water buffalo (was Re: pork question)

[Guest guest]

> >I *can* tell you that hindus don't eat

> > cows, but they do eat water

> > buffalo.

> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Something might be clipped here>>>>>>>

> >>>I was discussing this with several hindu coworkers.

> They said that only female cows are considered sacred.

>

> ***LOL *Cows* are, by definition, female.

> Males are called " steer " or " bulls. "

>

>Clipped>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>No direct attack (honestly) Suze but what's the spin

on this phrase, " Males are called " steer " or " bulls " . " ??? Any of you

folks find this statement difficult to understand??????? I think we

need to work on our communication skills. I know I'm always trying to

myself. Males of the cattle family are called " bulls " . A farmer

generally calls a male calf, " a bull calf " . Now I haven't had time to

check all the postings to see if this has been corrected, however, you

will want to, before publishing for farmers. Generally and not

loosely speaking, a steer is a castrated male of the cattle (bovine)

family. Best regards, Dennis Kemnitz

****What the...heck? OK, at first I couldn't figure out what point you are

trying to make. I said " cows are by definition female " and males are called

steer or bulls. Then you said that's difficult to understand, but then went

ahead and stated the exact same thing, albeit adding a little further

detail. I just figured you were having a cocktail while writing it. But

then I went back to the first line i wrote from a previous post, which you

quoted:

I *can* tell you that hindus don't eat

> > cows, but they do eat water

> > buffalo.

Then it dawned on me that you may not have been having a cocktail, but that

you believe that *water buffalo* and *cattle* are the same thing, which

*would* make my first statement confusing. So then I tried to remember why

it is that I thought water buffalo and cattle are different species. I do

recall that they looked different in nepal - the cows looked like cows I've

seen in the states (lots of brown and white markings, IIRC), albeit often

emaciated. I remember them well as they were ubiquitous in kathmandu and

pretty much ruled the streets. you are forced to become laid back when cows

prevent you from getting where you are going and you can't do anything about

it due to their sacred status. if they laid down in the middle of the street

you just had to go around them...or wait. But, the water buffalos seemed

larger, solid coal color, and had bigger curved horns. I don't recall seeing

them getting any special treatment...So then I did a web search and found

that they are indeed different species (at least that's what I assume since

cattle have 60 chromosomes and water buffalo have 48-50). Not only that, but

American *buffalo* are not even really buffalo, but more closely related to

cattle than the water buffalo. Also, there are two main breeds of water

buffalo - swamp buffalo and river buffalo. I don't know which kind I saw and

ate in kathmandu, but I think it's the bigger and darker grey river buffalo.

To my knowledge *female* water buffalo are not sacred to Hindus - the sacred

status just applies to cattle. And, one site I found stated that both sexes

of *cattle* are sacred, and some southern indian villages have temples

dedicated to *only* the sacred *bull.* The following passage would support

this (as well as my description of how they block traffic):

" For Indians, however, the sacred cow proved a major obstacle on their

country's road to economic modernization. The writing was on the wall within

a decade of India achieving its tumultuous independence in 1948; then, as

today, trucks were forced to crawl behind convoys of bullock-drawn carts and

stray, ambulating bulls majestically impeded urban traffic. "

http://www.worldpaper.com/Archivewp/1996/Oct96/amit.html

So maybe both sexes of cattle are sacred..? I wonder if there are regional

variances as well, since religions tend to morph a bit as they spread to

different regions...

And another interesting reference on water buffalo milk from the same URL:

" These obstacles have effectively stopped India from becoming the biggest

exporter of meat to the Middle East and from being Asia's leading leather

supplier as well. One side effect of the sacred cow has been to keep the

ever-neglected water buffalo from gaining status among Hindu farmers. In

spite of the fact that the buffalo's mortality rate is low, its upkeep is

cheap and it yields more high quality milk than cows, it numbers only one

third of the cattle population. "

And if you really want *more* details on water buffalo, see the following:

http://ww2.netnitco.net/users/djligda/wbfacts.htm#001

(info on historic origins, genetics and regional distribution)

http://www.wildchannel.com/features/waterbuff3.htm

" t is not possible to crossbreed cattle with Water buffalo for genetic

reasons. The Buffalo have 48 to 50 chromosomes, whereas cattle have 60. "

Interesting factoid (or myth!):

n Asia, Water Buffalo milk has been considered an aphrodisiac and some have

associated it with their high population growth rate.

Another interesting thing some of the web sites mentioned is that they are

resistant to many of the parasites that infect cattle.

OK! All you ever wanted to know about water buffalo Hey, maybe I should

use this as a basis for my nutrition thesis to be posted and nitpicked at

some future date:

" Water Buffalo: meat, milk and taboos. "

Suze Fisher

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