The Shameless Carnivore

I recently finished this book I’ve been reading, The Shameless Carnivore by Scott Gold. It was a fun read and often left me craving that foie gras, or a nice juicy steak or any number of exciting and often exotic carnivorous endeavors. To give you an idea, I found his description of the secret goose pie especially exciting,

“After letting it cool, Julia cut the pie into large square segments and carefully laid them on our plates, the steaming, fragrant filling oozing out the sides of the crust in a gooey mess of meat, vegetables, fruits, fungi and God knows what else. My first bite was a marvel, a three-ring circus of different flavors dancing around my palate: sweet pears and apples; dark, fatty goose meat; heady Armagnac; earthy mushrooms; crisp, buttery crust; and a variety of others that I couldn’t quite place, given the staggering variety of tastes that were now playing around with each other like children in a school yard.”

The book opens with a dream of Beowulf, feasting after battle, “magnificent racks of lamb and legs of mutton, dripping with fat; whole sides of slowly roasted beef, the tender meat almost falling from the bone; massive flanks of wild oxen; smoked loin of venison; suckling pig brought right from the fiery spit; a host of broiled foul- plump and juicy turkeys, chickens, guinea hens, pheasants and peacocks; goat and yak meat cubed and skewered; mountains of plump sausages; a dizzying variety of strange and exotic animals- snake, alligator, ostrich, even llama- all served succulent and steaming.”

While this was excellent, I was worried the whole book might be one big call to arms against vegetarians and in favor of consuming vast quantities of flesh in whatever form. I would no doubt have put down the book had this been the case, and I was happy to see that while this carnivore might be shameless, he was at least discerning, and was want to discourage phenomena like Hardee’s 15lb cheeseburger, known as the Belly buster- a quality over quantity kind of guy. He highlights this with a description of your typical fast food burger:

“That sickly, artificial, alien substance so cheerily handed out to us represents everything, in my mind, that is wrong with meat in America. Set something like this before me and expect me to eat it, and you might as well be giving me a good, hard slap across the face. This stuff, which I have had the misfortune of eating in the past, only vaguely tastes like meat at all, as it’s full of hydrogenated fats, preservatives, binding agents, artificial flavorings, and other chemicals. And the meat itself is probably “mechanically recovered,” meaning that the “patty” has been formed of little scraps of flesh that were stuck to the bones after all the more tasty, commercial cuts had been removed- after these scraps have been separated from the pulverized bone meal in a machine that is, for all intents and purposes, a super-high-pressure meat sieve. What’s left over is a liquid mash known as “meat slurry,” which is later combined with the vertiginous variety of additives listed above and shaped into what eventually becomes the final product. Sounds really appetizing, doesn’t it?”

He begins this “manifesto for meat lovers” by undertaking a “month of meat”, his goal being to eat 31 different animals in 31 days! I was happy to note that I had had about half of the animals he had on his list. So as he explores the meat spectrum from ostrich to rattle snake to goat to kangaroo, he intersperses the chapters with anecdotes, ethical questions and asides. It was exciting to learn a little bit about myoglobin and how this protein affects the color of the meat; and about that iridescence, or rainbow appearance sometimes seen on roast beef, which occurs as light encounters the myofilaments of the muscle, similar to what happens when light passes through a prism.

He also gives recipes. His “best meat marinade in the world”, is one I am eager to try!

1.5 cups vegetable oil
.75 cup soy sauce
.25 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons dry mustard
2.5 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
.5 cup red wine vinegar
3 garlic cloves, crushed
.33 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and place over low heat until simmering lightly (not foaming), then cool completely. Marinate meat in zip lock bag in fridge for at least 4 hours.

I did enjoy the book, although I really don’t know how I feel about the author. His personality permeated the text in an obnoxious way, with an intensely juvenile sense of humor that just made it seem like he was trying too hard. I don’t like to judge, but I get the feeling he’s not the kind of guy I’d like to spend a lot of time with- I hope it’s not because of things in him I see in myself.

There was a point in the book, however, where I felt he was truly authentic. A breath of fresh air in between the less than genuine persona he seemed to put on for the writing of this book. That came when he traveled out to a farm help in the butchering of one of their cows. His descriptions of the day were poignant and reminded me of the first time I helped butcher a pig. He realizes what it actually is to take the life of a living being to nourish ones self. While from the beginning he claims to be at peace with the fact that meat = death, it seems at this point he finally understands it in a deep way, that gives him more reverence as he goes on, at least for a bit.

