J'aime porc frais

When I was a small child, I remember watching for the first time as my grandfather salt-cured hunks of fresh pork in a shed behind my grandparents' house. I remember looking into the box in which he "prepared" the meat and being amazed 'cause I'd never seen that much salt in one place before.

Now, I can't prove it, but I suspect that the first meat I ever consumed was pork. It would certainly make sense. My grandfather started raising hogs in the 1940s; he always processed a hog or two each year for his immediate family's consumption; and I remember having fresh pork -- sausage, pork chops, pork roast, pork ribs, pork shoulder, etc. -- in the freezer up until, and a little while after, my grandfather died in 1997. Can anyone really wonder why I love pork meat so much ...?!

Every once in a while, the Tennessean does something to make me think that it's useful for something besides lining a garbage can or a birdcage. Like printing this story. A sample:

As one of the only restaurants in the state to order whole hogs from local farmers, [City House's Tandy] Wilson brings to Nashville a new culinary movement dedicated to an old way of operating. By committing to use every part of the pig — from snout to tail — he makes no careless waste as he breaks it down into chops, hams, sausages and other products. Just as celebrity chef Jamie Oliver recently slaughtered a chicken on live television to promote awareness of humane treatment of livestock, chefs are becoming increasingly interested not just in serving local fare but in knowing how it was raised and treating it with respect. While it would be quicker, easier and cheaper to purchase pig parts individually, Wilson says his way is the right way, and his wholesome animal will pay off on the plate in quality and freshness of meat as well as creative use of parts.

"'People might say, Ooh, gross, but how can you hold it with the reverence that it needs?' he asked. It's important for people to know where their food comes from, because I don't know how you respect it if you don't.'"