Friday Faves — notes from the new gastroconomy, No. 73

weekly round-up of our favorite finds from the front lines of food

 

• Happy Summer from the Pork Fairy. These bathing beauties make an uninhabited island in the Bahamas their home. (Treehugger)

• Another reason not to underestimate smaller regional markets: the chefs are spreading out. A shortage of qualified cooks to work in top New York kitchen has risen to newsworthy levels. The reasons are the same as they ever were — low pay and high rent — but now there are so many other scenes to be part of. (NPR)

• Despite the economic slow-down, the food business is still booming in the US. "Specialty food sales in the U.S. alone grew 13 percent to $85 billion in 2012. And Americans consumed a record $34 billion worth of wine last year." (Inc.)
  

• In a problem that could be fixed in the stew pot, urban farmers are abandoning hundreds of fashion chickens. Really, it was only a matter of time. (Jezebel)

• Biotech corn seeds that were supposed to keep pests away are faltering, causing an upswing in pesticides. "Steiner, the Nebraska crop consultant, usually argues for another strategy: Starve the rootworms, he tells his clients. Just switch that field to another crop. 'One rotation can do a lot of good,' he says. 'Go to beans, wheat, oats. It's the No. 1 right thing to do.'" (NPR)

• Nursery food is good for you, or at least the nostalgia it inspires. "Nostalgia has been shown to counteract loneliness, boredom and anxiety. It makes people more generous to strangers and more tolerant of outsiders. Couples feel closer and look happier when they’re sharing nostalgic memories. On cold days, or in cold rooms, people use nostalgia to literally feel warmer." Bring on the mac & cheese and a fluffernutter. (New York Times)

• David Hasselhoff is now Thirsty for Love (and apparently iced coffee) in this campier than camp video. In a world of spoof upon spoof, Entertainment Weekly suggests that this is really Hasselhoff as character David Brent from The Office. (Laughing Squid) Which brings to mind another Hoff, this time of the deep sea. "The alien-like crab -- nicknamed the "Hoff" in honor of David Hasselhoff's similarly hairy torso -- was discovered in 2009, living on the perimeter of hydrothermal vents thousands of feet beneath the Indian and Arctic oceans." Really, you can't make this stuff up. (LA  Times)

Friday Faves — notes from the new gastroconomy, No. 71

weekly round-up of our favorite finds from the front lines of food

 

• Food advertising jazz age-style (above) with a 1929 promotion for Runnymede eggs served aboard the Graf Zeppelin (found on the great vintage image site Retronaut).

• Farm Free or Die!  Maine Towns Rebel AGainst Food Rules "Local food activists don't want to eliminate regulation; they just want to self-regulate at the community level among people who know and trust each other." Similar efforts are happening in the UK “Food and farming aren’t just about market economics and just getting people calories in their body; it’s got this huge social and cultural dimension to it.

• Baked ham? New marijuana-fed pork from near Seattle won't get you high, but it's rumored to be delicious — and the pigs aren't complaining. "Asked if feeding marijuana affects the pigs, such as perhaps giving them munchies, Gross said can see no effect on the pigs. Already all pigs do is sleep and eat, he said."

• In other pork news, Iowa-based La Quercia has launched its version of the famous Spanish jamón ibérico, Spallacia, made from acorn-fed Tamworth pigs.

• The trend of donut-love carries on with California's answer to NYC's Cronut: the Mochi Donut. They come in flavors such as strawberry shortcake, cafe au lait, double mango and raspberry custard. And if you don't believe that uber-donuts are a full-on craze, the Cronut now has its own black market.

• Artist Ben Frost uses MacDonald's french fry containers as a pop art canvas to explore the relationship between capitalism and pop culture.

• Counterfeit Food More Widespread Than Suspected "Investigators have uncovered thousands of frauds, raising fresh questions about regulatory oversight as criminals offer bargain-hunting shoppers cheap versions of everyday products, including counterfeit chocolate and adulterated olive oil, Jacob’s Creek wine and even Bollinger Champagne. As the horse meat scandal showed, even legitimate companies can be overtaken by the murky world of food fraud."

• Food Entrepreneur Is A New Breed Of Afghan Business Owner  "I'm very optimist for after 2014, because 10 years ago, woman were not able to work outside of home, especially during the Taliban regime. And right now, we can see lots of the women, that they have their own business. And also, we can see lots of change."

