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Help us identify this "meat"
Thompson says he bought this product, identified only as "meat," on the belief that it was beef tongue, After opening up the packaging, however, he came to the conclusion that this was not tongue - no, not at all.
Help us identify this "meat"
CP staff writer Isaiah Thompson frequently stops at little shops in Chinatown to acquire cooking ingredients, but this particular item, which he purchased at the memorably named Grocery Market at 10th and Cherry, has both he and I flummoxed. Thompson says he bought this product, identified only as "meat," on the belief that it was beef tongue, as it was "long and had similar-looking surface"; he planned using it to recreate Han Dynasty's beef and tripe in chili oil at home. After opening up the packaging, however, he came to the conclusion that this was not tongue — no, not at all.
That didn't stop him from eating it.
Even after confirming that the "meat" was not the "meat" he initially assumed it was, my intrepid coworker figured he'd give it a shot for supper. He chopped it up into bite-size hunks — each whole piece is actually twice the length you see above, with the reverse side lined with stringy fat — and stir-fried them with vegetables. Thompson, who is still alive, describes the flavor of the "meat" as chewy, gamey ("almost nutty") and "not very good." Soon after the experiment, he returned to Grocery Market to see if he could find more "meat" and ask the staff about it. Unfortunately, there was no "meat" in sight.
We both need to know: WHAT THE HELL IS THIS? Please leave your thoughts, informed guesses and indictments of Thompson's capacity for good judgment in the comments.
could those be lips? Of, like, a hippo or something?— alexr- I'm going with baby Graboids.— JulieC
- EVERYONE STOP GUESSING! It's definitely baby Graboids. — Drew Lazor
- A friend just tossed out there that they're pre-roasted pigs' feet (explaining the weird color/texture) with the hocks still attached. Interesting...— Drew Lazor
- My Taiwanese pal seconds this theory. If the hooves were removed, it'd be hard to tell. — Angela S.
- It's def not pigs' feet. I know about pigs feet — veyr good in soup. No, this had a definite gizzardy taste — a little like liver or something. Lends some weight to the pancreas theory offered by Drew Lazor's mom perhaps.— ithompson
- No, it's not pancreas — just googled it. I've resorted to just randomly googling every animal body part I can think of. None of them look like this! Aaaahhhhrrrrgggg!— ithompson
- Shins? Or perhaps the cow has the equivalent of a human's sartorius, the longest muscle in the body.— felicia.dambrosio
- This is undoubtedly a spleen. My guess is it is from a cow. I've had pig spleen, and it is surprisingly delicious.— Andrew Wood
- Good call on spleen: http://www.eatmedaily.com/2009/07/offal-of-the-week-spleen/— BarryG
- I was going to say spleen too, but spleen is usually...moister?— Sam J
- Yes it is, Sam J. Yes it is. *runs away* — Drew Lazor
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