Pigs, and Pork

While on a trip to Tennessee for Thanksgiving, we passed by lots of roadside signs for restaurants, but the most amusing were those for BBQ joints. Why is that pig on the sign always smiling? No one has apparently let him in on his fate yet.

Practically every one of these restaurants boasts a sign declaring they have the “Best BBQ in America,” or “Best BBQ in 9 Southern States” or similar declarations.

Yes, the pig is one versatile animal when it comes to how we cook its many eatable parts. Take your pick, you got your breakfast sausage and bacon and ham slices, followed closely by baby back ribs, pork chops, Boston butt and the ever popular pork rinds. Of course, the piece-de-resistance of any pig eating society has to be the chitterlings or as we call ‘em chittlins. Chitterlings are offered up in many ways, fried, boiled or sauteed to a golden brown. Ah, ha, don’t forget those trotters, some folks like to partake of pigs feet, too.

Even my pup, Boo, has a hankering for a pig ear once in a while and thank goodness for the pig when its football season and we need a football. After exhausting research on the subject of why we call a football a pigskin, it turns out the dang thing is made out of a leather, but made to look like pigskin.

And as our favorite pig of all times, Porky Pig says, “Th-th-th-that’s all folks!