The 3 P's of Pork
presumptuousness
noun
sharing one's own ideas or beliefs while identifying them as inherently blank—inherently good, correct, just, etc. Often a byproduct of self-virtuosity— "Hey fuck-o, look what I know that you don’t."
Writing (especially this kind—the all-mightily self-absorbed form that is blogging) is inherently presumptuous. Writers sell ideas for something of value. This is what makes it so magnificent yet dangerous. The something can be of monetary value. Or fuel for an over-inflated ego. It can be a sense of belonging.
perception
noun
literally, the ability to see. Mentally, the ability to understand or take other points of view into account. Determines ignorance vs. arrogance.
There are two types of blind folks; the ones who are blind to ideas (often the result of presumptuousness; see above) and the ones who constantly bump into things (Hey dummy!—You're not blind!—you don’t know anything about what it's like to be blind! Case-in-point; I have no perception of the blind-experience). The whole idea of perception, or being perceptive, is the ability to see other realities. Other lives.
perspective
noun
a word often used to introduce presumptuous thoughts and/or beliefs. "Well, from a Nihilist perspective..." "Well, from a left-adjacent perspective..." "Well, from the perspective of a 3rd-generation Ashkenazi Jewish (but raised in a secular household) surfing enthusiast—who's been to Iraq!"
You get it. Perspective is what makes each of us “special”. We all deserve to have our own opinion on things. Perspective has a big role in what we believe in and why we believe in it. Aperspective individuals are not individuals at all. They do not exist. What is aperspective? Numbers. Computers (for now). Not much else.
You're entitled to your own perspective. However: this does not mean you are entitled to ignore or denounce other perspectives; see perception.
pork
noun
"The Other White Meat". An animal protein derived from pig/swine which is often subject to controversy. Also the most widely consumed meat in the world. Common preparations: salting, smoking, roasting, frying. Etcetera.
Pork and porcine products—including gelatin, everyone's favorite industrial gelling agent— are forbidden for consumption by most Muslim and Jewish faiths. The Torah and Qur'an both forbid pork consumption. I'm skeptical of anyone who tries to declare delicious things “dirty" (see MSG), but God's reasoning purportedly has to do with the enthusiasm with which pigs will eat garbage. Their flesh is classified as 'dirty' for this reason. This designation was probably legitimate; prior to modern food-safety standards, pigs' eating behavior could've easily led to meat contamination. Straying from the path is permissible, but only if it allows the sinner to continue on spreading God's word. Basically, only if you're on death's door—which is not nearly often enough for me.
Pork and all pork-derived products—including bacon, a delicious thing—are forbidden for consumption by vegetarian and vegan dietary restrictions. Both Tom Brady and the Dalai Lama forbid pork consumption; scholars disagree whether either’s athletic performance is negatively affected by their lack of protein. Without proper supplementation or $100 fix-all “superfoods”, meat-abstinence oftentimes leads to weight gain, anemic responses, malnutrition, and/or self-righteousness. Straying from the ritual is permissible, but in doing so you must sell your soul to Satan and eternally apologize for your contribution to the eradication of pure, innocent animal life.
You have the freedom to choose which side you fall on in this matter.
However,
It is wrong to presume that everyone has the option to choose their side. Many Americans are privileged enough to design their diets as suits them. This is not the case for most people around the world. Ask the Chinese hawker peddling meats of scrupulous origin if he has any ‘plant-based’ options. Odds are he won’t have any Impossible meat-glue in his cart—though it’s origin is just as shady. For billions of people, animal protein is just as essential—if not more so—as staple grains like wheat, corn, and rice. Without said products many people's economic prospects would be destroyed. In the worst case, they would face malnourishment or starvation.
Just something to keep in mind.
