I'm gonna get a PETA letter for this post
There are traditions in cultures that go back to the beginning of recorded time. Ancient Greece and pedophilia, Spain and "The Running of the Bulls, (why someone would risk getting gored by a bull horn for the reason of "well that's what has always been done" is beyond me. In Portugal we have the killing of the pig. Going back to as long as I can remember, which is basically whatever my mother has told me, the people of my parents island of Madeira for the most part grew up in poverty. Meaning you only had meat once a year, that meat was wonderful pork. Tradition is that you had to kill the pork two weeks before Christmas so that the pig will be ready to eat Christmas Day.
Even though we now have things like supermarkets and fresh, delicious, wonderful pork available to us 365 days a year, my parents and relatives still find it necessary to "Kill the Christmas Pig" Don't get me wrong, I like this tradition, there is something primitive and satisfying about killing and butchering your own meal. It is like hunting except you don't have to cover yourself in deer piss and sit in a blind freezing your nuts off trying to convince yourself that its fun.
I have taken part in this tradition and I kinda enjoyed it. I mean you have a whole different respect for your meal if you took part in the killing and butchering of the animal.
For those of you who say that pigs are smart animals and they can be just like dogs. Well if a dog was able to give us bacon, pernil, smoke pork shoulder...lets just leave it at that. Oh yeah here's are some pictures for you my sexy carnivorous readers:
AND DEAD!!!
He's Huge!!!!
There is my Christmas Pork Shoulder
Not really edible
Comments
What is the strange appeal of killing a living creature just for the pleasure of eating it? Not only do you eat it but you have traditions surrounding killing the living creature. What gives you the right to decide which animals live and which animals die. How would you feel if you tasted like bacon and two weeks before christmas a beautiful pig showed up at your door and slaughtered you just for your tasty meat? Sure, bacon taste great and pulled pork makes a great sandwhich and don't forget about cubans. All of which I would never eat and neither should you. I hope a pig some day gets to taste your bacony meat. Go vegan.
Posted by: Iee B. Vegan | December 12, 2007 08:46 AM
In this case, tradition wins! Kill the Pig, slaves in the south did this for years. While the rich ate the roasts, the poor cooked the best parts like the ribs, shoulders, ears, tales and such. Now, unfortunately with the help of the food network BBQ is as common as sliced bread. Don't get me wrong here, pass the ribs and I will never give my recipe up but it all started with the family. Oh yeah another dish you missed Feijoada, a Brazilian traditional mixed, meat & bean stew of note, that I must say is wonderful! So have a salad, a side of veg and pass the Pork...its tradition.
Posted by: JM ~ Pork Rules! | December 12, 2007 09:03 AM
You know I am going to have to kick your ass for those pictures, right??
(Not the Rocky one)- I hope your ateries harden.
Posted by: Nelson knows my name... | December 14, 2007 12:41 PM
I am doing an article for our local newspaper on my participation in the killing of the pig in Alcobaca in 2005. There is a Portuguese word for this ceremony. Can anyone tell me what it is?
Posted by: Maureen Wright | January 6, 2008 10:08 PM