I've sent meat back at restaurants when I asked for Medium Rare and it came out with a barely pink sliver in the middle. One of the first times I ate with my to-become mother-in-law, she was aghast that I was going to eat "a piece of raw meat." In the 28 years since she's come to know that I like my steaks slapped on the ass saying Mooooo on the plate.

Couple of years ago in Canada the guide's wife cooked dinner for us each night. The meat - every night - was literally gray. Like pallid dead-skin gray. Even the meatloaf was dried. I don't know how it stayed together. She cooked every piece of meat until there was zero red-pink-shade of anything in it. All gray and tough.

Incredibly nice folks, but I ate a lot of vegetables and salad that week at supper.