Mmm…Blood

Photo Credit: Travel Channel

In many cultures, blood consumption plays an important role in a healthy lifestyle. Enthusiasts say the red stuff keeps you strong, and can even warm you up on a cool day. Chug a glass of blood and your body temperature will indeed rise a few degrees–seriously! Overcoming the psychological hurdles (not to mention the flavor) can make drinking blood challenging. Downing a glass is akin to sucking on a freshly used and discarded bandage, multiplied by a factor of a thousand.

I love super-fresh cow’s blood. Sure, the first time you drink it, it’s off-putting. Most people have only tasted blood after cutting a finger and then instinctively sticking it in their mouths (is this smart? I don’t know!). However, blood has its nuances: There is a big difference between snake, duck, lamb, and cow’s blood. The flavor changes depending on how fresh it is, and if you’re drinking it straight up or not. For me, it’s no longer the stuff of horror films; it’s just another ingredient. Very rich in protein with great minerally flavor, I enjoy a glass of fresh cow’s blood in the same, mundane way that I enjoy something more ordinary, like a tomato.

Illustration by Chuck Gonzales

How Now, Brown Cow?

A cow weighs about 1,000 pounds and has 4.376 gallons of blood.
A cow typically spends six to seven hours a day eating.
Cows chew about fifty times per minute.
A cow has more than 40,000 jaw movements per day.
Cows drink 35 gallons of water a day.
Cows do not bite grass; they curl their tongue around it and pick it.
Cows have one stomach with four digestive compartments.
Cows are able to climb up stairs, but not down. They cannot bend their knees properly to descend.

Illustration by Chuck Gonzales

DIY Blood

Blood plays so many important roles in the human body. It travels through the body through arteries and veins delivering nutrients and oxygen from your brain to your toes. It carries out waste like carbon dioxide. It keeps you warm. It even fights off infections. So why is it so scary? Who knows, it just is! Here is a perfect recipe for making your own stage blood for your next scary movie:

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 pint of thick white corn syrup
1/4 cup dishwashing soap (warm colors work best)
1/4 oz. red food coloring
5 drops of blue food coloring

1. Take 1/2 cup of corn syrup and stir it with the peanut butter until it is runny.
2. Add dishwashing soap and red food coloring
3. Add the rest of the corn syrup
4. Add drops of blue food coloring until you get the perfect blood color.