• Pretty auaponics: London-based urban farming business growUP have just shared images of their successfully launched shipping container aquaponics farm in the Marlborough playground as part of the Chelsea Fringe, an alt garden festival.

• After a large die-off directly related to spraying, Oregon residents are planning a funeral to memorialize dead bees and advocate for them.

Sing Along Snacks: Sweet Kentucky Ham

It's never too early or too late for a snack, so crank up that volume on your computer.

Rosemary Clooney (perhaps with a little inspiration from the Pork Fairy) sings the Dave Frishberg song Sweet Kentucky Ham live at a jazz festival held on the lawn of the White House, summer of 1993.

"And you're staring at your scrambled eggs and steak

And you must admit your heart's about to break

When you think of what you left behind 

And you've got sweet Kentucky ham on your mind, on your mind

Nothin' but sweet Kentucky ham on your mind"

Friday Faves — notes from the new gastroconomy, No. 69

weekly round-up of our favorite finds from the front lines of food

• "When words just aren't enough, say it with bacon..." urges this jewelry-spoof commercial (above). "All you have to do is listen, and bacon will show you the way."

• NPR gave a little positive attention for the concept of multi-trophic aquaculture, the growing of companion species in the same area for a healthier ecosystem.

• You don't have to eat threatened species to be enabling their trade. The Dutch have said "No" by blocking the transfer of whale meat from Iceland in the Port of Rotterdam. "The State Secretary’s announcement sends a clear message to the whalers that they cannot expect it to be business as usual in Europe. The Netherlands’ initiative to launch a code of conduct could be decisive in closing down Europe to the transfer of carcassess of these endangered majestic creatures."

• Good news: the young folk don't want to eat anonymous junk. The Millenials are spending differently and restaurant chains are trying to woo the younger generation. "Between the proliferation of artisanal food trucks and items like cupcakes made of Valrhona and Callebaut chocolates and topped with a fondant daisy for $2.75 at Georgetown Cupcake, or Fresh Direct’s offering of “heritage” pork from the Flying Pigs Farm in upstate New York, millennials tend to spend their dining dollars sparingly and in a more calculated way."

• France might make industrial cooking establishments call themselves what they are: "In a fight back against a rising tide of boil-in-a-bag meals and other gastronomic horrors, France is to consider a law change that would limit use of the word “restaurant” to establishments that use proper ingredients prepared on the premises."

Friday Faves — notes from the new gastroconomy, No. 60

weekly round-up of our favorite finds from the front lines of food

• These cones were made for walkin: Fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld has created a line of shoes where the heel is decked out with a sparkly ice cream cone (right) or Brazilian plastic footwear brand Melissa. Another great find from fave blog Laughing Squid.

• NPR's On Point featured an interview with New York Congresswoman Louise Slaughter on the problems of antibiotic use in livestock. The shocking out-take: as many people die of antibiotic-resistant superbugs in the US now as die of AIDS.

• And just to prove that it doesn't have to be that way, The New Pork Gospel is a loving profile by Barry Estabrook of Russ Kremer, the pig farmer that inspired Chipotle's commercial in praise of small pork producers.

• Here’s a project in Brazil that takes a different spin on the food truck concept: food trucks that, rather than selling food, are training people how to prepare food and manage their own culinary businesses (and maybe even their own food trucks!)

• The Beastie Boys' Mike D Runs a Free Food Truck in the Rockaway neighborhood of New York City, helping out residents hard-hit by Hurricane Sandy.

• For your weekend reading pleasure, we've found a new favorite food journal find in London-based The Gourmand. And it doesn't hurt that their logo looks a bit like the Pork Fairy.

• We will leave you with a few words of wisdom from Chef Thomas Keller on why it's desire and not passion that make the best cooks. "It’s not about passion. Passion is something that we tend to overemphasize, that we certainly place too much importance on. Passion ebbs and flows. To me, it’s about desire. If you have constant, unwavering desire to be a cook, then you’ll be a great cook...(more)"

Friday Faves — notes from the new gastroconomy, No. 56

 weekly round-up of our favorite finds from the front lines of food

 

• What makes the perfect pig? An Iowa farmer has set out to recreate a rare German breed, as seen in this great New York Times video. His pig won a San Francisco Cochon 555, which the farmer calls "the superbowl of pork." We have to agree.

