When I eat chicken, I call it chicken. Chicken wing; chicken drumsticks etc.

When I eat lamb, I call it lamb. Lamb shank; lamb cutlets.

So why do I not eat pig or cow? I eat pork or beef. Is there a reason for that?

  • @[email protected]
    18•1 year ago

    Lamb (the meat) is specifically young sheep, which are also called lambs. Adult sheep are called sheep, but the meat is called mutton.

    English makes no sense.

    • @[email protected]
      7•1 year ago

      Hogget for in between.

      A sheep in its first year is a lamb and its meat is also lamb. The meat from sheep in their second year is hogget. Older sheep meat is mutton.

      Oh…, maybe not.

      Generally, “hogget” and “sheep meat” are not used by consumers outside Norway, New Zealand, South Africa, Scotland, and Australia.

      • BlueÆtherEnglish
        5•1 year ago

        It gets even weirder. As a New Zealander, we would never say hogget for meat for the consumer (unless you went to a 'proper butcher), Farmers/Butchers will call 1-2 y/o sheep hoggets though.

        • @[email protected]
          3•1 year ago

          Or a two-tooth 🙂

          I agree, I would call the meat of a two-tooth hogget, but if you wanted to buy it in the shop, well I’m not sure you could find it.

        • livus
          2•1 year ago

          Supermarkets call all of it lamb.

          But as for consumers, might depend on generation or whereabouts you’re from. I have memories of my mother getting angry “this isn’t lamb it’s hogget” when she tasted it.

      • @[email protected]
        3•1 year ago

        I’m from Australia and I’ve never heard that one. I don’t eat lamb (or sheep. Or mutton. Or whatever.) though, so maybe I’m not the best source.

    • @ABCDE
      4•1 year ago

      As a teacher of English…I agree.

      • FuglyDuckEnglish
        4•1 year ago

        one of my english teachers in highschool was actually ESL, and from Croatia. She spoke like seven or eight languages, though. It was funny, because occasionally she’d just slip into whatever random language.

        She also liked to swear in french. it was truly hair raising. Incidentally, she also refused to use the ‘standard’ books reading. She’d probably get banned in half the country these days, but she genuinely was probably the best English teacher I’ve had. also the best french teacher ;)

        • kspatlas
          2•1 year ago

          As a bilingual, switching into other languages by accident often sounds insane, like you’re just talking and then “Oh shit, that was the wrong language”

          • FuglyDuckEnglish
            1•1 year ago

            Yeah. I mean, I don’t think I ever made a huge deal over it. there were definitely jerks that did though. (and also trolled her to the point of swearing in other languages… I felt bad about that. Especially looking back because I don’t think school admin had her back with those kids.)

        • @ABCDE
          -1•1 year ago

          I have a couple of languages I curse in so I don’t get caught, usually Khmer or Portuguese, though the latter is pretty widely spoken/understood.