That being said, dearest laptop/smartphone-enabled reader, you likely do have the freedom to customize your diet to your liking. Paleo, keto, ovo-lacto, Steve-o (which consists of cocaine. Just cocaine). But for now, you have the choice between the following;
a.) Beat your meat
Vegetarianism/veganism is more commonly practiced today for political/personal reasons than it is for religious adherence. This is so much the case (particularly in so-called 'left-adjacent' circles) that veganism/vegetarianism is now considered “righteous”; a signal of good character and virtue. The main argument is that animals shouldn't suffer and that by withdrawing meat from your diet you are thus saving animal life. Which is great. From your perspective.
The vegan globo-warrior screaming at peaceful customers inside of a local restaurant fails to acknowledge other perspectives. Their perception is limited to their own self-righteousness, their own presumptuous claim that animals are not subject to the same brutal laws that govern the modern world and nature in its most literal sense. Animal death—human death—are inevitable and natural phenomena. Nature is a circle. We consume and then are consumed. Our ancestors operated according to those rules—we have continued to do so ever since.
Some proponents of veganism cite the supposed health benefits of abandoning meat. While there are risks associated with eating large quantities of processed meat products (especially combined with the other 3 staples of the American diet - simple carbohydrates, sodium and sugar), it is simply false to call meat inherently 'bad' for you. Pseudo-science documentaries/propaganda like What the Health and The Game Changers that claim that meat is a carcinogen—or that eating an egg is equivalent to chain-smoking 5 cigarettes—are not even worth addressing.
b). Eat your meat
Let’s stick with option b.
If meat—pork in particular—is scorned by such a large group of people, then how is it so popular at the same time?
Historically pork has been prized by the hungry, rich and poor. American Indians often roasted whole hogs over fire. Pork is not without its controversy; enslaved Africans were oftentimes relegated to prepare whole hogs to feed large groups of people in America. Thanks to many of these slaves' 3rd and 4th generation ancestors (African-Americans being one of the only ethnic groups that consistently fight to preserve Southern foodways), there are still whole-hog barbecue restaurants spread thinly throughout the southern United States.
In Mexico, the Philippines, Argentina, and many other places, the practice of taking an animal, burying/crucifying it, adding fire, and waiting is a common practice. At most parties in the Philippines there is at least one lechon available. The more lechon, the bigger and better the party. It's a scalable measure of a good-time.
Lechon spinning, roasting, ever so slowly… ooh-la-la.
Economically speaking, pork is king. This depends largely on the utilization of said animal. Like it or not, nearly every part of pigs that are processed at slaughterhouses is made into something—the moniker 'pig-skin' for a football is much more literal than you might think. Meat’s industrialization has, for better or worse, created an economic chain of businesses who depend on the system. It begins with farmers/ranchers themselves, who are mandated to send their animals to slaughterhouses; from there the carcasses are send to butchers and processors for cleaning/packaging; finally, the meat finally arrives at restaurants and consumers’ homes, where meat is cooked and served.
As much as I love making fun of hyper self-aware vegetarians, I do hear their concerns and quarries. There are two kinds of animal consumption; that which comes from factory-farming—Big Meat— think Hormel, Tyson, Boar's Head and the freaking USDA. The argument against this kind of livestock rearing is legitimate. The argument in favor of it is equally understandable. Humans rely on meat dietarily in order to have sufficient levels of iron, vitamin B-12, and bioavailable protein. Because people today (in America in particular) are too 'busy' to raise/harvest our own meat, our protein must be 'shipped' to us.
And then there is the system itself. The established economy surrounding meat literally puts meat on the table for many workers. The cyclical, ever-expanding nature of this system lends support to the argument for decreased meat consumption. But how can anyone expect these people to be simply thrown to the side? To willingly abandon their livelihoods? Sorry, plant's closed—it turns out you're a mass murderer.
What I think America—the world—is due for is adapted meat consumption. Honorable meat consumption.
The more ethical, educational, emotionally invested, and delicious alternative to industrial processes is whole-hog, whole-animal rearing and slaughtering. The chain is eliminated, and the process is instead limited to animal and taker of life. The farmer, the slaughterer, the butcher, and the chef are all one person.
