SC - meat

[LrdRas@aol.com]

snowfire at sprynet.com wrote:
> 
> Where's the shop and do they have Bowyers Sausages?  They don't make good
> sausages in this country (moan, moan) - they are all full of gristle! :(

I'm amazed. Simply amazed. We'll just have to chalk this up to
transAtlantic comparative anthropology. In the 33 years or so I've been
making a fairly serious study of food and related topics, you are the
first person I've heard who ever even thought of suggesting any British
sausage product was in any way superior to even the worst American
equivalent. Ham and bacon, I could see arguments in favor of British
products. I might not agree, but I'd concede such arguments could exist.
Sausages, no. 

I've had many an imported banger, and they invariably resemble
nutmeg-flavored, extruded modelling clay. Except the clay has somewhat
more flavor. American-made, British style bangers are marginally better,
in that they contain meat instead of rusk, but still nothing to write
home about. I will admit that there are some lower-quality American
sausage products (speaking of the terrifying meat industry) that appear
to have been made from badly-trimmed, gristly meat, apparently on the
theory that when you grind gristle, no one will notice it. Obviously,
though, people do.

I will admit that I've never found any noticable gristle in a banger,
but I believe my failure to find any has more to do with the incredibly
homogeneous pureeing of the filling than any lack of cartilage and
elastin in the meat mixture. 

I'm sorry about this; I didn't mean to be rude...I hate gristly sausages
too, but you caught me completely off guard for a bit there. Possibly
someone in your area could recommend a higher-quality brand or a more
reputable shop to get decent sausage? I'll also concede that taste is a
matter of, well, taste, and when you need something that tastes like
home, very little else will do, especially when gristly.

I'm fairly fond of British back and white puddings, though...

Adamantius
Crown Province of Østgardr, East Kingdom

Argent, an owl displayed guardant sable, between three pheons inverted
gules, all within a bordure sable. 
- -- 
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com
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