Thursday, February 17, 2011

Hegel and the chicken...

There is something deeply philosophical about having your hand up a chicken's bum. Well, gut cavity anyway. No really. You should try this. Hegel I am sure reached many of his longer insights in this manner. (Hegelian philosophy may not be immortal, but the sentences (which can be a whole page long in the original German...) are close to eternal. Or at least very long.

My day (as you may gather) was interruped by a meaningful period of chicken introspection. Well, drawing and plucking. They asked me if I was able to do any arts and crafts things for the conference in Melbourne, music painting etc. - I said plucking and drawing... We were given two chickens (supposedly young roosters but one was a hen) that needed to go but the owners didn't want to kill themselves. I understand this, but quick clean killing is a part of being prepared to eat animals as far as I am concerned. So I did the deed, and wondered just what it is about my wife that makes headless zombie chickens chase her? I stand still, and they go elsewhere. She is persued by them. I just get to think about life and death and whether any other fantasy writers actually have any idea what goes into turning a chicken into dinner (or a sacrifice in some horror story) while carefully removing the inside bits without damaging the gut.

Anyway, we are getting better and faster. And young fowl are definitely easier.

I made our pita and 'roo (layer of greens, layer of tomato and fresh basil and olives, thin slices of grilled wallaby, and a healthy douse of salsa verde in a home made pita) for our tea. I really need to get a better recipe for those. And then I'd made trifle for dessert as we had some cake in the freezer and it was getting dessicated. It was yum, but such a rare treat that am now overdosed with cream.

6 comments:

  1. Are you using tomatillo's for the Verde? Cilantro? How do you keep your 'maters from going soft keeping them in the frig?

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  2. I used to love the zombie chickens as a child. In fact, we'd head to the wood-heap every time Dad headed that way with a chook in his hand...

    Horrible little kids we were. And yes, I can clean a chook and not break the guts or the gall bladder...but it's been a few years now.

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  3. Sorry to be the bringer of bad news, but have you clicked on the "Save the Dragons" link recently? Seems like someone else took over the domain.

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  4. Grmble - I must just take Save the Dragons link down - the book is sitting with Baen for now.

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  5. Glenda I should imagine Elizabeth Moon and a few others also know how to. But the vast majority of our peers? nope :-)

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  6. Quilly - Italian style Salsa verde, rather than spanish/mexican. Garlic, mint and parsley, a gerkin, salt, lemon juice olive oil. My Tomatillo -lots of flowers no fruit yet.

    Only cooking tomatoes make it into the fridge :-) so going soft is not an issue. Eating ones come off the bush.

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