Talk about confusing. In the world of natural, real food lovers, pork is a contentious subject! On one side, you’ve got people zealously arguing against pork because it’s not kosher or halal, and surely God had a reason for withholding it from His people. They cite a few studies that demonstrate that eating pork causes adverse reactions in the body, and the arguments aren’t without merit. On the other hand, you’ve got traditional cultures like the long-lived Okinawans for whom pork is a dietary mainstay — providing meat and cooking fat. And, of course, there’s the weight of the European agricultural heritage, where every home and small farm had a pig because pigs could do miracles — turn waste into fertilizer for gardens and food for us.
An Ode to Pork
Consider this a pork appreciation post. If you’re like me, you’re tired of hearing about how pigs are unsafe to eat, “unclean,” or otherwise “unhealthy.” While it is true that some religious traditions decry pork, it’s also true that pork is the dietary mainstay of a lot of Asia and Europe. That’s because pigs do miracles.