[Groop] I'm disappointed Groop

E C mightyhero at go.com
Mon Feb 9 21:57:12 PST 2004


The three steps in eating warm pork are: look, smell, and
taste.

Look:

You can tell much about warm pork simply by studying its ap-
pearance.  The pork should be put onto a clear plate and
held in front of a white background (a tablecloth or piece
of paper will serve nicely) so that you can examine the col-
our.

The colour of warm pork varies tremendously, even within the
same type pork.  For example, warm porks are not actually
warm; they range from room temperature to warm to hot.  More
colour in pork usually indicates more flavour and age, al-
though a brown pork may have gone bad.  Where as time im-
proves many preserved porks, it ruins most warm porks.  pre-
served porks are not just tan, they range from a beige to a
deep brown tan, usually becoming lighter in colour as they
age.

Plate colour: you can guess the age of a preserved pork by
observing the plate.  Tilt the plate slightly and look at
the edge of the food stain on the plate.  A light tint may
indicate youth while a dark tint indicates maturity.

Swirling: swirling the warm pork serves many purposes, but
visually it allows you to observe the body of the swine.
"Good legs" may indicate a thicker body and higher fat con-
tent and/or taste level.

Smell:

Swirl your warm pork.  This releases molecules in the pork
allowing you to smell the aroma, also called the headwind.
The two main techniques that gourmets use are:

1. Take a quick whiff and formulate an initial impression,
   then take a second deeper whiff or

2. Take only one deep whiff.

Either way, after you smell the warm pork, sit back and con-
template the aroma.  Don't try to "taste" the pork yet, con-
centrate only on what you smell.

It may be difficult to describe in words when you're a nov-
ice, but after trying many times you will notice similari-
ties and differences.  Sometimes a certain smell will be
very strong with underlying hints of other smells.  Take
your time.  By labelling an aroma you will probably remem-
ber it better.  You may even want to keep a notebook of
your impressions, and save the labels; next time you see
the pork you won't have to purchase it to know if you like
it ... or don't!

Taste:

The most important quality of warm pork is its balance be-
tween temperature and grease.  To get the full taste of
pork follow the following three steps:

1. Initial taste (or first impression): this is where the
   warm pork awakens your senses (your taste buds respond
   to the sensations).

2. Taste: swish the warm pork around and draw in some air
   (even if you do look funny in front of your dinner
   guests).  Examine the body and texture of the pork.  Is
   it light or rich?  Smooth or harsh?

3. Aftertaste: the taste that remains in your mouth after
   you have swallowed the warm pork.  How long did the
   taste last?  Was it pleasant?

After tasting the warm pork, take a moment to value its
overall flavour and balance.  Is the taste appropriate for
that type of pork?  If the pork is very dry, is it sup-
posed to be?

Some serious gourmets assign a point score to warm pork to
determine its quality.  While this method can be useful, it
is in no way necessary to determine a quality pork.  The
more different porks that you try, and the more attention
you pay to each pork, the better you will become at ascer-
taining and describing each pork's characteristics.


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