Whole Hog & Nothing but the Hog

When a beast is slaughtered, its hind legs are knotted together and its body swings downward while the hooves are tightened to some out-of-the-way level. A main artery is cut, the animal’s blood drains out and the being simply dies.

This is not exactly a thought I have every day, and certainly it was the last thing on my mind being led up the stairs last Thursday to take part in Oliveto’s “Whole Hog” dinner. The journey from field to butcher block is one I’m pleased to know little about—my unfamiliarity with the careful separation of body parts and immediate chilling even more of a thrill for me.

Nevertheless, I found myself sitting at a table set for nine, delightedly reviewing the most focal menu I’ve ever been presented. All around me friends were ordering fried trotters, pickled ears, blood pudding and kidney with peppercress. Over a shared platter of Paul Bertolli’s well-known salumi, I finally settled on the Warm Pork Tongue, Artichokes and Herbs antipasto followed by Braised Pork Belly Stuffed with Fennel and Green Olives.

Criss-crossing our plates from one end of the table to the other, we each sacrificed bites to garner tastes of every dish--until, from ear to entrail, we had partook of the whole hog.

(Happy 26th, Scotty & farewell, Rachael—what a memorable evening to commemorate.)

www.oliveto.com/wholehogdinner06.html

The Immaculate Connection

Few things in my life can worthily be deemed ironic, but many are reminiscent of the silly writing exercises my past English instructors called Circle Poetry.

You may remember these simple lists--begin with any one word and continue writing random words vertically down your page until you reach a word that somehow relates to the first. A connection is established, the circle completed and hopefully your reader marvels at the relation.

For me, connection is one of the most exciting parts about living: contact with another, the evocation of a memory, a deeper meaning, a funnier joke...and, if nothing else, can certainly be inspiring.

This morning I woke up with the thought about starting a food blog. For various reasons the thought drifted away and I instead did many other things at random. Then, as the day closed, I read through the March issue of Food & Wine magazine and stumbled upon an article dedicated to food bloggers...so there you have it. It's almost 1:00am and here I am.

In his article, "In the Belly of the Blog," Pete Wells advises bloggers to:

• Communicate passion
• Have consequences and outline something at stake
• Be timely and keep current with the news of the world you cover
• Have a sense of purpose

I make no promises. www.foodandwine.com