This is for the meat lovers in the place. Well, not just any meat lover- we’ve narrowed it down to lovers of a specific kind. Quite honestly, it’s for all food lovers who can connect with how great food makes you feel. How great food makes you smile at the mere thought – that very cheesy smile with all your teeth on full display. How great food makes you reminisce about the last time you had great food – and who you had it with.
I wrote this piece over a decade ago – in fact 2020 makes 14 years since I sat down to pen my love of brown stew beef. I was about 21-ish and clearly not too busy to explore, and document, my love of food. Reading the piece now, it feels silly but in many ways the sentiments are still so valid and relevant. I’m grateful for this memory, since someday I imagine I will give up my meat eating habits for a predominantly plant based lifestyle.
Before we dive in, let me just say – This is a fun piece! The work shared in this space/on this site can get heavy, this isn’t one of those heavy pieces. Like me, this space reflects the complex and simply, serious and fun, the rugged and delicate; as is true for life itself. Enjoy.
Mi Amor – An Ode to Oxtail
Mi amor is not arroz y con pollo
Nah, not even un pequeno
It runs much deeper in my bones, my culture, my soul
It’s not cook-up rice, although that’s good too
Not even paella comes close to the passion I have for mi amor
Brown stew chicken has tried, and curry goat too
But all have failed because they have been subdued by the succulent taste; the rich chocolate brown pierced by caramel-colored bones.
Oh! The thought of it getting caught in my back tooth excites me – only to be later released (while relaxing) and a new deja vu experience re-occurs in my mouth.
I would indulge every day, but the fear of diabetes, high cholesterol and possible cardiac arrest keeps me at bay.
But on a cozy Sunday afternoon, when all the people who matter are around, and children sigh because they’ve had enough food.
A couple of hours before I make my “Sunday evening calls” – you know …to people you haven’t seen/spoken to/emailed in far too long.
I sit and indulge in every last scrumptious bite of this remarkable dish know to the common man as oxtails….
But for the privileged few with an appreciation for the finer things in life. I’ve coined the term “perfection on a plate.”
-12/8/2006 @ 12:20pm
I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. As a self described food connoisseur (with a chef for a mother), great food brings me joy; to experience it, write about it, and most importantly to share the experience with others.
P.S I hope my Spanish-speaking friends haven’t judged my Espanol too harshly. Until next time. Walk gud’
K.H.