly be fine because of how they’re prepared. The Cannibal Sandwich does not appear to be one of them to me, but perhaps if we were all raised associating the dish with warm holiday memories, we would think it was worth the risk, too.