Bless Your Heart

I am on the diversity council here at work and am in charge of organizing our meetings. They are always, always so much fun and I learn so much from all the different people on the council. So at yesterday’s meeting we got a little off subject and started talking about growing up in the rural south and soul food. A couple of ladies on the council were telling us all about using every bit of the pig “from the rooter to the tooter”. Ew. I just can’t stomach it. I used to work in a grocery store and I’d always wonder what people would do with the tripe, chitlins, pig ears & turkey necks that I’d check out. I was getting all skeeved out with all the descriptions of how to cook chitlins (you apparently have to clean out all the poo which takes a long time, then boil them to death) to how to properly eat a pickled pig’s foot to head cheese. I think that was the grossest part. Head cheese apparently is when you take the pig’s head, eat the brains with your scrambled eggs, then fill the brain cavity with cheese that cures in the head until you scrape it out. Ewwww! And people still do this! I appreciate other cultures and ways of life, and I’ve even tried some pretty adventurous foods, but I just don’t think I could eat this stuff. It was so interesting to hear all about it though. I’ve lived in the south all my life and thought I was pretty well versed in southern cooking but I sure did learn a thing or two!