CB3: Pigheaded?

Interesting bit from Eater's coverage of  NY licensing hearings: 

The Beagle was present, seeking the old Orologio space on 162 Avenue A (the owner of Orologio was there in support). There was a lot of back and forth on this one. <snip>  The community members complained about pigs head, foie gras and animal rights. A committee member then gave a dramatic speech about being a vegetarian, not caring what others eat and that this is an application for a transfer, and why shouldn't they support local business?

These community board members in general seem to be full of people who moved to the LES for the peace and quiet, which is to say people who are misinformed. And they seem to be just about as clueless about food. Foie as wedge issue for anti-meat activists is old news here at the Cod, but the pig's head pushback is new, and even stupider. Every pig has a head. You can't get tenderloins or pork bellies without them. Making any kind of an ethical argument against serving a particular part of an animal is extraordinarily dimwitted. It's been all Chang Chang Chang goes the trolley today here, but his spiel on the pig's head torchon expresses this idea elegantly. I don't keep a copy in the office, but basically, he points out that if you are eating animals, making the most out of each animal you kill to eat is the right thing to do. It might be overstating the case to say it is respecting the animal to do so, but if you are buying the eating things with faces ticket, you better be willing to take the eating faces ticket. If, alternatively you don't think humans should kill to eat, the distinction between a pig's head and a pork chop is entirely specious and dishonest. 

Comments

[Marco]

I agree with you on the face ticket thing. Though I am not a big fan of head cheese, brains, sweetbreads, huevos del toro or offal and probably never will be. But I have no problem with people who eat every part of the beast.

[Fatty Liver Treatment]

The way I see it is if the animal has to be killed for us to eat ANY part of it, then why not make the most of it and use every body part possible so nothing is wasted?

DJ