Please support the pork

I feel bad for the pig farmers. This whole "swine flu" thing has been hard on their already struggling industry. We are not supposed to call it swine flu anymore - it is now known as H1N1.

I heard this morning that China has halted the import of Canadian pork products into their country, even though there is no evidence that you can get the flu from eating pork. I didn't even realize we exported pork to China.

Some of our clients where I work are pig farmers/pig veterinarians. They have company names like "PigPharm" and "Swine Services Group". I kid you not! Funny names aside, they do have very stringent safety regulations. Our technicians have to shower before entering AND after leaving a barn to ensure that they are not causing any cross-contamination.

This is a big pork producing area, and I feel it is my patriotic duty to support the pig farmers in their time of need by consuming more pork products *grin*. (This despite the fact we are unable to produce a decent breakfast sausage around here. Why, oh why can't we have Jimmy Dean? It is a mystery.)

My family loves pork products of all kinds. Mmmm... pork chops, rolled ribs, schnitzel. Consider the triumvirate of bacon, ham & sausage. What would breakfast be without some sort of pork product?

I overheard Kirk tell Hope the other day, "I love you more than anything. Even bacon." What a romantic!

Around here we even eat pork hocks and pig tails. My mom makes wicked good pigtails. I'm not sure I would eat pig's feet though. I once saw a jar of pickled pig's feet. That was in South Carolina. I guess they are popular down there. Not so much here.

I also can't do pork rinds. Ewww.

My husband grew up on a pig farm. When we first started dating he took me into the barn to see the "weaners". That means the little pigs that had been weaned from their mothers. I misunderstood and though he meant "weiners". I wasn't so sure I wanted to know EXACTLY where my hot dogs were coming from!

Here is how I make schnitzel:

If you can't get schnitzel-cut pork where you are, use a pork loin roast. Slice the roast into 1/4 inch slices and then pound them thin. They will double or even triple in size when you pound them out.

Season both sides of the meat with a little salt and pepper.

Dip the slices into Catalina dressing and then into dried bread crumbs.

Fry the slices in a little vegetable oil. They cook quickly and you only need a few minutes per side (depending on how thin you pounded them).

You can serve these with sauce if you like - a mushroom gravy is a traditional way of serving them. My family likes them plain with mashed potatoes and red cabbage.