Things we eat: September 2008 Archives

I've been talking quite a bit about that meat-which-I-hate, scrapple.

Well, one of my readers, Mark, chimed in with some really amazing information on what I had assumed was a Pennsylvania Dutch (and therefore German in origin) food:

Short background, I was born and raised in York, graduated from Central and now live in Austria. I love this blog to keep me somewhat up to date on York. To the 'meat' of this post...Believe it or not, even though the German settlers are credited with 'bringing' the scrapple recipe with them, no one, and I mean NO ONE here in Austria or those I know in germany for that fact,know of or even ever heard of scrapple. I even mentioned pon haus and they looked at me like I was crazy. This being said, I finally found a few good recipes to try and after my first batch, actually have some converts here. Amazing isn't it? A Yorker, introducing an assumed German dish to German/Austrian folks...and they love it!!! Thanks for the blog. I think I am going to make my next batch this weekend and eat it the way it is supposed to be eaten, thin, crispy and with King Syrup!

King Syrup? Wow, as much as I loved Mark's comment, I don't love his taste... I think he just made a bad thing worse!

So, scrapple fans... what IS the cultural origin of your mixed meat? And what on earth do you put on it? Ketchup? Syrup? Something equally gross? Discuss.

From our news items received recently, I found this one:

Kreutz Creek Presbyterian Church in Hellam Township will host a local food potluck supper 6 to 8 p.m. a week from today, on Sept. 24.

All dishes are to be prepared with at least 75 percent local ingredients. Grow it yourself or buy it at a farm stand, but at least 75 percent of what is in the dish needs to be from your York County.

Speakers Steve Prescott and Debbie Krout-Althoff will address the community, economic, environmental and health benefits of buying locally grown foods.

Steve Prescott is owner of a local Community Supported Agriculture farm, and Debbie Krout-Althoff is with the Horn Farm.

All guests are invited to bring a dish to share. Everyone is encouraged to write the ingredients and where you purchased them (or grew them yourself) on a 3-by-5 card. There is no admission charge, but monetary donations will be accepted for the Wrightsville food pantry.

The church is also accepting donations of wildflower seeds for their bee habitat.

The church is at 85 Old Church Road, between Routes 30 and 462 just west of Frysville Road ( behind the Tourist Inn). For details, call 840 0955, e-mail kcpc@nfdc.net or visit www.kreutzcreekpc.org.

Sounds neat! I attend a regular Wednesday-night program at my own church, or I'd head up and try it out!

From my sister Carol (who affectionately calls herself "Not quite the oldest Sis"), here is a piece of decent advice if you must eat scrapple.

Don't think about it....just eat it! Louise (another sister) is right about thin and crisp. Some diners serve it much too thick, and that is where most non-lovers most likely try it.

I'll leave you to it. Happy eating!

Do you see how the sun shines on this glorious cone of frozen milk with delightful hints of candy-bar pieces? Isn't it a thing of beauty?

I'm just wondering how long after the wisdom-teeth-removal until I can go back to Bruster's for a Toffee Bar Crunch/Oreo Cookie triple scoop cone. Not that my waistline needs it!

Hubby must not read my blog very often, because he loves scrapple but didn't jump to its defense after my somewhat critical post on the mixed meat.

His sister, though, certainly did! Adriane says:

I will defend our beloved Scrapple to my dying day!! People are 'afraid' of scrapple, because it is assumed that the 'scraps' are swept off the butcher room floor or are taken from the tails, toes or ears of the swine. NOT SO! The 'scraps' are merely the ppieces of meat so small they cannot be sold - so they are salvaged to make an AWESOME product! There are several other types of meats and foods that are created by congealing them from boiling the bones, and internal organs of the animal for superb flavor, not just scrapple.

I admire her commitment to the still-questionable-in-my-mind meat product, but I'm still not a fan.

Meanwhile, from the other half of our family, my sister Louise weighs in:

I would eat some scrapple if it is sliced very thin and fried very crisp and brown. Scrapple's problem is it is UGLY FOOD. Maybe add a little red dye? olives? Oh well.

Well, she's got me on one point. Maybe it is the look, not the taste, that bothers me so much.