Day 6: Moderation

The topic of gluttony has come up a few times while discussing my Month of Pork.  I’ve been told “You’re going to gain so much weight!” a number of times.  But my Month of Pork isn’t about stuffing my face full of bacon (although that’s not necessarily a bad thing), or deep frying every morsel of food, or coming up with the most disgusting pork based food monstrosity known to man.  No, it’s about dispelling the myth that the pig is somehow unworthy of consumption.  Don’t kid yourself, it’s a belief more widely held that you might think.  As mentioned in my first entry, this irrational and ignorant notion may be based on nutritional beliefs supported by pseudo-science; on religious beliefs founded on thousand year old doctrines; on moral judgements about the consumption of meat; or even a prejudice towards pork based on the belief that it is a dirty animal.

On the last belief that pigs are somehow “dirty”, I’ve heard it from people who eat other types of meat; namely chicken.  My family keeps chickens, and I can assure you that they are disgusting animals with no regard for what they put in their beaks.  I didn’t want to come out and say it, but the truth is this…chickens eat their own shit.  That’s right…shit.  If they see something on the ground that looks vaguely like something they might eat, they peck at it, even if it’s shit.  And with brains the size of thimbles, I wouldn’t expect any more of them.  I don’t discount the fact that chickens are delicious because they engage in the avian version of “two chicks one cup”.  So if your justification for choosing chicken over “swine” is because it’s somehow cleaner, think again.  In fact, if you eat any commercially prepared food believe the well-researched conclusion in Eric Schlosser's book Fast Food Nation: in addition to your food containing acceptable amounts of insect parts and rat feces…”there’s shit in the meat”.  Now that this “dirty” topic is out in the open…let’s accept it and move on.  No type of meat is inherently dirtier than another; unless of course, you’ve dropped it on the ground.

Rant over, back to the guest of honour at each of my meals during the month of March, the humble pig.

Breakfast was simple: an open faced fried egg and sausage sandwich.  It was quick and hit the spot like no bowl of cereal ever could…except for Froot Loops.  I love Froot Loops; especially for the fact that they smell like lemon floor cleaner!

 

Open-faced pork liver sausage and egg sandwich

Lunch was a rehash of last night’s dinner since there were plenty of leftovers.  So much in fact that I took pride in sharing with some co-workers.  The problem is that word gets around fast and then people feel left out when they don’t get any. 

My planned dinner was in peril.  I had defrosted a rib roast, but wouldn’t be home until 7 and it would take at least two hours to cook.  I burst through the door, threw off my coat and suit jacket and quickly got to work in the kitchen still wearing my tie.  Who was I trying to be?  The fucking Galloping Gourmet?

Ready, set, go!  Express cooking underway!

A generous dose of my special salt...I should order it by the case.

Anyway, I set to work prepping a coating for the roast: Rosemary, sage, garlic, thyme and lemon zest, blended in my food processor with olive oil to form a paste which was massaged into the meat.  I could have eaten a handful of the stuff…it smelled that good.

I figured it would take at least two hours to cook the rib roast, but having shared most of my lunch I have no problems admitting that I was slightly hungry.  So I prepped a small tray of home-made salami, some aged sheep’s milk cheese and baby carrots (not the fake baby cut carrots that people call baby carrots…there is a difference you know.  Shit! I just realized that my baby carrots comment has exposed me as a food snob.

By the time dinner was done, I was hardly in the mood for eating, but the aroma as I pulled the roasting pan from the oven was enough to change my mind.  I didn’t want to let the meat rest, but I remained patient.  Slightly overcooked, but a pretty good result for my first time making a pork rib roast.