this little piggy

I have a dear friend who wants me to write about pork. Apparently there is a big event in Italy and it concerns a saint (when doesn't it) and pigs. Sure, why not? I love her, I like pigs, and it will put me in a good mood after a cranky expletive of writing earlier.

so here goes.

Pigs!

Pigs are as smart or smarter than dogs, and they taste good. Maybe dogs do, but I come from a culture which doesn't eat dog nor will I ever, even in the interests of culinary research. Pigs however, are another matter. Over the years I have enjoyed pigs and began to think about them in the context of food and symbolism with this writing.

There are no pigs in Turkey, no Muslims eat pig. I totally respect that; I have adapted family recipes, as I wrote earlier for Turkish friends, taking out sausage. when I was growing up, we did have pork, and bacon, in the US commissary. It was shipped in from Europe for the Americans, and so I felt no lack of bacon or porkchops in my growning up.

In a curious parallel, dog treats are often pork rind and piggy snouts and ears. It is a little creepy to see them in the pet store: circles with two holes in them, pointy hoofs, and large as your hand triangles of piggy hide in sacks. Improbably, Porky Pig as trademark, happily hawking parts of his anatomy.

I do know two Turkish dogs, lovely large congols. Their tails curl in in a complete circle, they are as tall as a man when they stand up, and they have beautiful kohl rimmed eyes. My friend buys sacks of pig ears for treats for them when she comes to the States. I am bemused about these sacks of pig paraphanalia crossing the border to feed these "Muslim dogs." I wonder what her husband thinks.

Germany is porcine heaven. At the butcher, wursts, brats, porkchops, roasts, hash, more and more pig parts to braise, stew, steam, grill. I never saw fields full of pigs, but sure could smell them when traveling in the villages. At Fashing, the equivalent of the mania of Carnival or Mardi Grass, I loved the marzipan pigs sold for good luck. Dyed bright pepto bismol pink, they line the cases snout to snout waiting for someone to purchase them. I usually kept mine until they were almond dust, and would shatter when I bit into them. I had a little pink blown glass piggy from Dusseldorf as a charm for years.

I didn't think too much about pigs, after returning to the states to college. Porkchops were my first cooking attempts. As a grad student in Seattle, I planned for my date. I managed to brown the porkchops, add paprika and drain the sauerkraut. I would carefully put the kraut in all its briny smell and tangled mass in my glass brownie pan. I"d put the porkchops point to t-bone to fit, and pour a can of beer over it. By the time it heated in the oven I would manage to have the salad made and heat up the can of green beans. Viola! a meal!

We've come a long way baby, yet I remember those first attempts.

For many years I have taught over a shop and by a barn for the Future Farmers of America class. One year kids raised money for the class with a "kiss the pig " contest. We had a brand new teacher, a doll, a young girl that the boys would follow all over campus. Of course she was voted the reacher rep, and of course the vote was rigged. All the classes got the money and none to the teacher. That Friday, at 8 am she gamely went to the front of the school to "kiss the pig". A large Ford truck backed up, with a sow in the truckbed. Snuffling and snorting, she was huge her bristles brushing up against the side of the truck she was black and pink. Kids gathered, and the Ag teacher lowered the gate. Just as the young woman was getting ready to kiss that vibrating moist nose, a cute, cute, pink little piglet was pulled with a flourish out of the cab for her to kiss.

How can I eat something so cute? Well, it all is cute, and although I hate to eat a sentient being, I do love pork, and ham, and bacon. I just advocate for humane raising and butchering.

But gentle readers, there are just some pieces I cannot eat! I was in Baltimore at a famed market, and was amazed at the pieces on display. At a Korean butcher, case after case were lined with pig feet, smoked, glazed, brined and pickled. But it was the TAILS which threw me! Complete circles, like awful bracelets, they were for sale by the bag. I am a meat hypocrite, I prefer to have most things butchered beyond identification. What do you do with a tail? I just couldn't, and because I was in a hotel, didn't.

Porky Pig, Three Little Pigs, Piggly Wiggly, eat like a Pig, piggish eyes, oinkers, bring home the bacon, .....our language is full of homage to the pig. Whether from cartoon characters to beginning cooks, the noble, smart pig is a delight. Darling when little, they are imposing, and devoted good parents when older. Great food, good luck charms, material for brushes for artists....what a marvelous animal.

Happy St. day, pig lovers.