Well that certainly boosts my ego, thanks
Wrt pain response it varies. Some people do describe actually “feeling” the pain of others, read on “empathetic distress” for more on this. It’s less common but is interesting; in some people when they empathize with someone experiencing something like physical pain there is activation of areas of the brain that process physical pain (insula and anterior cingulate cortex) in addition to showing physiological response consistent with pain (tachycardia, perspiration, wincing, etc)
It could be performative but the neurological activation can’t really be faked and the physiological responses can be challenging to fake. Additionally there is variability in response and behavioral indicators like attempting to render aid which are somewhat inconsistent with performative acts (though not definitively so)
While others have pointed out it definitely can it also contains lecithin so it can technically create emulsions like mayonnaise and hollandaise
Eggs contain far more so I don’t know how well this would work but it should? It also contains albumin and globulins but in the white, which is traditionally not used for these. However they can further stabilize the emulsion. But blood also as fibrinogen which is part of what makes it gel when heated as part of coagulation and this would impact texture
Essentially like:
1 part blood 3-4 parts neutral oil Tsp vinegar or lemon juice Tsp Dijon Season to taste
Prepare the same as mayo
You could also boost lecithin content with additional lecithin from soy or sunflowers but that’s kind of against the spirit
I personally am vegan but find the food science of this interesting. I think eating animals is cruel but at the same time I would be interested to know if this actually could work or if you ended up with blood vinaigrette.