I think I most enjoyed the end of the last section of the book. After his month of meat he undertakes a tour de boeuf examining the many ways to enjoy cow. Part of that, of course is sampling the offal, all those organs and parts that are not skeletal meat. There is something exciting about these things for me. I loved his writing about liver and head cheese, and brains and sweet breads. It is a real shame that here in the US, there are so few that prepare these things. I guess it’s largely a mental thing, because the tastes are often exquisite. It is important that all parts of an animal be used, why should it make a difference eating a steak or eating a tongue salad? -in both cases the animal had to die, one should honor that and not waste.

I’m taking away from this book a number of things, regardless of the author’s personality. I’m excited about trying new offal, and different animals- guinea pig sounded fun; but I’m also taking away a new consciousness with respect to meat, or perhaps a renewed awareness, and a new determination to be educated about the meat I consume. It is so important that the disconnect that occurs in the grocery store is overcome and we who eat meat accept it for what it is and be grateful in the appropriate way.

What happened?

Have I really become a snob? Last night, my dad took us to Wilmington for dinner and a show in honor of Anna’s birthday. I was excited to see Evita, and it was a nice bonus to have dinner beforehand. Our destination was Café Mezzanotte just about a block from the theater. I was looking forward to sampling some veal, having recently read so much about meat.

The restaurant was spacious, with Italian music playing and an otherwise quiet atmosphere. We placed our orders with Andy (obviously not his real name with his blatant Chinese accent) and were served shortly thereafter. The Calamari was quite tasty, served simply with marinara and lemon wedge- I don’t know if I’ve ever had pieces so big, usually they are all small and crunchy. It was fun to relish the chewy texture of the squid. But when our main courses arrived, I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. The portions appeared meager on the large plates, garnished lamely with a little chopped onion greens or something.

My parents had both ordered chicken, Ashley the Salmon pasta, Anna had a nice plate of spaghetti with meat sauce and I sampled the veal. In my opinion, Anna's plate with pasta covered in red, mneaty sauce, was the only plate that really looked appealing. My three medallions were covered in a Fantina cheese of no distinct flavor, over bacon and sage all on a light, white wine sauce. While the sage provided something interesting flavor-wise, overall I was unimpressed. Of course it started with presentation: the veal looked boring under light colored cheese, all by itself on the big white plate. The little dish of veggies on the side was just pathetic: a couple string beans, about half a diced and spiced potato and three mini carrots that looked like they belonged in a bagged luch with some dip; they were hardly cooked. The meat was not very tender, there was some tendon-like gristle left on, and the potatoes were dry, overly starchy and over-spiced. Quite frankly, for $24 I was disappointed.

In fact I was actually a little angry- here we were about to drop about $150 on dinner (about 30 each) and all we could say was “that was ok”, by me, that’s not ok! Maybe it’s because I don’t eat veal that much and can’t really discriminate all that well, maybe it’s because I still see my parents somewhat as the country bumpkins and don’t want them to get ripped off, or because I have a sister whose husband is the head chef at a restaurant that was just named one of the best in the world by Zagat, maybe it’s because I had recently eaten out and felt a little guilty to begin with indulging myself again, but one way or the other I was thoroughly dismayed with the whole affair.

That, in and of itself, was dismaying, however. What have I become that I can no longer enjoy a dining experience that is less than excellent? Am I a food snob? Well, I’m coming to terms with the whole thing, and embracing the critic that I have within, and knowing that no matter what, I’ll always love the diners and the street meat. So I don’t think you can call be a food snob, just yet, and certainly not a picky eater, but that’s not going to stop me from having an opinion.

Dinner in Philly

My brother Roger and I rarely spend much quality time together, certainly not just the two of us, and never really have with the exception of the camping trip in Virginia he took me on when I was about 12! So the prospect of going out to dinner with him in Philly was one that brought be great joy.

I drove over to Roxborough where he and his wife and 2yr old daughter and energetic dog all live in a nice little house above Manyunk. Around 7:30 we headed downtown, our destination a little Mediterranean place called Dimitri’s. Luckily we didn’t have to wait to be seated in the small, dark crowded room, off the clean and recently revitalized street in the Washington Square area. In the noisy atmosphere with fantastic aromas floating our way from the open kitchen, we took a couple minutes to decide from the menu printed in bold on a stained, one-sided piece of card stock: we’d start with the avocado citrus salad, an order of the octopus, and an order of the smelt all to share. Perhaps we would order more- we’d see how we felt after that. The waitress opened the merlot we brought with us and we toasted to the evening.

The food came before we even had time to wonder if it was going to be much longer. To begin with the salad was a fantastic blend of flavors and textures. It was pretty simple: slices of avocado, orange and grapefruit on top of a bed of romaine with chopped, roasted almonds on top and a nicely acidic dressing. The lettuce provided the body, the orange and grapefruit were just the right degrees of sweet, counterbalancing the piercing dressing, the almonds brought incredible flavor and texture while the slices of smooth, ripe avocado brought the whole thing together.

