[Sca-cooks] tongue and almonds -- a marzipan tongue?

[Chip]

Warning:  Rant ahead.

Is it IMPOSSIBLE to find beef tongues?  Every single store and butcher
I have called say they don't carry beef tongues, can't order beef
tongues, and say they're illegal -- a so-called "questionable" meat.

If I can buy pig intestines aka chitterlings aka chitlins aka offal,
what could be so questionable about a tongue?

Is this USDA policy?  The feel I'm getting is that it's a recent
change.  I know beef tongues are not being wasted at slaughter and I
have no doubt they find their way into Potted Meat Food Product or
Treet Lite or worse yet, dog food.

I wonder if I can still get tripe for menudo?  Or pigs' feet?  Wanna
talk about questionable?  We all know what pigs walk in!

Now there's no way I'll find ten tongues by the 19th.  Expletive!
Luckily, it was not a "main" dish, just an interesting aside.  Less
flair to my feast now.

Speaking of flair -- I also can't seem to find any almonds.  Pecans
and walnuts out the wazoo (correct usage? :), though.  I had wanted to
try those amazing marzipan roses.  Olwen, kind soul, do you know where
I can get a large can of that almond paste you spoke of?

Every year, I say I'm gonna start planning earlier.  Do I listen to
me? Nooooooo.


I'm reminded of a scene in Labyrinth between Sarah and Jareth:
"That's not fair!"
"You say that so often, I wonder what your basis for comparison is?"
_____________________________________________________________________
Iyad ibn Bisharo / Thráinn Tjúguskegg
Easaraigh, Meridies   www.easaraigh.org
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