Where the Buffalo Roam

I am now one week into a study of the nutritional effects of Bison meat. As a big meat eater, it was impossible to pass up the chance to participate in the study. Last Saturday I went in to get weighed, give a gallon of blood and a medical history. The study will watch for changes in cholestrol levels, among other things as I consume the meat week after week.

It is a double blind study. The participants are in two groups. For seven weeks one group will eat bison meat while the other will eat regular old beef. We do not know which group we've been placed in, and the researchers don't either. We will consume 12 oz. of meat every day during the 7 weeks. After the 7 weeks there will be a 30 day washout period, where we will return to our normal diets. Then we will switch meats and begin for another 7 weeks. I am pretty sure that I am in the bison group right now, so I'll be eating beef during the second part.

It's tough sacrificing my body in the name of science. It's a real burden to get 14 weeks of free meat along with a little extra cash in my pocket. My mother-in-law said that she'll start calling me 'Buffalo Bill'. I said that's fine as long as she doesn't call me 'Buffalo Chip'. That reminds me of a rival scout troop from when I was growing up. Their troop name was The Buffalo Chips and their chant went like this:

Buffalo chips,

Buffalo chips,

Soft as gum.

Buffalo chips,

Buffalo chips,

Yum yum yum!

P.S. if you know the difference between bison and buffalo please let me know. No one seems to know. The two terms seem to be used interchangably.