• NPR looks at how our brains evolved to equate food with love. In primates "sharing food appears to be a way of strengthening the alliance and ensuring future cooperation, he says, not unlike a business lunch."

• A voyeuristic view into strangers' refrigerators. What does your fridge say about you: "For more than four years, photographer Mark Menjivar photographed the contents of strangers' refrigerators for his exhibit "You Are What You Eat," which has traveled to museums and universities across the country. In a short article by Mark Wilson at the Fast Company website, Menjivar said, 'One person likened me asking to photograph their fridge to me asking them to pose nude for the camera.'"

• Steak — the new branded university swag and a grat way to generate revenue after harsh budget cuts. “Schools are looking for new ways to generate revenue, but there is more entrepreneurial thinking in colleges and universities than ever before, too,' said Brian Wansink, a professor of consumer behavior at Cornell and the director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab."

Sing Along Snacks: Gimme A Pigfoot

It's never too early or too late for a snack, so crank up that volume on your computer.

This week we're going way back with the blues and Bessie Smith with her drop-dead 1933 rendition of Gimme A Pigfoot.

"Give the piano player a drink because he's bringin' me down
He's got rhythm, yeah!
When he stomps his feet, he sends me right off to sleep
Check all your razors and your guns
We gonna be rasslin' when the wagon comes
I wanna pigfoot and a bottle of beer
Send me 'cause I don't care
Slay me 'cause I don't care"

Friday Faves — notes from the new gastroconomy, No. 42

weekly round-up of our favorite finds from the front lines of food

 

• A good reminder to think critically, a 1947 ad singing the praises of DDT as a "benefactor of all humanity" in a round-up of the worst products ever advertised.

• Squid — funkier than you thought. Apparently, they're deeply musical, and they can change colors to the beat, as this video shows.

• Noodle-bots, taking over a Chinese noodle stand near you. In the video, you can see them (looking very vintage Lost in Space) shaving noodles right into the pot. Prep cooks everywhere, beware.

• For pointers, and experienced words of caution, listen to the dangerous art of ham-cutting in Spain that covers the how-to's of slicing Iberian ham, which can send some 60,000 Spaniards a year to the emergency room. Maybe a ham-bot is in order.

• Fastcompany profiled 8 Future Farms to Change How We Grow Food, from aquapods to personal indoor urban farms.

• The part of farming that still has a long way to go — labor issues. Introduced with the attention getting headline Your Food Has Already Migrated! a new report "Hungry for Change: Borderlands Food and Water in the Balance—reminds Americans just how much of their entire food supply is dependent upon labor, expertise, ingenuity, seeds, seafood, and water originating in Mexico."

Friday Faves — notes from the new gastroconomy, No. 36

weekly round-up of our favorite finds from the front lines of food

This week we're dedicating ourselves to one of our favorite themes — beer.

• Is it really true that everything good in the universe can be combined into one experience? Rouge Ales is giving it a try with it's new maple, bacon, doughnut beer. 

• First they brought us couches. Then it was meatballs. Now Ikea is in the beer business with the debut of their new dark lager. When they come out with a movie channel, their take over of our living rooms will be complete.

• Las Vegas has a new use for it's most renewable resource — empty beer bottles. 500,000 were crushed and turned into building material.

• From 19th century bound volumes on the best beer to a cache of labels, check out a gallery of beer advertising through the ages.

• We had no idea that London ever fell out of love with beer, but according to the Washington Post, the romance is back on.

Friday Faves — notes from the new gastroconomy, No. 35

weekly round-up of our favorite finds from the front lines of food

• French cows get pre-marinated, drinking up to two bottles of high quality wine every day as farmers attempt to produce the best beef in Europe. The obvious: "It soon became clear that they were 'happy cows' who ended up producing an exceptionally succulent meat."

• In the spirit of pre-marinating, you can watch a clam salt itself in what might be one of the strangest youtube videos ever. (What would a Friday the 13th edition be without something weird?)

• Supply exceeding demand is causing real problems for Maine lobster fishermen. It's a treat for tourists, but record low ex-vessel prices are forcing fishermen up and down the Maine coast to idle their vessels.

• In hospitality, the party is moving up to the roof. New roof top bars in cities across the US are helping hotels maximize dollars earned per square foot of space. "Being able to relax after work with a great cocktail while looking over the city you conquered that day … is something people greatly enjoy."

