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Wares from Flying Pigs Farm, Union Square Greenmarket
I can't believe that God put us on this earth to be ordinary. ~Lou Holtz
I try to be mindful and grateful about the meal on my plate. A lot of effort and carbon went into growing and transporting it, and lives were given up for it, sometimes animal. I even wrote a post about appreciating food. But after butchering a pork shoulder and some winter vegetables for an upcoming slow cooker recipe, I hit a whole new level of food gratitude.
This was the second time I'd made a meat dish in the 8 months since I started eating meat again. In love with my slow-cooker, and hearing multiple stories about how perfect it is for meat, I went to the farmer's market in search of…
View Full Recipe at Mindful Eats
,%20and%20this%20kitchen%20exercise%20reminded%20me%20of%20it.%20As%20I%20cut%20into%20the%20pork%20shoulder,%20I%20called%20a%20lifeline%20to%20determine%20whether%20the%20skin%20was%20edible%20(he%20didn't%20know%20either.%20If%20you%20do,%20please%20let%20me%20know.)%20The%20skin%20had%20small%20bits%20of%20hair%20on%20it,%20and%20I%20was%20pretty%20sure%20I%20didn't%20want%20to%20eat%20hair%20so%20I%20discarded%20the%20skin.%20Underneath%20the%20skin%20were%20layers%20I%20vaguely%20remembered%20from%20class%20-%20fat,%20membrane,%20muscle,%20and%20bone.%20And%20blood.%20The%20shoulder%20had%20that%20cool%20rolling%20joint%20in%20it%20-%20I%20imagine%20it%20looks%20exactly%20like%20my%20shoulder.%20For%20the%20first%20time,%20I%20realized%20why%20people%20get%20expensive%20knives.%20My%20knife%20wasn't%20quite%20sharp%20enough%20for%20the%20job,%20so%20it%20took%20me%20nearly%20an%20hour%20to%20cut%20off%20the%20necessary%20bits.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EThe%20whole%20operation%20left%20my%20soft,%20citified,%20restaurant-eating%20self%20pretty%20squeamish%20and%20grossed%20out.%20I%20lost%20my%20appetite.%20I'm%20sure%20I%20did%20just%20about%20everything%20wrong,%20but%20as%20I%20was%20unhappily%20butchering%20the%20shoulder,%20I%20felt%20a%20real%20connection%20with%20my%20food%20and%20a%20very%20strong%20appreciation%20of%20the%20stew%20I%20was%20preparing.%20When%20I%20finished%20with%20the%20shoulder%20and%20starting%20peeling%20turnips,%20even%20the%20butchering%20of%20the%20vegetables%20made%20me%20nauseous%20-%20my%20appreciation%20extended%20to%20everything%20that%20went%20into%20the%20stew.%20It's%20a%20connection%20that%20the%20traditional%20hunters%20and%20farmers%20are%20closer%20to%20(or%20for%20completely%20non-country%20folk,%20the%20same%20appreciation%20that%20the%20blue%20Avatar%20people%20have%20when%20they%20hunt).%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EThe%20stew%20ended%20up%20being%20delicious.%20Getting%20my%20hands%20%22dirty%22%20gave%20me%20a%20connection%20that%20I%20just%20don't%20have%20when%20food%20shows%20up%20beautifully%20plated%20at%20restaurants,%20or%20when%20it's%20precut%20and%20ready%20to%20pop%20into%20the%20pan.%20You%20gotta%20eat,%20and%20getting%20down%20with%20the%20pork%20shoulder%20helped%20eliminate%20the%20distance%20that%20is%20so%20common%20in%20today's%20food%20chain.%20I'm%20not%20going%20to%20butcher%20another%20cut%20of%20meat%20tomorrow,%20but%20I%20will%20at%20some%20point.%20And%20in%20the%20meantime,%20I%20have%20a%20whole%20new%20respect%20for%20everything%20that%20crosses%20my%20plate.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EWhat%20I%20ate:%201%20grapefruit,%20macadamia%20nuts,%202%20cups%20coffee,%201%20latte,%20cheddar%20cheese,%20sushi%20+%20salad,%2010%20wasabi%20nuts,%201%20orange,%20baby%20carrots,%20Heavenly%20Hummus,%20Minetta%20Tavern:%20steelhead%20salmon,%20cabbage%20+%20mushrooms%20+%20beans,%20whole%20wheat%20spaghetti%20+%20Rao's%20Siciliana,%2040%20oz.%20water%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EExercise:%2030%20min%20stationary%20bike,%2030%20minutes%20lifting%3C/p%3E){kind=link}