Steve Pope > wrote:

> Victor Sack > wrote:
>
> >"Bulk sausage" is utter nonsense and a totally unnecessary one, too.
>
> I disagree. It's just terminology, no more or less valid
> than other terminology.

It is not about a validity of anything; it is about "bulk sausage" being
semantic nonsense. The term is perfectly well understandable by anyone,
but is semantically ridiculous.

> >The "term" was probably first used by someone with a limited knowledge
> >of both English and cooking (and it was surely the very same harmful
> >drudge who started to use "hamburger" in a similar sense). "Sausage" is
> >defined by its casings. The minced meat that goes into the casings or
> >is used for many other related or unrelated products and dishes is
> >correctly called "forcemeat" throughout the English-speaking world,
> >America including.
>
> "Forcemeat" is a pretty uncommon term among Americans.

It appears to be about as common or uncomon as everywhere else. When
people are not very knowledgeable about cooking and its terminology,
they tend to resort to semantic crutches, of which "bulk sausage" is an
example. The same is, of course, also true of any other area of human
knowledge.

> This does not mean they are full of nonsense. (And there's
> so many other ways to demonstrate that, so why bother with
> this one..)

Do I detect a typical defensiveness engendered by a perceived slight to
America or Americans? Yes, I do. Yet, the only "slight" would appear
to reside in the incidental fact that the ridiculous term "bulk sausage"
appears to be in use in America only.

Victor