• A new resource for designing while hungry — Bacon Ipsum, filler text for your meatiest projects.

• The Guardian UK asks, has baconalia gone too far? "Some believe that the internet is mainly a tool for sharing pictures of cats, but a large part of cyberspace is dedicated to an obsession with bacon." The crazy world of baconalia - in pictures.

• Marion Cunningham, the soul of Fanny Farmer and American home cookery champion, died this week at age 90. Russ Parsons of The Los Angeles Times described her as "one part America's grandma, one part culinary godfather."  Kim Severson wrote her New York Times obituary.
  

Friday Faves — notes from the new gastroconomy, No. 32

 weekly round-up of our favorite finds from the front lines of food

• What the Pork Fairy might get as a tattoo, on the cover of Lucky Peach food journal.

• "Driven by a growing awareness that the only thing local in most “local” beers is the water, microbrewers all over the country have begun using regional hops, fruits and honey. Now, many are taking the next logical step and snapping up local grains." Malters Bring Terroir to the Beer Bottle: Mr. Stanley (profiled in the article) "hopes the malt revival can stem the tide of hop-heavy pale ales, enabling craft brewers to focus on malt’s sweet, rich character and, in turn, open up a new kind of terroir for American craft brewers to explore."

• Terroir aside, the future of farming may be up in the air. Microbiologist Dickson Despommier talks about the concept of skyscraper farming. (audio clip) With increasing problems of soil pollution in China especially, many people worldwide may have no other choice.

• June 11 was World Day Against Child Labor. Consider The Children in Our Fields and The food movement’s final frontier: Taking care of workers

• Put you money in bottles? French funds turn to wine as safe-haven investments. "Numerous studies have shown that great wines have, since 1950, consistently outperformed financial markets."

• AgLocal wants you to have meat from small-scale farms, accessible by smartphone. KC-based Startup Takes Aim at Meat Distribution Paradigm

• It's Pastured Poulty Week in Atlanta and Athens, Georgia with over 30 chefs serving pastured birds to introduce them to the public. Chefs explain, that means new education for both customers and staff: “A few years ago we were able to get a very small supply from a gentleman in South Georgia, and when we would serve it, people would say things like it, ‘It’s too flavorful’ — which was funny to me, because, you know, this is what chicken actually tastes like. It made us realize that,  if we were going to change people’s minds about the product, we would have to do it with some education attached.”

• The Guardian asks: Should we be eating more goat? "When goats are bred for dairy farming, the billies are killed at birth. Why not rear them free-range for meat instead? Says one farmer: "The idea of treating my billies as a waste product doesn't sit comfortably."

• For those who want to eat less meat, or none at all, there may be better options in the future. Twitter cofounders Evan Williams and Biz Stone are investing in a vegan meat company called Beyond Meat.

Bacon — a Jim Gaffigan homage

"Bits of bacon are like the fairy dust of the food community."

Of course they are. What else would the Pork Fairy sprinkle? "Bippity, boppity, bacon," as the man says.

Sing Along Snacks: Pineapple Princess

It's never too early or too late for a snack, so crank up that volume on your computer.

Annette Funicello sings of summer love in Pineapple Princess.

"Pineapple princess, he calls me pineapple princess all day as he plays his ukulele on the hill above the bay"

Now if we could just introduce the Pinapple Princess to the Pork Fairy...

Friday Faves — notes from the new gastroconomy, No. 29

a weekly round-up of our favorite finds from the front lines of food

• A tradition that's seen better days, the NewYork City seltzer man. Walter Backerman, third generation in the trade, tells us how it is. Vintage seltzer bottles (right) are still in use and get filled at the Gomberg Seltzer Works in Canarsie, the last seltzer factory in the city. Take a video peak into a forgotten world. "I offer people an option. It's called stability. Sometimes old is better. There are things that were meant to last."

• The latest, and super-flashy, urban garden accessory — a roof-top geodesic dome with aquaponics system.

• Wasting food does more than just waste money. A new study from Edinburgh University says: Wasted Milk Pollutes As Much As 20,000 Cars.

• An old-time brew is making a comeback in Vermont — maple sap beer.

• What customers are wondering when they book hotels — how close is the nearest specialty grocery store? Opportunity alert for hotels — healthy take away options.

