Friday, October 14, 2011

So You Think You're a Mexican

I have a friend that has an extremely weak stomach and passes out over the slightest thing, but she says these pictures are not that gross. Buuuuuuuut......I'll warn you all just in case.

Don't read this if you are eating.
...
Don't read it if you're about to eat.
.....
Don't read this if you might eat in the near future. 
...
Don't read it if you think you might be grossed out because hey...you never know.

NOW...Let the party begin!!

*Maestro!*

I woke up early Monday morning for a teachers meeting. After that, I went downstairs to retrieve my pig head, tossed it over my shoulder, and schlepped it down to our local butcher shop to have it cut up. A lady in our church owns the shop it so she let me go behind the counter and watch everything. (I felt quite important). 








First she cut off its big-O ears and the fat inside its ear with a knife so sharp, it would've made any boy scout proud. 






She then took the head over to this huge machine and proceeded to cut it up into about 10 pieces. 
Getting smaller.....
She is holding the cesos, which are its brains. I held them and it felt like a scoop of pure mush. 
Pig brain tacos are a popular food here, and I've tried it. Tastes like fish. 

After this surgery was finished, I returned home to cook me up some Pig Head Stew haha :P
Washing the pieces of meat

Here is part of its tongue
I tasted it after it was cooked; it was very tender and not rubbery like I'd imagined.

...and some of its teeth. I actually saved one of its teeth as a keepsake, but I seem to have lost it...
Can you hear me bawling? :(

Its eyeball

Do I look like a pirate? Arg!

My faaavorite part of all of this was the snout....It was so soft and mushy and fatty, like a chunk of jello.
Comparing snout sizes

Beau wanted this snout so bad!
  So pink and funny looking!


I made a traditional soup called Pozole. Its main ingredient is whole hominy kernals. In layman's terms: corn. 
In aztec days, pozole was made with human meat. Eventually cannibalism was banned however, so pork was used in its place because it "tastes similar". Nice to know.... :-/

Here is a bowl of the cooked head:
The majority of it was puuuuuure FAT! 

Now, I know I said I would not taste the pig head but something that had me shuddering even more was the thought of being labeled a ninny. I gave in, if only to defend my honor.
Surprise, surprise! It tasted like pork!
Here is the finished product:
You are supposed to put lime, radishes, lettuce and oregano and chili powder in your soup.
It is not my favorite meal, but of course my pozole was totally bomb.
Just kidding...actually, I was poisoned by a pig a few years back and pork has never tasted the same to me.

While cleaning the meat, I managed to paper-cut my hands up with some bone slivers.
(For some reason, any cut I ever get ends up infected.)
When my dad found out, he basically turned all melodramatic and said this...(and I QUOTE!)
"Go to the store right now and buy some alcohol. Rub that on the cuts, then repeat with peroxide."
When I scoffed, he added, "If you don't, you could lose you hands." 
Immediately I began to feel a strange tingling sensation in my fingers.........


"But God, I...I..I need my fingers for my new meat-cutting career!"
 ^^Better safe than sorry, no?^^

If anyone has any extra animal heads laying around......Well...
I pretty much am a pro now.
~Bethany~

Next goal: Have reason to get a tetanus shot. 

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi!!!!!!!Oh my word! Bethany, you are hilarious! Ok, the photos don't gross me out. What grosses me out is actually eating that nasty thing! Blechhhh!!!! You are one brave girl!!! I refuse to even try the pig tongue. The people in our church want me to try it but..... I always bow out gracefully. :)

Hi Bro. and Sis. Wakefield!!! I miss you guys very much and I love you!! I hope you all are doing great! My beautiful clock is still ticking! :) I'm gonna call you this week D. We hope to be able to come and visit you all soon. Love you mucho!!!!

Gynifer DeAro

W.D and Amber Hilton said...

Haha!!! I was doing just fine till I got to the eyeball!!! Sooo gross but interesting all the same! Thanks for sharing! God Bless =)

Breanna and David said...

ok so me and david were at a birthday party last night and they served pozole. I had never had pozole before last night and i found it to be truly delicious... I asked david what exactly is pozole made of? and he said he didn't know... probably pork or chicken... i didnt care last night because it tasted so good- i just ate it...... Then david (tonight) calls me into the kitchen to read your outrageous post... um.... lets just say..... i texted the lady in charge of the party and demanded to know how her mother made the pozole.... i can now go to sleep in peace knowing that it was made of chicken and pork but not from a literal pigs head... oh my goodness... i dont think i have ever been this terrified before in my life.

Thanks girls :)

Jarron said...

I've got a dog head down here... Of course, it makes a better guard while still connected to the body. I should probably have you wait until we get a replacement.
Jb

Kathy McElhaney said...

You're doing so good with the warnings on your posts!! Thank you! I loved the snout... of course I couldn't actually smell or touch it...

Ash said...

Very Gross! But at the same time kind of interesting:). Lol

The Polished Plume said...

I usually don't get grossed out but you lost me (and I in turn lost my dinner...well almost) when you held up the pigs eye to your own. Brave soul!

Laura Wyatt said...

Haha these posts are awesome! They are especially good to leave up on the screen for someone else to find when they come use the computer LOL!!
My husband goes: What on earth do you have here? LOLOLOLOL

The Wakefields: Missionaries to Mexico said...

Sis. DeAro,
You have me soooo excited haha!!! We HOPE and PRAY you guys can come and visit us again!
We love you guys <3

WD and Amber, Yeah that eyeball pic IS gross...but it was even more gross trying to get the eyeball out of the head...lol.

Breanna, that is so funny!!! I'm sure no one in the States would serve pig head without warning people...But from the sounds of it, eating pig head would be preferable to what you guys are feeling NOW. Haha! Hope everyone gets better soon...

Jarron, no its ok, we'll just cook the whole thing! :P

Sis. McElhaney, I'm sure you could have touched it. It wasn't gross, just soooo soft and jiggly hahaha!

Ashlyn, come visit us!! We would have a great time eating all kinds of weird food. :D

Sis. Siena, Sorry...hehe :)

Laura, your poor husband! Hopefully he doesn't have a weak stomach!

~Bethany~

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