Pig Fat

Everybody needs a bit of soul food in their life. Today I got my share when we made collard greens and hoppin' john for our food activity. The recipe for collard greens is fairly reminiscent of cooked spinach in that it is a similar leafy vegetable that cooks down to less than half its volume. After frying bacon that is added at the end, the greens are cooked in the bacon grease and chicken stock is later added. The whole process took me back to some good ol' home cooking that frequented my household. It reminded me of the (fairly successful) creamed spinach experiments my mother and I had combined with my father's love of bacon.

My dad will always be known in my mind for his love of pig fat. I was my father's daughter today when I fried those fat slices of pork earlier today. Talk about a Madeleine! Everything about bacon, from the overpowering ham-like smell, to the greasy texture, to the alternatively crunchy and chewy delicious taste, brings back such strong (and delicious) memories for me.

Talking about food and identity today in class made me realize how much bacon has formed my identity. Every Sunday and some Saturdays growing up I would wake up to the smell of bacon creeping under the crack of my door. The problem with cooking bacon, though, is that the smell lingers, so sometimes after waking up I would race upstairs only to find an empty greasy plate. It didn't take me long to learn the first come first serve rule in the world of bacon, although it later failed me in my not-so-early riser high school years. It was interesting to make collard greens that had bacon as a huge role because it was like combining something so familiar with something completely foreign. Collard greens are definitely not something that I would normally identify with, but with the addition of the bacon it felt just like home. In Ruth Ozeki's book All Over Creation, one of the main themes is the lifestyle that is created by the role that the potato plays in the Fuller family's life. Making collard greens and hoppin' john today made me realize that I don't have to be a farmer in southern Idaho to feel a close connection to food. Even if it is food like collard greens that I don't necessarily identify with, any inkling of a similarity can turn it into comfort food. Food will always play a central role in my life, regardless of if I'm the one riding the tractor or frying the bacon.