Year of the Pig
Pork-Scented Stamps and Bourdain's Bushman Adventure
Hail the year of the Pig! What culinary adventures await us this year? Pork-scented stamps? Wild boar poop shoots? A Nose to Tail eating story portends a wild ride.
Nose to Tail Eating
Hail the Year of the Pig! What culinary adventures await us this year? Pork scented stamps? Wild boar poop shoots? Fasten your seatbelts foodies, it looks like we’re in for a wild ride.
As the Chinese New Year approaches and we look forward to the year of the pig we note two observations that could be a sign of things to come. People born under this sign of the Chinese Zodiac are patient and straightforward, honest and thoughtful. Though some of my favorite people are born under this sign, I cannot say these porcine treats appeal to me.
Thanks to The Food Section for this tip. In honor of the Year of the Pig, China has apparently created postage stamps that celebrate Sweet and Sour Pork. Both the front and the back of the stamp are scented so you can scratch-n-sniff or lick to get a hit.
The second porcine portent comes from one of the recent episodes of “No Reservations.” As culinary bad boy Anthony Bourdain starts his new season, he gets a bit of comeuppance for all his past derision of “tourists.” You know his mantra, “Be a traveler, not a tourist” “Get off the tour bus and hang with the locals,” “Graciously eat what your hosts offer.”
It was on his recommendation that I purchased the wonderful book whose title says it all “The Whole Beast – Nose to Tail Eating.” The author, Fergus Henderson, is almost deified by chefs worldwide, Bourdain among them. Bourdain also proudly wears his love of offal and other “nasty bits’ like a badge of culinary honor.
Come sit with me dear readers, down here near the deep end, the end of the table where the real eaters sit, down here near the trotters, the tripe, the ears, etc. Let’s watch Anthony go to Namibia. See Anthony in the Kalahari Desert of Namibia. See Anthony track ostrich and boar with the Bushmen. See Anthony eat…what?
Yes, it was here in the desert where Anthony found the ultimate eating challenge. When the Bushmen found an Ostrich nest and cooked the eggs in the dirt (the dirt was hot enough, in winter, to fry an egg) he knew he was in for a bumpy ride.
But it was only when the boar was caught did the fun really start. Apparently the last bit of the intestine and sphincter are prized and therefore offered to the honored guest. We’re not talking chitlins here, dears. We’re talking gut it, squeeze out the poop, throw it on the fire. We’re in the desert with a people who survived for thousands of years this way in a life that is nearly unchanged since the dawn of time. OSHA and other food safety inspectors exist in a parallel universe unknown to this hearty group.
So, the next time you want to play chicken with some tough guys around food, maybe think twice. On the other hand, the right parasite could help shed those holiday pounds.
Offal and all the nasty bits
In honor of the Year of the Pig, I’m going to crack Henderson’s book again and see what I can find on my own adventure in Nose to Tail Eating. Wish me luck and stay tuned.