You go to the supermarket and buy a shrink-wrapped, formless lump that is ready to be cooked and consumed. There is little indication that these form-factorless packages of red-died glue were once living creatures.
The opposite is true of raising and feeding an animal, hog or lamb or bovine or chicken, until it is of size, slaughtering it by your own hand and then breaking down the animal into appropriate, usable, and delicious things.*
I can't brag and say I've ever conducted this act. It's something I can only variably speak about. I love meat. Vegetables too. But I've never undertaken the sacrificial act of taking an animal's life. Which I guess kinda makes me a hypocrite. I am among the shills that goes to the supermarket when they're craving steak or sausage or any other delicious thing.
I have seen the practice be carried out however, and spoken about it with the people who partake in it.
Men conferring over meat. So long, Socks
Most Greeks have been around a souvla before; a large rotisserie used to spit-roast whole sheep, goat or lamb. The souvla is typically relegated to large-scale family gatherings—even Greeks living in America occasionally roast a whole lamb for Easter, albeit one that is purchased from a butcher. Before commercialized food was a thing in Greece, raised lambs were often slaughtered, degutted, and prepared over the course of several days. The tradition—which is mostly relegated to Easter today—even led to recipes that exist out of the need to utilize certain cuts of the animal when they are fresh and at their best. Mayeiritsa is an egg-drop soup made with lamb offal and romaine lettuce that is eaten late the night before the Resurrection. Another recipe is kokoretsi, a sausage in which the lamb's intestines are cleaned and stuffed with other pieces of offal and roasted or fried. The next day, the magic occurs and the family gathers around/near/directly-next-to the souvla, licking their lips as their dearly departed friend spins and crisps over live flame.
More and more Greek families today opt for more simple preparations, like roasting a piece of lamb in the oven, which is more practical by today's standards. Personally I think change is sad, and anti-deliciousness. My exposure to whole-animal butchering/preparation is based on a singular experience; the rest comes second-hand, from stories in my family. As a youth in Greece my father was oftentimes in on the action, helping my grandfather butcher lambs or pigs for use in their family tavern. Before my father was around—specifically the 1950’s, times of hardship—my godfather was paid 3 drachmas (the equivalent to $0.98 today) for every lamb he cleaned and slaughtered. He became experienced, to say the least. To this day, he is the one who prepares the souvla on Easter Sunday.
My family's feelings when talking about these experiences tend to be mixed, a combination of sorrow and gratitud. The brutal nature of raising an animal and taking its life has a sobering effect on an individual. My father has often detailed to me that while his family did look forward to the bounties begotten from a slaughtered animal, the splendors of the garden were equally appetizing—tomatoes, cucumbers, string beans. Wild greens in the winter. And, without the brutal aspect of slaughtering an animal.
Both dynamics are beautiful, for their own reasons. However gardens are still more-or-less common in America. And the alternative to whole-animal butchery is comparably unethical—whereas at hydroponic farms (where most supermarket produce comes from), animals are not tortured. Local livestock keeping and whole animal butchery deserves more attention as a legitimate and sustainable community practice.
*Hunting and harvesting a wild animal is essentially the same process, though the 'sacrificial' element is removed, making it arguably more “ethical”. The inevitable emotional tie to a domesticated animal is removed. However, not everyone has the resources, time or proper training to go on hunting expedition.
Communities that historically rely on whole-animal traditions typically take the animal's life before winter, just after the harvest. Throughout the winter you consume corresponding parts of said animal - whether it's the liver on slaughtering day or a rasher of bacon that's been reserved for use 4 months down the road. Over time you remember the animal. That's because you know where it came from (Who it came from, if the vegans are to be trusted. Gosh, I sure do miss Socks. He was such a nice fella! And delicious!). This is absent in normal meat consumption; for all you know, that supermarket hot dog sitting in your fridge might’ve came from Wilbur’s descendents.
