Parading meat and raw beef

Dear L,

Last Saturday was the Stockholm Pride parade.  I had a hot dog and nuts on the subway on the way over to get into the spirit.  Here are some of my favorite groups of marchers:

F! (the Feminist Party)

Gay priests.

Da bears.

The event was very moving.  "Proud parents" and "Gays marching for those who can't", who wore tape over their mouths and carried signs with hate crime statistics and stories, caused a lump in my throat and almost brought me to tears.  I had to leave early because my shoulder started aching from standing still in a cramped space for so long, but luckily this was not the only meat I would see for a while.

For dinner last night we enjoyed the Swedish specialty råbiff.  A plate with a mound of raw beef was placed in front of me at the dinner table. I watched as everyone flattened her beef and dressed it with chopped red onions, diced beets, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper.  I imitated.  At this point I'm wondering why this is okay here but not at home - is it a different quality of meat?  Our tendency to sue anyone for anything?  Or just a stronger aversion to even the slightest risk of food-borne illness? - when the final dressing is brought out: raw eggs.  I mix mine in and enjoy.  Mmmmm!

Love,
D