Pork: Let Deliciousness Happen

Pig. When you slaughter and eat it, it's pork. Christianity has no issue, but many other religions either ban pork (Judaism, Islam, Eastern Orthodox, 7th Day Adventistism, Rastafarianism) or meat all together (Hindu.) If you're not a biblical fundamentalist who believes in an odd and fickle G-d who does not want you to eat swine, you might be familiar with certain anthropological theories.....

Ancient Hebrews and Muslims were down on pork for ecological and economical reasons. Pigs, unlike many farm animals, will eat anything and everything in large quantities, poop everywhere in similar quantities, and have no issue swanning about in said poo. When your in a desert-based environment with limited resources, bacon is just way too cost prohibitive, and y'all get poo on everything.

Why kittehs are much better housepets than piggies.

Being that people now live in places outside of arid deserts, farming practices allow for all sorts of variation in both ecological and economical factors. Bacon & pork tenderloin are just another choice in a wide variety of meats in the modern supermarket. Still, the ancient taboos have their echoes.

A lot of people cite trichinosis as why we should never eat pork at any temperature other than well done.  Keep in mind that any lean meat cooked to well-done becomes tough, chewy, leather-like and lacking in moisture and flavor. So if I don't cook my pork chop to "jerky" levels, will I get sick and die?

Trichinosis is a parasite that will make you hella-sick, and if your young or old, may kill you. In a recent 5 year period, 11 (eleven) cases of trichinosis were reported to the CDC. Were these from undercooked pork chops picked up from the local supermarket?

These were mostly the result of eating undercooked game, bear meat, or home-reared pigs.

You can be down on industrial farming for many reasons, Gawd knows there is a blog entry in the future about it. One thing it CAN be credited for is virtually eliminating the threat of trichinosis in pork on a mass level. You're more likely to get sick from ANY meat that's been improperly handled than getting a nasty parasite from a medium-rare pork tenderloin.

In fact, cheap feedlot pork is probably less risky than cheap feedlot beef. Why? No hormones.

Some people think that all commercially raised animals – cattle, hogs, sheep, and poultry – are fed hormones as growth promoters. In fact, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) does not permit the use of hormones in raising hogs or chickens, turkeys and other fowl. That is why the USDA does not allow the use of the term "no hormones added" on labels of pork or poultry products unless it is followed by a statement explaining that "Federal regulations prohibit the use of hormones."

While the underfunding of rational public services like the USDA make me uneasy, if your a paranoid Republicant who doesn't trust the gubbermint, you shouldn't eat anything protected by the USDA, but rather you should be clutching your guns while raising your own trichinosis-riddled pigs on a plot of land deep in "Real Amurika".

Am I being shrill? 

I cooked my bimonthy pork tenderloin the other week, up to this point I've been cooking it with a thermometer to 140 degrees, as recommended in the recipe. That is a solid "medium" in culinary terms: pink and firm in the middle. Wait, shouldn't pigmeat always be served well-done? Used to be -- the USDA has since stepped it back a bit: in 2011 they lowered the recommended internal cooked temperature of pork from a grey, dry 160 degrees to the pinkish, firm 145.

The agency said that after pork hits the target internal (145º) temperature, it should be allowed to rest for three minutes, while its temperature rises a few more degrees. That should be enough to kill any harmful bacteria, but the meat should be juicy and may look pink. The same temperature guidelines already apply to whole cuts of beef, lamb and veal.

Uhhh, what?

I lowered the temp on the loin to 135 just to see what would happen. I'll tell you what happened. Deliciousness happened.

My mom would regularly saute lamb chops for me and my brother, and she would blast those things until every last drop of moisture was wrung out of those meat-pops until all that was left was desiccated, tough, stringy and leather-like. The USDA agreed with her back then -- don't bother trying to enjoy your food, because it's better safe than sorry. That's a sad way to approach any kind of food. It's better to abstain from dangerous food rather than make it near inedible, and it's even better to have a realistic view of what actually is dangerous.

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WEEKLY AVERAGE: 2398

No work on Thurs & Fri due to my office moving, but did some freelance work from home early mornings in the first part of the week. My routine was interrupted, leading me to over eat late in the week, but over all a good eating week. Got one good weight session in on Thursday which lead me to be slightly sore all weekend, and a slow but satisfying ride on Friday.

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MONDAY COUNT: 2125

SLEPT: 10pm-5am, 7 hours

Caffeine from the morning bike ride and a round of over eating that included a can of diet coke and chocolate ice cream didn't help the sleep, but I got a minimum of 8 hours both Friday night and Saturday night, so I felt pretty good in the morning anyway.

AM SNACK: 5:30am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 7:15am, pear/beet/celery/carrot/ginger/cayenne/cucumber juice, 160 cal
Ran out of apples but had extra CSA pears. Weird taste....not bad, just weird, different, never been into pears but it's equally sweet and inoffensive.

BREAKFAST 2: 10am, whole Fage with agave, vanilla and almonds, 310 cal

LUNCH: 12:45pm, falafel, homemade matzoball-mushroom soup, health salad, 590 cal
Second time with the soup, this time I knew to kick up the salt.