• Pork Fairy Quiz: Test your sausage knowledge. And you can expand your charcuterie knowledge with a photo gallery of sausage of the world and a loving tribute to the one of the world's favorite comfort food.

Friday Faves — notes from the new gastroconomy, No. 25

a weekly round-up of our favorite finds from the front lines of food

• Hey there, Comrade Farmer, the Pork Fairy, courtesy of Soviet propaganda.

• SloPig takes the drama of heritage pork to the screen with a silent movie — heroes, villains, pigs and a damsel in distress.

• It's Farm Bill time, and time to get active. The Senate is proposing a 50% cut to the most important young farmer training program in the nation. Put in your two cents.

• Why we should love natural wines, and what all the fuss against them is about: "The real problem is the new popularity of natural wines. As long as they were fringe, they posed no threat. Now they are driving a growing market sector..."

• What artists have known for centuries, now even business magazines are getting in on: "New psychological research shows that mild intoxication can actually boost creative problem solving." Cheers!

• One for our giant step forward into the past — in 1915 there was a four acre school garden in the Bronx.

• Taco USA, NPR's On Point took a look at the evolution of Mexican food in America.

Friday Faves — notes from the new gastroconomy, No. 24

a weekly round-up of our favorite finds from the front lines of food

 

• Snack as an art form (above) with the Mona Lisa in plum.

• Food styling bolsters its design cred as the trend for pantone cooking continues to a lovely cabbage soup, Pantone 268 C.

• Camel milk chocolates and lattes — a traditional food finds new opportunities in modern tastes in Dubai with video of dairy camels (you saw it here first).

• Is it possible for bacon to jump the shark? A new bacon reality show just might do it. And Burger King has debuted a bacon sundae.

• It's time to talk about the Farm Bill again. "The second half of April could determine whether or not we’ll have government support for sustainable farm and food programs for the next five years."

• Chinese consumers are spreading their love of wine to regions around the world and could help boost new tastes. "Crucially, they are adventurous consumers open to wines from various countries and regions with new styles and flavours"

• From the land of gadgets comes a new Japanese creation, SushiBots — that's robots that make sushi.

Spring Bounty: A Bevy of Scotch Eggs

Scotch Eggs (from left) vegetarian, smoked salmon, merguez & pork sausage

Spring is upon us.  The days are getting longer, the sun getting warmer and the garden is getting weedier by the day.  But as the soil warms and the flowers poke their colorful heads up out of the ground, I start fielding questions from family and friends alike, “When are you going to make brunch?” 

Some people plan their garden, and some plan their brunch menus. I already know that this year I will be growing green beans and okra, both of which will be pickled and served up in the brunch-time Bloody Marys and the pineapple sage and boxwood basil will find it’s way into other fun libations. But to eat, I wanted to try my hand at Scotch Eggs.

Meatless Scotch Eggs, with mushroom and artichoke.

Scotch eggs are fun to make and, once you have the technique down, you can try all kinds of flavors. To kick off the Scotch Egg escapades, I tried out four difference outer layers: classic pork sausage, lamb merguez sausage, smoked salmon and a vegetarian option, artichoke and mushroom.

The trick, especially when going outside the classic sausage outer layer, is getting the consistency right. For example, most fresh Italian style sausage can be used directly cut out of it’s casings, but for merguez, which often has a drier texture, you may have to add just enough beaten egg so that it sticks together and binds to the egg and itself. For the smoked salmon “mixture” I ground smoked salmon trimmings in a food processor with egg, fresh ground pepper and some panko bread crumbs. When I had a “sausage-like” consistency, I stirred in some chopped spinach. For the vegetarian option, I gently sautéed artichoke hearts with chopped button mushrooms and then ground them up with enough egg and panko until the consistency was “sausage or stuffing-like.” 

After coating each peeled, hard-boiled egg in it’s outer layer mixture, each egg was dipped in beaten egg, then rolled in panko bread crumbs and they were ready for the fryer. I kept the fryer on medium heat and fried each egg one at a time. Truth be told, they were pretty large so I didn’t want to jeopardize their shape or make my fryer over-flow. Just a couple minutes, gently turning the egg until they are cooked throughout, then gently scooped out to rest and cool on a bed of paper towels.

Traditional Scotch Egg, Pork Fairy approved.

Golden brown and a perfect blend of the crispy panko coating and the tender inner egg, a perfect set of Scotch Eggs!

