Stiff: Chapters 10-12

I found the chapter on cannibalism the most interesting in the assigned reading. The act of cannibalism is a topic many people are not comfortable with. Unless they are referencing the movie series "Hannibal," many do not know or would want to know about human cannibalism. Roach explains how the Chinese practiced various forms of consuming human flesh for centuries in the pursuit of curing illnesses. Americans associate cannibalism with criminals such as Jeffrey Dahmer among many others. I believe it is interesting to view the contrasting views on the matter from the Chinese perspective and the American perspective. Cremation was another topic I found interesting in that I was unaware of how new a practice it is. Cremation beginning in the 19th century was surprising to me just because I know many families choose to cremate their loved ones rather then bury them. While cremation has become a widely accepted method for handling those who have passed away, only two centuries ago cremation was not a widely accepted burial alternative. Chapters 10-12 really contained great material and educated me on subjects I rarely examined on my own.