Auburn Gal Always

You think you know someone.

And then BAM!!!

You get blind-sided with the news that you didn’t really know them at all. They’ve been telling you things to keep from hurting your feelings. For years this has been going on.

14 years of marriage.

14 seemingly pretty happy years.

Yea, we fuss. We disagree. We lose our tempers. We yell about crap. But I always thought there was this foundation of mutual admiration and trust.

Trust.

Well, as my mother would say, “that’s shot all to hell and back.”

You see, I’ve have a few recipes that are his favorites. One particular meal is made for “special occasions”. I had thought for years that it was his top-shelf favorite.

Nope.

It seems that “all year long” he craves – yearns for – only one very simple meal.

The Southern traditional New Year’s Day dishes.

Black eyed peas and hog’s jawl.

Now, I understand that it is possible that in some regions of the country – even world – that one might not be familiar with the hog’s jawl part of this meal. It’s really nothing special or exotic. It’s the very fatty meat from – yup – the hog’s jaw. It tastes a lot like bacon – only chewier. And just like bacon, it is usually smoked before packaged for retail sale. You cook it the same way as bacon, in its own fat.

Drain it on a paper towel before eating to reduce the incredible greasiness of it.

Whatever brand I bought this year tasted better to me than previous years. Stinkerbell enjoyed it. The Mighty Hunter enjoyed it very much but wished I had bought the same brand as previous years – he prefers the tougher chewier cut.

Anyway, we ate our black eyed peas and hog’s jawl for wealth and health in 2007.

And I realized that The Mighty Hunter would rather I open a can of black eyed peas and cook some jerky-like version of bacon than cook my “famous chicken and Alfredo sauce.”

I’m disappointed and disillusioned.

I’ll get over it.

And he’ll have to wait till 2008 to get his hog’s jawl again.

Look out, Mighty Hunter, Weight Watchers is moving back in our house!