Are humans technically necrophages?

Question

We do eat dead animal. Are animals we cook not technically in a state of decomposition? Even a cooked steak will begin to rot with time. Sure we're omnivores,  but that doesn't preclude us from being necrophages does it?

Answer 1

Favourite answer

Since we won't eat the decomposed stuff like vultures do, no we're not necrophages.

By the simplest definition of necrophage, any mammal is classified as such, but the intended meaning doesn't actually cover that wide a factor.

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Answer 2

technology (cooking, controlled fermenting) is not biology, and therefore we should not use biological terms to describe something we can only do by technological means. 

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Answer 3

I assume if you don't eat meat you eat vegetables and they are dead when you eat them.  Climb off your ivory tower and stop feeling self righteous.

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Answer 4

No, because if humans eat rotting food, they will either get very sick of maybe die.  Hence we have things like refrigerators/freezers/salt/vinegar to slow the rotting process WAY down.

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Answer 5

All fruit and vegetables we eat are decomposing, This is a redundant question..

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