The octopus was slightly disappointing, mainly because apparently it is normally something to rave about. I don’t know that I had ever tasted it before and was excited to do so. The meat it white and does not carry a strong flavor on its own. I don’t want to say it tasted like chicken, I mean it kind of did, but there was a distinct sense that it was something other, something from the sea- maybe it was the fact that some pieces still looked very much like tentacles! Anyways, it was grilled and served with an olive garnish and a lemon wedge and the meat was a little chewy. Roger said it’s usually better there.

The smelt on the other hand were awesome! They are little fish, maybe about three inches in length, and they were lightly battered and fried, served with a white dipping sauce, and they were delicious! They didn’t have an overwhelming flavor, but they were hot and crispy, with just the right amount of oil to let you know you were indulging in something fatty without feeling totally gross. Needless to say we polished those off pretty quickly.

As we worked our way through these treats, sopping up the tasty juices left on our plates with bread and pieces of grilled pita, we began to ponder what other menu we might sample. I was not ravenous, having just consumed a substantial amount of food but there was certainly room for more! The fried mussels the couple next to us ordered were enough to convince us to try an order, although we would have them steamed, and Roger felt pasta would be nice to ground the meal, so we got the pasta with escarole as well.

I have to say the pasta was not all that exciting, although it was appealing again in its simplicity- just linguini noodles with sautéed pieces of the leafy green and parmesan to go on top. The mussels on the other hand were phenomenal! They were cooked perfectly so that they practically melted in your mouth, and to my pleasure, unlike the little plate of fried, shell-less creatures we saw our neighbors receive, our steamed mussels came in their shells in a bowl full of the most wonderful broth. There were onions, green bell peppers, tomatoes, escarole and a considerable amount of spice all of which the little mollusks carried nicely.

And so we sat back, thoroughly full and enjoyed the last of the wine and each other’s company. Roger of course insisted on paying the surprisingly reasonable bill, but let me leave the tip. A walk around the block in the pleasant air was just the thing to relish our full bellies and the warmth of the wine, before hopping back in the car and headed home. Truly an excellent evening!

So much missing

As I think about what I have posted here to date, I can't help but feel like there is SO much missing. This being the case, I’ve decided to list some of my important food experiences, and perhaps at some later date I will come back to elaborate.

There's Jeff's mouth-watering turducken at Thanksgiving, and exciting delicacies enjoyed at their restaurant- the breaded oysters, tongue salad, escargots and more.

There are the exotic and strange tastes that have met my palette- Tete de veau in France, while I was on exchange, all parts of the cow, at Korean barbeque in Baltimore.

There are my cheesemaking adventures in my kitchen during senior year, experimenting with all kinds, and perhaps most exciting- waxing and aging my own hard cheeses.

There was the experience working on the farm in France, eating salad de pied from a calf I had seen not long before; milking the goats by hand, and enjoying the delicious cheese that resulted; learning how to kill and clean a rabbit- most delicious; plucking and preparing chickens; and perhaps most powerful and interesting butchering pigs, and learning how to process all that 200 kilos of meat.

In this past year there were the countless potlucks and my acquired love for squash, brussel sprouts and all things with garlic. The duck breast I bought on special. My meeting Travis, who is leaving McGill for culinary school, and w/whom I shared many a delicacy, many a conversation through our shared passion for food.

There were also restaurants this year:
There was O noir, the restaurant where the wait staff is all 50-100% blind and you eat in the pitch black and you can order a surprise menu; there was the classy French bistro L’Express with the rich chicken liver pistachio mouse, where we stayed well into the night; and there was Au-Pied-de-Cochon, with poutine a la fois gras and duck in a can!-perhaps the most fat I have ever consumed in one sitting- I’m sure if you had taken a blood sample from me after that meal and put it in the fridge, there would be a significant layer of congealed lard on top!

I think it is really through Travis that I have come to understand how much I get excited about food, and I’m hugely grateful for his friendship over the past year. Had I never known him, I don’t know if I would now be reading a book called The Shameless Carnivore, I’m sure a critique/review/sampling will follow soon.

Anyways, I feel a little more at peace with my blog, now that some of my culinary credentials have been laid down. Hopefully more good eats ahead- it’s more or less a sure thing as before too long I’ll be heading down to Baltimore where my sister and her husband will no doubt give me a sampling of the current menu, and Jeff, my brother in law, will certainly point me in the direction of some of Baltimore’s best!

