ManBeef Web site tasteless

Cannibalism being one of the last great American taboos, perhaps it's not surprising that so many folks have a beef with an Internet site offering human flesh for sale.

Apparently including the federal Food and Drug Administration.

The Web site, www.ManBeef.com, caters 'to the sophisticated human meat consumer.' Be forewarned: It does not cater to the squeamish.

According to the site, ManBeef International Meats is a 19-year-old Binghamton, N.Y., company that buys products from cadaver vending companies that pay people to donate their bodies when they die.

ManBeef then turns the bodies into steaks, sausages, soup bones, etc., that are home-delivered to those with a culinary penchant for people.

'All of our products are made with 100 percent human meat,' the site boasts. 'We do not use any other meats or fillers to any of our products.'

ManBeef's step-by-step processing is graphically illustrated, from a corpse lying on a gurney to a grinder squeezing out hamburgers. There also are tips on storing, thawing and preparing man meat once it is delivered.

While an extensive recipe section provides instructions on such delicacies as ManBeef with snow peas, surprisingly there is no recipe for liver and fava beans with a nice Chianti.

Don't worry about violating any laws regarding the illegal disposal of bones or flesh. Merely return any unwanted leftovers to ManBeef in the convenient postage-paid box that will arrive along with your order.

It's all quite stomach-turning. And all a hoax, of course. The sale of human flesh is illegal in the United States.

But the site contains no disclaimer and is so sophisticated that many people apparently believe ManBeef is a legitimate - albeit gross - operation.

So many complaints regarding this site were recently lodged on the Internet that the FDA took notice.

An FDA spokeswoman in Washington, D.C., confirmed Tuesday that the agency is investigating ManBeef but would not comment further.

Since the FDA does not discuss ongoing investigations, it's unclear exactly what is being probed. The only thing ManBeef actually sells are souvenir baseball caps and T-shirts, and this Dahmerwear fashion would not appear to be under FDA jurisdiction.

ManBeef's anonymous chief executive, who goes by the nom de plume of Joseph Christopherson, didn't respond to e-mail requests for comment. But given the FDA scrutiny, his reluctance to chew the fat here is understandable.

Spend a few minutes browsing the ManBeef site and you'll have no immediate desire to consume red meat, which can raise cholesterol levels and cause coronary problems.

But even if ManBeef causes a nation of Internet surfers to consider vegetarianism, University of Pittsburgh dietitian Judy Dodd doesn't believe the end justifies the means.

'I can't see any benefit to this at all. If this is meant to be humorous or it's meant to be thought-provoking, it should indicate that at some point on the Web site.

'It's just horrible. It's sick.'

True. But oddly enough, the very thing that gives continued life to this illegitimate exercise in the grotesque is the very thing that would doom it were it a legitimate meal option.

It's tasteless.

Eric Heyl is a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review staff writer. He can be reached at eheyl@tribweb.com or (412) 320-7857.