Because it’s Offaly Good
Last night, in telling my mother and sister about some of the better things I’ve eaten recently, the looks of horror on their faces, while not entirely unexpected, were a bit stronger than anticipated as I spoke of offal like tongue, and testicles, and cheek.
My sister did not understand why I would want to eat such things. A married mother of three, she rarely has the opportunity to go out for a nice meal, and when she does, she and my brother in law are interested in going to a place they like to have precisely what it is they liked about it in the first place. They don’t want anything new and they don’t want anything they would consider weird.
This contrasted slightly with my mom’s response which was more along the lines of Midwestern people simply not having the same tastes as other parts of the country.
But so too are Chicago, Kansas City and Milwaukee, and each of these cities have taught their clientèle to be slightly more daring than the average meat and potato diner of St. Louis.
Recently, however, there has been an adventurous trend towards the types of eating many of us like to do in St. Louis. Some chefs and restaurateurs have slowly worked their guests towards these foods, and they have done so by taking it upon themselves to educate their customers palates rather than jumping in headlong and saying, “if you don’t want my pork cheek you can get the hell out.” By first gaining the trust of their diners with more ordinary dishes, they have then turned out more unusual fare (something like the pork cheek dish at Niche) to show them that while the butchering involved with such a meat might be a bit overwhelming for the average diner to witness, and they might not want to see it raw, once it’s on the plate it’s not freaky at all. It’s delicious.
But the real question my sister had was why would I choose to eat some of this stuff in the first place? Why when other delicious options were available to me would I willingly seek out duck liver, or tongue, or even something I would consider far more ordinary like octopus?
It’s not something I had ever considered before. After 20 years of life ignoring virtually all foods, an accidental order of fillet of sol (a verbal special of which I heard only fillet) yielded a welcoming outcome once I overcame my embarrassment and took a bite. In that moment I overcame my fear of food and began to explore whatever was out there. Without allergies, and my phobias set to the side, I began trying anything set before me, and to this day have only ever encountered a handful of foods
I haven’t particularly cared for. And that’s not to say I won’t try them again, just that I haven’t currently had them presented to me in a way I’ve enjoyed.
And so the answer to the question of why I enjoy eating all of these things, and offal specifically is because of the strong tastes and interesting textures they can deliver to a meal.
What else has the silky smooth richness of a foie gras tourchon? What has the texture of sweetbreads–somehow both velvety and smooth at the same time? And I dare you to name me a piece of halibut with a truer and more permeable flavor of the fish than its cheek.
You can’t, and while these foods might be for the adventurous diner, more than that they’re for the diner unwilling to close themselves off to the possibility that some new taste or texture is mere bite away. I personally refuse to do that.
5 Responses to “Because it’s Offaly Good”
My parents regularly ate tongue, sweetbreads and other organs - including brains, of course - growing up. So until I went to school, I thought this was normal. I think a lot of people are turned off, because for the last generation this was poor man’s food. Now, it’s rich man’s food. This fact tickles my parents to no end. But they do miss the calf brain sandwiches!
By Amy in StL on May 6, 2008
I was trying to inform my mother of that, and especially considering her parents grew up in a time when it was something people ate because of the economy of it.
By Bill Burge on May 6, 2008
my dad was an old school butcher - he’s retired now but can still cut meat like a surgeon -
I remember growing up all of the “stuff” he used to bring home - sweetbreads.. brain… tongue.. my mom wanted nothing to do with it, so my grandmother who was czech would take it and make the most amazing meals
when i was starting my career and worked at Super Smokers - i couldn’t wait to book events where we smoked a whole hog - then of course i got the cheek meat - there was nothing better.. sweeter.. just like buttah!
By chefgirl on May 6, 2008
I think sustainability comes into play too. If you want to eat cows or pigs with a clear conscience, then I believe you have a duty to try out all parts of the animal. Nevermind that organ meats and offal are typically nutritionally superior to the cuts of meat most of Americans lean towards.
By Hugh on May 8, 2008
I learned that Hugh’s argument is one that is really foreign to a lot of people last night. I was talking about a meal where I ate head cheese, pig’s ear, and tongue, and I said something similar, but people couldn’t wrap their heads around it. There’s still a long way to go with most people on this issue.
By Dan D. on May 8, 2008