This little Piggie

I was waiting for the BART the other day with a fellow student who is from Egypt. It was a long the day, and I was tired, but had nothing els to talk about, so the tale of ships and sails and sealing wax.

For some reason, we came across the topic of pork. My friend being Egyptian, and of course, a good Muslim, described the pig as a filthy animal.

I had to take the other side of the conversation.
You see, for the longest time, I didn't eat pork.
it's a long story, and I'm not in the mood to elucidate.

Recently though, I've come to respect why pork is in European's diet and culture the way it is.

The pig, or boar, as it is commonly known, is used in heraldry because of its ferocious nature. It is also one fertile critter, squeezing out a dozen or more piglets at a time.

In the Mediterranean, they are a bit of a problem, because, they eat the same things humans do, and unlike goats, they don't make milk that’s fit for human consumption, nor hair to use. Because of the heat they wallow in mud to keep cool. Hence, the

But in northern Europe, they eat nuts and roots, and stuff humans don't, so there's no competition. They are pretty intelligent; supposedly smarter than dogs. Which is one of the reasons settlers in America would take them. They'd set them loose every day, slop them twice a day, and they'd take care of the rest. Maintenance free critters they are. Plus they'd breed so well, as opposed to a cow, which would take a great deal of investment,s and would only rear one young at a time.

Simple economics, really.

I like my bacon, but it has to be fried hard. I don't cook swiner at home, but I'll occaisionally eat it when I'm out.l

I always wanted to go hunting for them. With a spear, and maybe some hounds. The old school way, like they did in Medieval Europe.

I know that since they breed so quickly, they’re a nuisance in Hawaii and here in California, so they can be hunted all year round.


Some day, maybe, Who knows?