Dinner at home with my mom

So philosiphizing has its time and place, but I think I'm more interested in talking about the actual food I make and eat. The inspiration for this evening's meal came from seeing mild italian sausage in the fridge and a recipe from a library book pairing meat and fruit. I was already thinking about this when my mom called around 5pm to see what my dinner plans were. It's been a while since I've been home and she wanted to spend some more time together. I told her that if she wanted I would cook and she could come home to share the meal.

I started by boiling a couple potatoes as I knew they would be nice mashed, next to the meat. My parents work at a residential school for handicapped children that has a barn, and the sausage in the fridge happened to be made with the meat from a pig raised there. I cut the long sausage into four sections and poked them full of holes with a fork before tossing them in a pan with melted butter. While they browned I cut up an onion and garlic to have ready. The sausges came out of the pan and went into the oven at about 325.

Now in the butter and sausage grease I sauteed the onions and garlic. Just as they were getting soft I threw in a cup of diced peaches and syrup with just a splash of orange juice and of course a little salt and pepper. I let this simmer for a while before pouring it over the sausages. I added a bay leaf and a little thyme, covered it all and stuck it back in the oven.

My mom had come back with some watercress she picked from the creek behind our house, so while she rinsed it and chopped it up, I fried a little garlic and chopped walnuts in butter. The cress was tossed in with a little salt and pepper and some ground cardamon.

In the meantime I steamed a little broccoli, just for kicks, and finally the potatoes were cooked. So the cress and walnuts went into the oven next to the sausages under peaches and onions, just to keep warm. I mashed the potatoes right in the pot and added a little creamy raw milk, a shake of pepper and some random German herb salt we had in the cupboard. And with the broccoli finished it was time to eat!

We filled up plates by the stove, got a glass of water and ate outside behind the house, looking down on the blossoming fruit trees in front of the firs at the edge of our property, as the evening sun went down. On the plate: Two mild Italian sausages with onion-peach sauce, next to/on top of mashed potatoes, a couple broccoli and a little pile of cooked watercress with walknuts. A nice meal that left us well full, but not stuffed.

All is one: an introduction to my food blog

I am about to elaborate some ideas I have regarding food, science, spirituality, art and who knows what else. I just thought it worthwhile to put up a disclaimer that I am not a philosophy major, nor even an English major, so please forgive any misuse of terms. For example I’m not even sure I know what “spirituality” means, but I have a sense for it, as I’m sure you do too. Anyways perhaps all this is to say that this is not a term paper, it’s a blog. So…

Some might maintain that there exists a barrier between science and religion. These two may well be at odds depending on the case, however science and “spirituality” can certainly go hand in hand- perhaps this is why so many of our generation call themselves spiritual, but non-religious.

One idea that a “spiritual” person may subscribe to is that “All is one.” It’s the kind of thing you see on bumper stickers at the whole foods store, right? I’m not really sure what it means to them, but here is where I have come with the idea and why I say science and spirituality are an easy couple. Think about what science tells us about the nature of matter- it’s all atoms, we are essentially the same as everything else of a physical nature.

Ok, so maybe this isn’t the best way to show that science is also saying “all is one,” and really it’s not so much there that I think it lies, and perhaps the most interesting thing for me is the dynamic nature of our bodies. In breathing we are in a constant exchange with the world, and on a microscopic level, our membranes and organelles are constantly moving, shifting, exchanging and renewing in response to what they meet.

And what do they meet? The stuff of “outside” world that we take into our bodies. Think about eating an apple. We take a product of the natural world, the fruit of plant, we break up its matter with our teeth, degrade it further with our enzymes, and take from it things we need for life and that make up our bodies through biochemical pathways - we are, in a sense, becoming one with the apple.

I don’t know if I have successfully articulated what is so easy for me to see: there is an interconnectedness of all things and that physically, all things are one. However, science and spirituality come to be at odds when we enter the realm of consciousness and the ego. It is a difficult and materialistic view to look at consciousness as nothing more than a product of evolution and a mechanism for the survival and propagation of a species. I don’t know where it comes from, but I have some fundamental belief in the dignity of man.

And here is where food comes into play again, this time with another big idea: art. It has been an interesting experience this past year studying science at McGill, after a high school education very much balanced with the arts and humanities. Perhaps it was through that education that a came to see man a noble species and capable of fine things. With this the arts become the highest manifestation of human beings’ potential.

Sure we need food to survive, but it is clear in my mind the cooking is an art. It is an art that I get excited about, that I enjoy in more ways than one and that I want to celebrate through this blog. I decided if I started something like this, I would push my self to explore the culinary arts further, tasting new things, eating different places and trying new things in my own kitchen. I’m not a food snob, although who knows, I may just become one- I hope not. So hopefully this is a success and you enjoy what I post!