PM SNACK: 4 pm, momma salad, hummus, 150 cal

PM SNACK: 5:15pm, poppa salad with homemade Italian, 150 cal

DINNER: 7:45pm, broiled flounder, roasted asparagus, kimchi, Fritos, 765 cal

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TUESDAY COUNT: 2215

SLEPT: 10pm-3am, 5 hours

Feeling the short sleep night. Took a 9pm conference call for some freelance work which I knocked out from 3:30-6:15am, until the Edie woke up. Despite being a little groggy, glad to have done the work, made me feel good.

AM SNACK: 3;15am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 6:45am, pear/beet/celery/carrot/ginger/cayenne/cucumber juice, 160 cal
Ran out of apples but had extra CSA pears. Weird taste....not bad, just weird, different, never been into pears but it's equally sweet and inoffensive.

BREAKFAST 2: 9:45am, steel cut oatmeal, 415 cal

LUNCH: 12:45pm, chicken meatballs, johdpur lentils, steamed string beans, 530 cal

PM SNACK: 4 pm, momma salad, 100 cal

PM SNACK: 5:15pm, poppa salad with homemade Italian, 150 cal

DINNER: 7pm, Stouffers French Bread pizza, 860 cal

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WEDNESDAY COUNT: 2385

SLEPT: 8pm-3am, 7 hours

Only 7 hours, but it was good, thick, ropey deep sleep. Felt great when I woke up, and got some good creative work done on the 'puter before the troops arose.

AM SNACK: 3;15am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 6:45am, pear/beet/celery/carrot/ginger/cayenne/cucumber juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 9:45am, whole Fage with agave, vanilla and almonds, 310 cal

LUNCH: 12:45pm, chicken sausage, sofrito black beans, roasted broccoli, 540 cal

PM SNACK: 4 pm, momma salad, hummus, 150 cal

PM SNACK: 5:15pm, poppa salad with homemade Italian, 150 cal

DINNER: 8:30p, stir fried shiritaki noodles & shrimp with mushrooms and black bean sauce, 475

EVENING SNACK: 9pm, fritos, 600 cal

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THURSDAY COUNT: 2585+

SLEPT: 10:15pm-4:30am, 6.25 hours

Planned to wake up at 6, but woke up early feeling good and revved up to do chores n' stuff. Office is moving, not going back in until Monday. Though I'm not getting paid, the freelance work I picked up earlier in the week almost covers it. After chores and errands, made rum n' spice ice cream custard with all sorts of interesting aromatics, a pumpkin pastry cream for the cake being made on Saturday to accompany said ice cream, and a batch of granola for use in upcoming granola bars, to power me through the winter cycling.

Binged in the evening. When I got home late, I tasted the ice cream custard and pumpkin pastry cream, only a teaspoon each, but that was enough sugar to set me off. Not gonna beat myself up, you live and learn. I don't binge that often anymore, so despite it's negative place in the scheme of things, it's still 2 steps forward, 1 step back.

AM SNACK: 5am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 7:30am, pear/beet/celery/carrot/ginger/cayenne/cucumber juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 10am, steel cut oatmeal, 415 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, sardine & avocado on whole wheat toast, boxed tomato soup, pickles, 700 cal
Surprisingly good boxed soup, low sodium Dr. McDougall's. Been in the pantry forever, gonna get a few more as a backup to my homemade soups, an emergency travel lunch option.

PM SNACK: 3 pm, momma salad, hummus, 150 cal

PM SNACK: 4:15pm, beef jerky, 160 cal

DINNER: 7:30pm, Subway 6" veggie burger sub, chips, diet coke, 760

EVENING SNACK: 10:30pm, cheetos, 300 cal

BINGE: 11-12am, more cheetos, peanut M&Ms, chocolate bunny crackers, cheesy peanut butter crackers, +/- 1300 cal

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BIKE CREDIT: 720 cal
FRIDAY COUNT: 2680

SLEPT: 12am-6am, 6 hours

Stomach felt off in the morning, powered through my breakfast routine simply for the nutrition, not hunger. Did a loop around Staten Island, got in a Costco run for knish supplies and swung by Bushwick to visit a friend and get a large n' in charge dinner.

AM SNACK: 6:15am, iced green tea

BREAKFAST: 7:15am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/ginger/cayenne/cucumber juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 9am, fruit smoothie 410 cal

BIKE SNACK: 11:30am, granola bar, 270 cal

BIKE SNACK: 1pm, granola bar, 270 cal

BIKE SNACK: 2pm, almond butter and grape jelly sandwich, chocolate shake, 990 cal

PM SNACK: 5pm, fritos, 300 cal

DINNER: 8:30pm, Peruvian food, +/- 1000 cal

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WEEKEND REPORT:
Went to town with overeating on Saturday, pulled back a little on Sunday but still not great. Saturday eve was at an adult party with my 2 year old, wasn't able to relax and socialize as much as I would like, but there were a bunch of people there I haven't seen in quite a while, and got a lot of comments and compliments on my weight loss. A few commented on my musculature, which is a new thing I'm starting to pick up on. I'm not trying to get all ripped n' big, but I guess as the fat recedes and my once or twice a week work outs increase it's amount of weights, some results will start to make itself known. Weird. I guess that will allow me to feel OK if I only lose a pound this month or even stop losing all together?