Pork is the ultimate example of sustainable, self-raised livestock. It also has the broadest potential for deliciousness. In industrial settings, cuts which are delicious on their own but are considered 'unsavory' by most consumers are instead blended into alien mixtures and are labeled 'SPAM' or made into dog food. Liver, hoof, snout, jowl, ear—these things aren't marketable in American grocery stores. We have become detached.
So how did the economically beneficial, historically prevalent and sustainable tradition of hog-raising and butchering disappear?
I blame politics.
Whole-hogs were heavily relied on as a food source in ‘food deserts’ in America—places that are not suited for large scale agriculture. Communities who call the mountains, ocean, or actual deserts 'home'. Domestic examples include the Dust Bowl states, the Hawaiian Islands, and Appalachia. The practice died in the United States once the industrial meat-packing industry took over. Fresh, reutilized pork was replaced by junk food and Mountain Dew. Bologna reigned supreme.
In many other countries however, the practice lives on. Hyper-local pork production is exemplified by Spain, where heritage breeds root in the dirt for chestnuts and are supplemented with natural grains and cereals. In China's Lijiang prefecture, people celebrate the Chinese Spring Festival by slaughtering locally-raised pigs and preparing them into scalable food items like dumpling and pork buns. A nursery rhyme in the region goes “don’t cry, don’t cry, you entered the twelfth month, people will slaughter swines. Don’t be gluttonous, Spring Festival is coming” (Undoubtedly more majestic in its mother tongue).
Traditions like these in the United States have been lost. Lost to time. Lost to money. If I threw a giant pig-party in my backyard, the neighbors would likely throw me some weird looks. They might even call the cops.
But there is one place in the U.S. where the tradition survives. A wonderful, magical, hidden sort-of place, where family gathers, with or without a hog and rejoices. Louisiana. Near Lafayette, specifically. Cajun country.
Boucheries aren't just about the delicious food that comes alongside it. A boucherie is a multiday event where friends and family celebrate together over one hog, chopping, cooking, singing and dancing along the way.
Sausage, stew, steaks, offal, stock. Fried skin, pulled pork, pâté and bacon. All of it. Nothing is wasted—everything is seen and spent. Should we teach our children that meat comes from the smiling retiree behind the butcher counter at Kroger? I don't think so. We shouldn't pretend meat doesn't exist or is evil, either.
Instead, let's make blood sausage.
Blood sausage—inarguably the most delicious substance created by mankind—originates from sustainable, self-raised meat. It’s a common dish in Spain and at most boucheries. Here's how to make it:
1. Buy a pig.
2. Raise it—name it, if you want.
3. Tie it up.
4. Cut its throat.
5. Place a bucket underneath the wound. Collect the blood while the heart's still pumping.
6. Combine blood with fat, extra meat and spices.
7. Jam in casing and poach in simmering water, 20 minutes.
8. (Optional) Smoke.
9. Savor.
As delicious as it is brutal and primal. The meat-enthusiast must understand and acknowledge this process. In my opinion, they—we—should partake in it. Honor it. Respect the process. Respect the animal. Respect the people who depend on it.
Try making blood sausage. Your McMystery sandwich might not taste as good afterwards.
Sources:
https://en.ispeakeasy.org/blogs/lijiang-pig-slaughtering#:~:text=People%20slaughter%20pigs%20to%20prepare,kill%20the%20swine%E2%80%9D%20in%20folk.&text=Due%20to%20the%20Lijiang%20custom,month%20to%20the%20fifth%20day.
https://www.southernfoodways.org/interview/whole-hog-slow-smoked-story-cycle/
https://sustainabledish.com/boucherie-cajun-tradition-still-going-strong/#:~:text=A%20Boucherie%20is%20not%20just,singing%2C%20celebrating%20food%20and%20community.
https://en.ucoin.net/coin/greece-20-drachmas-1960-1965/?tid=33525
https://primer.com.ph/tips-guides/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/05/RicosLechon-1024x683.jpg
