My first day in Catechism class, I was seven years old and learn that, all that God created, he create it with Love and Charity. God himself is the personification of Charity means nothing that he created can be unclean. That being said, Deuteronomy chapter fourteen, Leviticus chapter eleven the question of clean and unclean I am not an ecclesiastic or some sort of Scriptures philosopher. I am a pork eater and Pork belly lover. My question is how can God be Charity and create some of his impure or unclean? As Christian, I truly believe that Jesus Mission wasn't to destroy Moses Law because, he revered it, obeyed and loved it. I also believe that the meaning of his Mission was the fulfillment of Moses law and he did it. (Gal. chapter 3:10 and Luke 24:44). to not believe in that fulfillment it's to say that Jesus failed to accomplish what it was his fundamental Mission and my Christianity will be a nonsense.Base on my believe, Jesus has accomplish his Mission so as today my believe are not bound by Moses Law even though I respect and obey it.
Do I have anything from the new Testament that will prevent me from eating pork? I will make a quick return to the Genesis 9:3 Every moving thing that live shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things...The above verse is after the flood when Noah was told that all animals were to be meat for him.I believe one thing, when carefully exploring the Bible, God laws are mostly practical and can be amended when things become good for us. When I was kid, my grandmother had a pig she named "the fire of the heart" I am not sure if the English translation will mean what it's means in my "Eton" tribe. I saw that pig one day swallowed a whole snake alive. I was shocked and ask my grandfather told me this:" A snake cannot kill a pig because any poison that pork will ingest will just be stored in his fat under his skin. So, my ancestors refused to eat pork for that reason and for a religious reason".
About the pork nowadays,rising animals is so methodical and safe that it is almost unthinkable that the supposed unclean animal will carry the same risk as one raised in the past.
St Paul in 1 Cor 10:23-33 is consistent about what is lawful according to him. Even all things are lawful, he would not offend anybody, he would undermine his own feeling to makes others comfortable. He would eat any food presented to him.
Another point submitted by Paul is in Rom 14:2-3: God will look after your good spirit rather than what you eat.
Mark 7:19-23 Jesus is telling us that nothing that goes into a man can defile him but what comes out of his mouth can be destructive for him and others.
The best of all is Acts 10: 9-17 "On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour:
10 And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance,
11 And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending upon him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth:
12 Wherein were all manner of four footed beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.
13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.
14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.
15 And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.
16 This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.
17 Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon's house, and stood before the gate"
Not only Peter will eat common and unclean food he will be eating it with a gentile man,a non Jews Cornelius. It's there the signification of the universality of Christianity also the ultimate proof that God is looking for the good of each of us instead of what we are eating.
Once again, I am not here to lecture anyone about the scriptures but to say it aloud how good is the pork and specially pork belly.
here one of my ways to prepare it. I like the front belly as opposed to the back for a good balance of meat and fat. The separation between the meat and the fat is so clear and well layered, 50/50 fat and meat will be the best the slab should be trimmed both sides. the slab without skin is my favorite and a black Berkshire pork will be the most.
Recipe for a spiced slow-roasted Pork Belly
2 lbs pork belly, skin off
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 tablespoon nutmeg
2 tablespoon dark brown sugar
4 medium onions.
Directions
1-rub the pork belly with vanilla, cinnamon,thyme, salt, sugar and Nutmeg.
2-let it seat for about 30 minutes in room temperature up until the fat start to melt.
3-preheat the oven at 325F, cut the onion lenghtwise and lay them in the roasting pan.
4-embed the belly on top of the onion and cook for 3 1/2 hours without turning the meat or basting it.
The onion should be well comfit and almost pureed.Reserve them until the warm.
Chop them with Pommery mustard, creme fraiche and Horsradish.
A little mashed sweet potato will be the best accompaniment for this wonderful dish.
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Hello, Darling;
ReplyDeleteAh, but your pork belly was heavenly.
When we first talked about your blog, I said I'd been thinking about what it is that you do as a chef. You create shit. Takes a while, but that's what you create. But that's not all you create. All of us who sat around the table eating your pork belly--ah, what a great party--knew that we'd been civilized, a bit, by our dinner. There is something transcentent that happens when consuming food carefully prepared for our shitting. Not least is being grateful--to the pig for his deliciousness, to you for carefully preparing the pork belly for us to consume, and to the universe that created that particular pig and its chef. Not the same path through our bodies as the shit that McDonald's provides. "Be guided by your pleasure . . . "
I didn't have catechism as a child. Instead, I got to learn how to walk through the woods with Bill Conover, an Indian who grew up in Oklahoma, who taught us how to walk in the woods and identify what we were looking at. He also talked to us about how and what we were eating when we all sat under the trees and dug into our sack lunches. Said that on this planet, life eats life, that we must thank the animals who'd become our sandwiches for giving us its life and strength.
I really appreciate the people who find the farmers who are growing animals humanely. There are several at the Silver Spring Farmers' Market. They're cool. The goodies are a bit pricey, but one only thinks so before eating the goodies.
The first non-industrial market that I knew about in DC was Arrow Live Poultry at 5th and K Street, NW. The birds were grown by Amish farmers in Pennsylvania and brought to DC. I regularly went to a meeting near the shop, so I could drop in before the meeting, point out the birds I wanted--they had all kinds--and come back and pick them up an hour later, plucked and ready for the oven, and carry them home on the Metro, still warm. Neighbors stopped at my appartment asking for a bite when the birds were cooking: the aroma was so different from grocery store birds.
I'll never forget the respectful way the guys at Arrow picked up each bird, making the bird feel calm. Oh, well, the District closed them down. Can't have live birds within the District. Alas.
The customers were cooks from the embassies, grandmommas who wanted a roaster, and me. The Village Idiot worked for Arrow and took care of the birds. One day, he signalled for me to follow him, and he took me back to the special shed in the back where all the rare and exotic birds were kept. Wow. Years later, still wow.
I love your cooking! More, please.
-Shannon*
I don't know you but, whatever you write it's so truth that i am a bit jealous of you. The craziness of Chef Eugene makes all of us happy.I wasn't there to taste that pork belly but, as long as I have the recipe I will try it at home for my husband and friends.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment that is great!!!!!