I’ll be taking a set of these eggs to Easter Brunch to share with friends. For those guests who don’t eat pork, there are the merguez, salmon or vegetarian eggs. But, we all know which Penelope the Pork Fairy’s favorite will be!

Friday Faves — notes from the new gastroconomy, No. 23

a weekly round-up of our favorite finds from the front lines of food

• Chocolate magic (right) is an Alice in Wonderland take on sweets.

• With Easter coming up, we have eggs on the brain. The continuing popularity of the urban chicken trend and other city farm pursuits has prompted a new agrarian product line from Williams-Sonoma that includes stylish chicken coops, as well as DIY cheese kits and shitake mushroom-growing logs.

• Backyard chickens have resulted in an egg surplus for some: "When the whole coop starts laying, she said, the supply of eggs quickly turns into an “I Love Lucy”-style conveyor belt scene, bringing absurd, unmanageable excess." Quiche, custards and meringue — oh my!

• Not only can you eat eggs, but you can turn their shells into works of art.

• And not only can you eat marshmallow Peeps, you can turn them into art. Curious about where these crazy Easter icons come from? Take a peak behind the marshmallow curtain.

• A Pork Fairy approved app for iPad that walks cooks through making bacon, pancetta and more: The Better Bacon Book.

• Good coverage on the "Eat it to Save it" argument for conservation: "Are we willing to make complex and multi-layered choices to respectfully protect something so it continues to survive and even thrive?"

• Daredevil eating in Tokyo will get even more exciting as regulations on who can serve fugu ease. "I don't want people to forget that you can actually die from eating blowfish...I feel the government's awareness of this has diminished."

Friday Faves — notes from the new gastroconomy, No. 22

a weekly round-up of our favorite finds from the front lines of food

• Too pretty to eat, pantone tarts by Emilie Guelpa.

• Mountain-city-saliva-chicken anyone? There's a new campaign in China to make menu translations less literal (and less gross).

• Pesticides and the fate of the honey bee: Three new studies link bee decline to Bayer Pesticide. Their products are used on corn, soy and more.

• Those crazy cephalopods, one minute you see them, the next minute they've turned into something else... rare footage of the mimic octopus.

• An Atlantic vintage? A Pacific vintage? "You can think of the world’s oceans as a kind of rich broth. They’re full of salt, of course, but they also contain other ingredients, many of them vital to marine life and to the processes that control the Earth’s climate." Not strictly a food story, but we appreciated the metaphor.

• One more story from the deep: Unlocking Seaweed’s Next-Gen Crude — Sugar (although intended more for cars and fertilizer than doughnuts).

• Feeling nostalgic for one of our favorite culinary innovators, we happened on this Swedish Chef collection. Bork! Bork! Bork!

• Usually, we go looking for the bizarre. Occasionally, it shows up in our mailbox, like this promotion for a bacon coffin. "We think that your final resting place deserves the eternal glory that is bacon." And Penelope the Pork Fairy says, "Amen."

Friday Faves — notes from the new gastroconomy, No. 18

a weekly round-up of our favorite finds from the front lines of food

• Where product creativity goes bad, from bacon mints (above) to pickle juice pops and "perky jerky."

• Fashion, food and entertainment continue to cross-pollinate as legendary Parisian patisserie Ladurée starts a cosmetics line and the legendary and the until now fictional Duff beer of The Simpsons becomes a reality. 

• If you thought bacon and mint sounded weird, how about champagne and graffiti for a real high-low mash up. Moët & Chandon has teamed up with graffiti artist André for a limited edition "Tag your love" packaging for its Rosé Impérial champagne. (video at bottom of the page is priceless)

• Kids playing with their food is getting more sophisticated with an animated introduction to Michael Pollan's Food Rules.

• The latest farmer-chef collaboration getting some buzz — bespoke syrups.

• Food trucks are for retailers too. The San Francisco craft butcher shop Avendano's has started Avendano's Meat Wagon: "The truck project was really so we could reach a larger audience and meet people who are new to the concept of getting whole animals and breaking them down."

• Offal poetry: Who knew that Robert Frost put his interactions with sweetbreads into verse:

"You drive me to confess in ink:
Once I was fool enough to think
That brains and sweetbreads were the same,
Till I was caught and put to shame,
First by a butcher, then a cook,
Then by a scientific book.
But 'twas by making sweetbreads do
I passed with such a high I.Q."