Thank you for your interest in my weight-loss/school building fundraiser. I had my official weigh-in this morning, following last night's burger and fries at Red Robin with friends, and coffee and warm donuts at Krispy Kreme. Day One went well (no Red Robin or Krispy Kreme); only 97 more days to go! In future weeks, I may post my weight loss at the end of my blog to keep you up-to-date. (Yes, I had a cardiologist ask me point blank, as he evaluated my fundraiser letter, "So, what do you weigh?" No, I didn't answer and don't intend to post that.)
Although talking about food may not be in my best interest, there is someone (besides Red Robin and Krispy Kreme) that I need to blame for my high weight this morning.
On Christmas Eve, my neighbor Mary called me over to her house for some food. Before I could leave, my neighbor Blanca rang my door bell and handed in a foil-wrapped cheesecake, still warm from baking. I ate too much of it, then re-wrapped it and took it with me to Mary's to share.
Mary's kitchen was in a flurry, for an "I'm not going to cook this year" situation. In the oven, steaks and a ham were curing for the next day. Miscellaneous pots and pies crowded the stovetop.
Mary piled my plate with cheese-sprinkled cornbread and greens. She also ladled on several sections of pig stomach, otherwise known as maw (according to Mary) or tripe (according to Dr. Dickson, when I asked him if he'd ever had any).
I haven't studied stomach in an anatomy book lately, but I still recognized the folded, fluted stomach formation. I also took note of the inner and outer lining of the stomach and the fleshy portion in between.
I sprinkled hot sauce on it, as I was told. It was mild, with an almost too-soft texture, but truly good, especially with the hot sauce.
"You can get it at Martins or Kroger, or Meijer," Mary insisted. "It's expensive! At Thanksgiving they were all sold out, every store."
I forked up pig stomach while Mary gave me the stuffing versus dressing lecture.
"They are not the same thing," she said. "You put stuff in stuffing...some people put pecans, raisins, onions."
Dressing on the other hand, is largely bread based, she explained.
The next day as we played Monopoly following her meal of ham, steak, butter beans, sweet potatoes, STUFFING, cornbread, greens and homemade cranberry sauce, Mary brought out desserts and coffee, and monitored our conformity to the rules of Monopoly.
First, pieces of apple pie appeared. Next, wedges of strawberry pie with a strawberry glaze.
"Carlos, did you want a piece of cake, you say?"
"Yeah, I wanted a piece of cake."
When we were thoroughly stuffed, Mary said, "Does anyone want some banana pudding?"
How were we to know the best had been sequestered until the end? We spooned up bites of pudding and crumbs in between Mary's critiquing of our rolling of the dice.
"Well if it ain't in the rule book now, it was then," Mary sniffed at our modern indifference to a rule she remembered.
I'm glad I missed the chitlins, pig intestines that have been cleaned of poop, and boiled.
"If you can smell them, DON'T EAT THEM!" Mary told me. "If you walk into someone's house and smell them, even if it's my house, don't eat them, they're not clean!"
Thankfully, Mary is also a big support when I talk about needing to lose weight.
And I don't think there are a lot of calories in pig stomach. Although it seems a bit much to have my stomach digesting the stomach of something else.
Merry Christmas friends!
"Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
til he appeared and the soul felt its worth..."
Placide Cappeau
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