Where’s the beef? It is here. My sister-in-law went far beyond the usual ham for a meaty holiday dinner.
But no ham? Or even turkey? But one then two then three meals, so wait … As its now been 40 days. But this would not be vegan.
Over the course of The Most Recent Major Holiday Gathering, and it is not Valentine’s or St. Patrick’s Day, there was every kind of fish or other fowl, filleted, big-bodied or small, or cow- or pig-based meat you could imagine, from all parts of the animal(s), and I think even hind-quarters and butt-steak are great. Ham was in hock. You just had to wait patiently, like a child putting their hyperness on hold while waiting for presents, which just might need to include Adderal, a 90-day supply from the pharmacist so to last until an early Easter, barely, depending on how you weigh New Year’s, with possibly more sugar-based candy. Like was abundant on all fronts, even by the TV stand, not standing alone.
(But what does stand alone, sorta but related as you will see, for food as we speak and you may need some added tips after or if you went to a Seder meal, these days appropriate, is Easter does a take with lefse and hummus, and brings in Tex-Mex. See the Picks Of The Week department.)
– The last storm, possibly, in its second part, of the seasonal slideoff of bar traffic left Minnesconsinites stranded — at home. On Sunday night, the north end in particular was a no-show, as Mallory’s said on its door, “closed due to the #@*&%$#& weather,” and the newly falling from favor Moose had its doors shut before 11:30 p.m. It was almost as much of a ghost town to the south, but at least Hudson Tap had one person playing pinball, two people at the bar-rail, three playing darts and a gang of four came in around midnight.
At Dick’s there about that many total people in attendance, but at least a few cars on the side-street, and before 1 a.m. a kinder-gentler mosh pit broke out via a new arrival to the dire darts diving area. The previous night, at the height of the snowstorm, only Dick’s and The Tap were open for business, their bartenders said. –
Back on the main topic, at least one beef and/or pork dish was even topped with bacon, so another pig offered its life, using a name brand — in what was an accompaniment and not just in The Eve church services, as she freely offered meat topping and the like over other meat — so cutting full strips and not just bits, and not just on the side. Double your pleasure. Meat that was manly, along the lines of prime rib, or at least prime pork, was included beneath it that I’m sure was braised, or you could also say marinated. But herring showed, her signature, if not salmon. Garnishes too, and maybe a few slices/nuggets of fruit and not just apples and oranges on it? And there were at least three types of it, “plain,” offered with each meal maybe with carmel topping, if again apples, as the holidays wore on.
(A black buddy of mine was just getting off his retail store shift, working for The Man until 5 p.m. He was calling home to the missus, when I approached his counter, saying that he was just yearning for her trademark scalloped potatoes with her trademark thick-cut bacon added, (he motioned with his fingers). But she was at church, doing the choir rehearsal thing for the upcoming Easter and its full religious season. So it would have to be Wendy’s and whatever mash-up of such type of grub they had. He seemed OK with it. But the upshot of this tangent? My sister-in-law offered all of the above, if I remember right, but woulda been minus Wendy’s and there beef, at her main meal of many, over the last (full) holiday of 2023.)
So on Christmas Eve, the first day, served up was the first dish from a four-legged animal, probably locally raised in our state known for such in its farming, and including beef. It was again, not the usual holiday grub. More creative in its ingredients. And thank God no lefse (that’s for another post) or lutefisk. I think we went tenderloin over sirloin.
But there was also a “snack” later that night, and it went beyond Christmas cookies and related candy, gotta love chocolate covered cherries, although there was that too. More meat, although the individual chunks were closer to bite-size. (See below as such a possibility.) I recall that some of it was even served on a stick. Sauced small party weenies? Coulda been half a hot dog.
And on Christmas Day, when back again for a third trip, and not needing a buffet line, there was more killer calories protein. This completed, so to speak, the whole enchilada. But not too spicy, or with the roast beast too rare, for the oldsters. And now, at last, ham even showed up, aplenty! I’d been wondering if that would, eventually, come along, from the get-go. All that was vetoed was veal.
From the start of the two-day-or-more celebration, everything you could possibly expect was there, except maybe there was veggie offering in absense, so not to pay total homage to that one of the many main food groups. For some reason I was fully assuming I would see green beans and silver almond slivers, or can of corn, Old School farm term with varied meanings. But there was a reason, as the 25th wound down, to keep the same number uniform …
More meat. And room for it on the dining room table, or countertop that was the abyss between the main eating or cooking areas. And that staple can of corn, and other veggies, reigned king.
And now a meatball joke, and not from the movie. My brother in high school got really sick after a holiday-time night of … you know. But he blamed it on consuming way too many of mom’s heavy-on-sauce-and-brown-sugar-cinammon BBQ meatballs. We still don’t know if mom ever figured it out, or maybe just played it coy — for years. Buy now I guess I’m outing him.