<span style="color:#0000FF;">Cooking food was one of the greatest thresholds of hominid advancement. It makes things far more edible, makes inedible things edible, and breaks down overly fibrous/hard fibers and seeds so that they can be eaten and be more digestible.</span><br><br><br><br><div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>Mr. Sun</strong> <a href="/forum/post/0"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style=""></a><br><br>
What are you talking about??? What evidence is there that cooking food was one of the great thresholds of hominid advancement? That seems like speculation to me.</div>
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Admittedly, there is some subjectivity involved in terms like "greatest". It is not speculation, however, that hominid population and population spread, at least so far as the archaeo/paleo record is concerned, increased dramatically after fire became a part of their life. Maybe this isn't "great," but it is at least significant.<br><br><br><br><div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">As far as making things more edible and all that, foods that are digestable for certain creatures will be eaten by those creatures. Gorillas eat bark and leaves and such because their digestive systems evolved to digest those foods. Whatever foods we were designed to eat are still there to be eaten. True, we would have to "relearn" that old way of eating if we exclude grinding and blending machines but the foods are there. Probably lots of fruits, certain vegetables, leafy greens, nuts and seeds and soft grains. In the bible Jesus' disciples were given a hard time because they were picking the grains and eating them as they were walking along. Oat groats are especially soft.</div>
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I took no position on the diet of gorillas and agree that different creatures eat different foods. I don't dispute that humans can eat just about anything that early hominids did. Clearly they survived. They also had less to choose from in terms of diet. Given the technology and control we now have, I agree with your allusion that we could happily and healthily return to the old ways of eating. Almost.<br><br><br><br><br><br><span style="color:#0000FF;">When cooking food was "invented," lifespans increased substantially. When/where stewing was invented, they went through the roof (people without teeth can now eat!).</span><br><br><br><br><div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">How do you know??? People without teeth could have others chew the food and then give it to them. I know that sounds gross but is it any grosser than tongue kissing? Spit is spit.</div>
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I know because I study the evidence for a living. If you look at human osteological remains from "archaic" (pre-ceramic) cultures, you'll find a lot of dead 20-30 somethings with worn down teeth. After ceramics were introduced, people started living a lot longer and their teeth show far less wear. You are willing to assume that the feeble would have been taken care of. I won't argue with that, even with no reason to believe it, but I'm not sure how effective that would be in a grand sustenance scheme.<br><br><br><br><br><br><span style="color:#0000FF;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="color:#0000FF;">If cooking had never existed, you wouldn't be around to write about how unnecessary it is.</span></span></span><br><br><br><br><div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Do you really think that if humans had not started cooking food that we would have become extinct? Why do you think that? I think we probably would've evolved more in the warmer climates but that we would've survived quite nicely and eventually learned to write and then make computers and then type and then I would still be here to type up this post. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/smiley.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="

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I never said we would have become extinct, but we wouldn't be quite so advanced. You, Mr. Sun, I'm sure would have tablets and a chisel, and still have your posse.<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/tongue3.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="

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