A whole pig dinner at Daisy May's

Yes, you heard correctly. A whole pig.

Now I may be a bit of an eater (say foodie and I retch), but I'm not very good at dealing with the gory parts. You know, such as heads, feet and eyes. My experience with whole roasted guinea pigs in Peru is not one I would ever like to relive.

So when Darren's birthday dinner was held at Daisy May's for a big pig gig I was more than sceptical. Sceptical that I could make it through dinner without looking the pig in the face and screaming the house down. I know, pathetic. I should give up food and become a vegetarian. After that meal, I want to. Anyway, we went along with our camera in tow, ready to take one for the team. Team Nova Clutch that is.

So the deal is that you buy a whole pig, which weighs about 30lbs and supposedly feeds 12, but there were 19 at this table. The pig gets delivered to you on a large cutting board, and gets cut up, the skin peeled back, fat splashing about the table. The sides were really rather good; buttery texas toast, amazing sweet potato purée, dubious potato mash with white gravy, excellent baked beans and creamed corn. My internal question about how they got their baked beans so tasty was answered by a photograph on the knotty pine wall. They line a cast iron skillet with bacon, leaving it hanging over the edges, pour in the beans mix and then fold the excess bacon over the top of the beans to make a strange-looking pie. Hence the tastiness, bacon always helps with that.

I actually cannot post the pictures. They are rather explicit. There was so much fat coming out of that pig (that it ran over the moat in the board intended to keep it at bay, and pooled on the table, and then the floor) that we had to pull our chairs back. Suffice to say, that if you're into seeing the face of what you eat, this one's for you. And if that's not your bag, perhaps you are not that into cadavers or you like your pig belly with a little frisée on the side, give Daisy May's a wide berth.

Comments

[l.e.g]

I don't understand it. You used to freak out if they left the head on a fish...

[natasha]

I still do! You should have seen me here: http://www.tsukiji-market.or.jp/tukiji_e.htm

[l.e.g]

Your post is disgusting! Eating it in a pool of pig fat?! Was there any crackling? Do you call it that there? Can you buy scratchings in a bag? I hate it when the hair's still attached...

[natasha]

Sorry love, just doing my duty in reporting it. There wasn't really any crackling, it was slow cooked so it wasn't that crispy. I am not sure that Americans eat crackling like we Brits do. Pork scratchings in a bag are very popular but I'm not into those. Although I've never tried them...but your mention of hairs means I probably never will!