I discovered today that corned beef really does have a heart. One of my favourite meals recently has been corned beef hash. I used to make this years ago when I was poor and corned beef was CHEAP. A tin of economy corned beef, couple of spuds, a can of baked beans, optional onion & cheese, you're looking at about 50p (back in the late 80s/early 90s) for a hearty, comfort-food meal that will easily serve 4 people.
As the price of corned beef went up, and my income improved, I started moving away from economy and processed products, gradually adding in more fresh and natural foods. Thus, by the mid-1990s, corned beef hash had been firmly relagated to my past.
On a recent economy-drive, I've been reading the "Old Style" board on Martin Lewis' Money Saving Expert site. Picking up some new, cheap recipe ideas, I came across a mention of "corned beef hash", and my taste buds were instantly transported 20 years back in time. So I decided to make it for me and my husband for a change. He LOVED it, so that became a once-fortnightly event.
I made it again today. I had nom-nommed my way through about a quarter of it before I noticed a strange pale pink tube. I poked it a couple of times with my fork, wondering why this 'bit of onion' looked strange and felt rubbery....then it dawned on me. It was an artery. It was a big ol' heart artery thing, and it was on my plate, in MY DINNER.
I poked the tube a couple more times before relagating my dinner to the bin.
Now I KNOW what goes into processed foods, I KNOW what goes into corned beef, sausages, chicken nuggets and the like, I just don't want to SEE it. If I wanted to eat a cow's heart I would BUY one, then cook and eat it. Like when I make liver pate - I buy pigs liver to make my own liver pate. But when a tin says 'corned beef' you don't expect to find un-'corned' artieries in it.
Oh well. It was prolly fattening, anyway.
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