During our Christmas Day open house, a debate was sparked over the claim that the red juice in a piece of raw steak is blood.
I argued that it was not blood. Everyone – and one friend in particular – disagreed. Facing a wall of opposition, I faltered. Doubted my claim. Wondered if I had been wrong about something so ubiquitous for all of my life.
Feeling uncertain, sensing defeat on the horizon, I decided to check the internet.
I was correct. Not blood. Confirmed by many-a-website.
Apparently, this is a frequently asked question. Most succinctly:
“Meat bought from a store contains very little, and in most cases, no blood in the red liquid. It’s actually a mixture of water and a protein called myoglobin. Myoglobin is a common protein that has the ability to store oxygen in muscle cells.”
I’m not sure if you know this about me, but I like being right a lot. I like being able to say, “I told you so” a whole lot.
Later, after the defeated parties had left, I received a text from his spouse indicating that her husband was still mad that I was right.
His son chimed in. “Wow, I’ve never seen Dad be wrong before.”
It was the final Christmas present of 2016, and it was a good one. Perhaps not in the true spirit of the holiday, but still, a merry Christmas indeed.
