h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Went out to run some errands this morning and also for brunch.

Poor K accidentally ate veal. He's still recovering from the trauma. I eased his conscience a bit by buying myself a pair of shoes I wanted, on sale for $120.

So, we got home and checked the mail and lo and behold, a check from the Illinois State Comptroller arrived, with proceeds from my wage claim against my former employer. It's only for two weeks, the two he never paid me for at all, but it's money I waited for much longer than I should have. I hope they shut him down, the jerk.

Hey congrats P/C!...or bevvie of your choice.

Good for you! Justice at last!!!

zdt

Glad you finally got your money hun!

At least it paid for the new shoes!!! When you wear them you'll have the satisfaction of knowing he didn't get away with it!!!

Is K vegetarian, or is it a particular distaste for veal?

How does one 'accidentally' eat veal?

I am vegetarian, and K has a particular distaste for veal. I don't cook meat and he's happy to eat what I cook; when we eat out he'll eat meat if he wants and I'm fine with it, but he avoids veal and foie gras and stuff like that.

Apparently, he wasn't aware that a particular sausage he's fond of contains veal. We went to Ann Sather, a local Swedish restaurant with a half dozen or so locations. I ordered poached eggs and he ordered Swedish potato sausage, which is a favorite of his from childhood, served every Xmas by various family members.

Our waitress brought the food and set it down, then as she filled our coffee mugs, she asked K if he'd eaten potato sausage before. K said yes, and she walked away, adding "some people are put off when they see how pink it is in the middle, until I explain to them that it's vea and not pork".

You should have seen the look on his face. He really did go on all afternoon about how upset and disappointed he was, and how he had no idea it was made with veal, because the stuff his parents served wasn't.

Tuffy played last night, and I went along, and I was able to wear both a fluffy new skirt I bought for summer, and my new shoes.

I can't imagine you in a fluffy skirt & shoes.

Did you wear anything on the top half?

zdt

A light blue t-shirt with Ganesh & Co. airburshed on it, and a little black cardigan (it got chilly last night). The shoes aren't fluffy, but they are kinda girly. I haven't dressed that girly in months.

Well...did he like the sausage before he knew it was made from a wee moo-cow, cruelly snatched from mommy and minced up?

On the east coast of Scotland, fish and chip shops sell something called 'White Pudding.' Some vegetarians are under the misapprehension that they don't contain meat. True - technicaly. They're oatmeal mixed with calves' brains. BSE in batter.

By the way...have you ever seen the Smoked Reindeer Sausage in IKEA?

Oh, they have the white pudding yuk here too, they have "boudin noir" & "boudin blanc"; i assume the noir one gets to keep the blood.

They are not quite as offensive as boerewürst though, ask Willem, they are vast great things curled round into a spiral. I once climbed a tree above the Zambezi to avoid coming into contact with several being cooked on a bräi (BBQ) Lord knows what's in those, probably minced up warthogs & baby antelope.

zdt

Ah...white pudding aren't *quite* the same as boudin. Boudin are made of tripe and allsorts. They're said to smell and taste of a farmyard knee-deep in manure.

Although...the Cajun boudin are yet another species of beastie.

I wonder if USAnians know the legends of the two species of haggis?

I don't know the legends, but I'd like to hear them!

K used to *love* potato sausage before he found out if was veal. Now, he seems a bit put off.

Even when I ate meat, I never cared for sweetbreads, organ meats, chitterlings, etc., etc. My dad used to eat pickled pig's feet and all kinds of gross things.

SO let's hear the haggis story?

<>

Not really the issue with what is known as 'milk-fed' veal. In this case the small baby cow is placed in a dark box, cannot ever move, stands in its own feces and has its head stuck out of the box to eat - some milk substance food - to ensure the meat will be white and tender (also ensured by the beast not being able to move that it won't be able build up any muscle) - so very inhumane and nasty stuff.

But I'm sure you all know this. As for fois gras - who was so sick in the head to ever think of that?


az

the ancient Egyptians apparently:

http://www.knet.co.za/swfoiegras/history.htm

zdt

"'milk-fed' veal"

What other sort is there?

"In this case the small baby cow is placed in a dark box, cannot ever move, stands in its own feces and has its head stuck out of the box to eat - some milk substance food - to ensure the meat will be white and tender"

You know, I think this is a fallacy, az. I expect some farms have done the box thing, but it's certainly not necessary for the production of veal. The farm I lived on used to produce veal until it went out of fashion in the eighties thanks to exaggerated claims made by Compassion in World Farming. The calves on our farm were treated the same as beef calves, except that they were not weaned at the usual age, and were instead bottle-fed on reconstituted milk powder, which they adored. No young animal is that keen on being weaned, and they'll only do it when they are made to. I really don't think veal production requires any more cruelty than beef production. Our calves were kept in well-lit pens lined with thick mattresses of clean straw; they could move about freely and were in contact with the other calves.

(Personally, I think keeping them in pens at all is pretty mean, as is taking them from their mothers so early, but these are standard practices with all cattle.)

<>

So I guess the BBC documentary I watched showing these animals kept in those conditions was made up?

Anyhow, veal in Spain is simply a young cow, slaughtered while it's still young and tender - without the 'milk fed dark box' stuff. But that does actually happen, apparently.

az

Wiki definition:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veal

zdt