If you’re set on being Lady Gaga for Halloween, skip the meat dress

You don’t have to eat tainted meat to get sick; merely handling it can make you ill too. Butchers know this, but Lady Gaga wannabes may not.

The singer’s meat bikini featured on the cover of Vogue and the raw meat dress (perhaps it’s skirt steak?) she wore to the MTV Video Music Awards in September apparently have inspired some to make their own DIY meat costumes for Halloween.

Don’t do it, warns the Give ‘Em Health blog at the Hartford Courant. The blog post points out that coming in contact with raw meat and then touching your eyes or face could lead to infection or parasites.

And if that doesn’t put you off, perhaps New Jersey butchers can persuade you not to take a needle and thread to uncooked steaks. “If it’s fresh meat, you’re going to get blood and juice all over anything you touch or sit on, so it’s not very hygienic.” Um, good point. For more meat wisdom, check out the video posted by the New Jersey Star Ledger.

-- Mary Forgione / Los Angeles Times