Seasons Greetings and Happy Hogidays!

I recently attended a wonderfully holidelicious (yeah, I used it) event to promote the local cottage food industry.  I love this segment of business in America! The proprietors are highly entrepreneurial, have an infectious passion for their product, and hold even more passion for the creation process.  They typically are also very adept at packaging, design, and marketing.  Add all of these qualities to the fact that being a foodie or gourmand (or worse yet a "gastronaut") is hip lately, and you've got all the points that bring a lot of excitement to this market segment.  Some evidence of this...

One of the vendors that tagged along to this event was a local photographic artist, Marvin Shaouni and a certain photograph he was exhibiting really make me laugh.  Before you gaze to the bottom of the blog to see it, I'll apologize in advance for those who are offended by it, and I am honest in that apology. How so?  Well, I may have been off put by the pic myself, were it 1995.  I went through a phase in university and early 20s that kept me far from anything pig.  Anything.   I had a very disturbing discussion with a Puerto Rican friend leading me to believe that eating anything pork would lead to a health issue I care not to repeat.  He was a doctor no less!

Jose Maria brought me back to reality...around 2002, I found myself on business travel in Spain for a few weeks.  I spent the weekends exploring the area around Madrid, and landed in Segovia for a day.  Jose Maria is a classic Segovian purveyor of "cochinilla asado", aka lechon, aka roast sucking pig. Seeing this dish prepared and eating it alone overturned any worry about eating pig, as well as erasing associated bad memories of eating fake bacon, spam, etc.  Unconceivably delicious was the roast suckling pig that was served, and incredibly beautiful was Segovia (above).  Yes, that's a functional Roman Acueducto that runs right through town center.

In the years following my visit to Segovia, I've found great gourmet pork options from around the world that have continued my belief that pork has to be the most excellent meat (excepting fish), considering nutrition, taste, and impact on the world.  I've even found a restaurant paying the ultimate homage to the delish piggies, Museo del Jamon in Buenos Aires - a restaurant that all but worships pork - be it cured, salted, roasted, etc.

In this holiday time of stepping back, recognizing all of our blessings, and being thankful for things that make us smile in the world, I thought I'd pass one of mine along in the blog.  Wonderful holiday cheer to all, be thee a lover of jamon, salmon, or lemon!