Did you know that pbs.org archives full episodes of Austin City Limits on their site? This was news to the staff here at Marshall Matlock blog. I’ve included links to some of the recent highlights.
On that subject, I decided yesterday that I’m going to do what it takes not to miss the ACL festival this October. I haven’t been since 2003 and it’s done nothing but get better every year. Last year’s lineup was absurd. If anyone wants to accompany me, hop in.
In the last few years, it’s been in vogue to practice nose to tail eating, purporting that it’s responsible and arguably more delicious to use those neglected parts of the pig in your cooking. With Tony Bourdain harping on the virtues of offal and great cookbooks like Fergus Henderson’s The Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Eating enjoying mainstream success, the idea seems to be gaining more traction by the day. I’m all for it and hope one day to gather with friends to prepare and consume a whole hog menu. However, the vast majority of the population does not buy meat this way, nor do they aspire to. I feel the more important thing to us as food consumers is to realize where our meals come from and not be afraid to connect with the animal that died for our meal. In our supermarket culture, we’re rarely confronted by this fact. Packaged meat looks like meat, not animals. If you’re going to make a conscious choice to consume animals, and I do, then I think it’s only fair to accept the moral responsibility for that action.
To that end, this video is extremely interesting if you’re a pork fan. It’s as artfully presented as the breaking down of a pig could be. The vimeo text claims that of the 211lb pig, only 1lb was discarded. Impressive.
