A trifecta of divinity in each bite is how I sum it up. On the outside resides the light airy crunchiness of the skin similar to a chicharron. Next is the fat, the sweet succulent layer that overlays the meat. Yes, the meat. Substantial and tender. Oh yes, it's the other white meat, so move over chicken. I cannot decide which layer is my favorite. Each one in itself is worthy of pig sainthood.
I've driven countless miles along dirt roads in the deep south, trekked through jungles and fields of tall sugar cane in Asia. I've walked countless cobblestone streets in Spain searching for this wonderful dish. I have found doing your homework before beginning your odyssey will help, and even with homework I sometimes find myself coming home with empty hands and a empty stomach from either arriving too late and it was sold out, or worse the merchant had already promised the pig to a loyal customer. To bolster my chances in scoring a pound or two I have learned to place my order in the native language of the country I am in. In Vietnam I'll order 'thit heo quay', in Japan it's 'buta niku', and in Spain it is 'cerdo asado'. Having a little knowledge of the local language will usually increase my odds of a satisfying lunch. Roasting a pig is a day long affair. There's only so much to go around, and everyone wants their share.
All this talk about whole hog roast pork got me thinking about a trip I made a few years ago to Holly Hill, South Carolina. A trip solely for the purpose of sampling what is considered to be the best whole hog roast pork in the country. Sweatman's BBQ is located about an hours drive from Charleston, South Carolina. It is truly the mecca of pigdom. I once called it 'Hundred Mile Q' in a blog I published in 2009. People will actually, and cheerfully I might add, drive one hundred miles to have lunch here. Not surprisingly by the time I found this tiny wooden farm house in the middle of a cotton field, Anthony Bourdain had already come and gone. He left his signature on the wall with his generous comments and best wishes for the owner and proprietor. Bourdain said, "Barbeque with it's mixture of heart, science, and magic is a high calling in the south. I couldn't agree more. Whole hog barbeque is a different kind of animal any way you slice it.
That brings me to the heart of this story. It's about compromising principles. "What would I compromise in my life for a taste of roast pork?"
Today, as almost every day, my wife and I began our morning with a three mile walk around the neighborhood. Wednesdays are a special day of walking because we play a game while we walk. It's the same game each Wednesday. The winner, if there is one, gets a payoff on Thursday. You see, on Thursday, our local Vietnamese market roasts two pigs...and they are good at it. Roast pork goes on sale at 11:30 am each Thursday. First come, first served, and when it's gone, it's gone. So getting back to Wednesday's game. The rule is simple. Find a penny on the road and you get to order one pound of roast pork the following day from the market. No penny, no pork. Don't get me wrong, my wife isn't controlling. She would just rather me eat less pork, more veggies. She wants me around a few more years. It's all good.
So here's the dilemma. I was caught last week carrying a penny in my walking shorts. My wife caught me taking it out of my pocket and strategically placing in in my walking path. When she caught me she said, "Where are your principles?" I said, "Pigs don't care about principles!" She looked at me and agreed. We now have a rule to follow and an unspoken code of ethics. We call it the porcine principle if you will. No pocket change before walking on Wednesdays. I'm going to need a new pair of eyeglasses if she wants to play fair.
We got a three legged pig, his name is Pink,
he loves to sleep and grunt.
He's a good pet to our family,
so we didn't want to eat him all at once.
Don't take yourself too seriously, no one else does.
