Yesterday morning I woke up at 4.30 and headed over to Kevin´s house, a fellow env. ed. volunteer who lives just down the street. He had told me earlier in the week that his family was planning on slaughtering their chancho (pig). I thought that it would be an experience to watch, and it definitely was. His host dad works nights, so he was still sleeping when we got there. While we were waiting we helped cut vegetables to put in the morcela (blood sausage) that they would make that afternoon. There was a huge mass of cow intestine lining already strung up to dry. His family served us mate (hot tea) and coffee to help us get ready.
Around six his dad and a neighbor brought the pig out and strung it up by it´s feet. They then hosed it down. I had a reeeallly hard time watching the actual deed because the pig was crying. Once they cut its throat they bled it into a bucket so they could use the blood to make the morcela. After the pig was completely dead they layed it on a table and began taking off all of the hair. They did this by pouring boiling water on the skin and then using only a spoon to scrape off the hair. I tried to do it, but it was really hard. Kevin has some pictures of this, so I will try to steal them from him when he posts them. We had to go to class after that, so I didn´t get to see more of the process which was good and bad.
During lunch Kevin got to help make a bunch of the sausage. His family invited me over for dinner to eat some of the chancho. A couple other volunteers and I went, but it was definitely hard to eat. I couldn´t do the blood sausage, but I ate a bit of chincharron (fried and pig fat) and sausage. I think I´ve already eaten the blood sausage with my fam but didn´t know what it was. I liked being ignorant. So, that was my first real experience with seeing a pig killed! I don´t know if I will ever be ready to do it myself though.
This weekend I am going about an hour and a half away to spend the weekend with a current env. ed. volunteer. It will be nice to see the job in action! I hope everyone is doing well!
Around six his dad and a neighbor brought the pig out and strung it up by it´s feet. They then hosed it down. I had a reeeallly hard time watching the actual deed because the pig was crying. Once they cut its throat they bled it into a bucket so they could use the blood to make the morcela. After the pig was completely dead they layed it on a table and began taking off all of the hair. They did this by pouring boiling water on the skin and then using only a spoon to scrape off the hair. I tried to do it, but it was really hard. Kevin has some pictures of this, so I will try to steal them from him when he posts them. We had to go to class after that, so I didn´t get to see more of the process which was good and bad.
During lunch Kevin got to help make a bunch of the sausage. His family invited me over for dinner to eat some of the chancho. A couple other volunteers and I went, but it was definitely hard to eat. I couldn´t do the blood sausage, but I ate a bit of chincharron (fried and pig fat) and sausage. I think I´ve already eaten the blood sausage with my fam but didn´t know what it was. I liked being ignorant. So, that was my first real experience with seeing a pig killed! I don´t know if I will ever be ready to do it myself though.
This weekend I am going about an hour and a half away to spend the weekend with a current env. ed. volunteer. It will be nice to see the job in action! I hope everyone is doing well!
3 comments:
Sarah, your Papaw would be very proud of you for braving it through the slaughter of the "chancho!" I enjoyed reading this account very much. Love, DAd
Sarah, We've been following along in your blog ever since you left. Finally getting a comment sent back to ya! Thanks for giving us a glimpse into your new world! We know we wouldn't have gotten as far as you did in the slaughtering of the chancho. And we were hungry before we started reading that account..... We trust your language studies and learning details about your job all going well. We are all fine and enjoying a colorful autumn. Feliz Halloween!
Deb & Robin Helmuth
He certainly would.
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