[OT] Holiday is doing something different
We're spending this years holiday at the farm where my wife grew up and today, her brother (the farmer) had to go to a Christmas party in Oslo, several hours away. I thought I'd be nice and give him a hand so he could stay in town a little longer, so I volunteered to take care of his pigs...
Taking care of 420 pigs sure is a different experience than coding all day. Today I've been "whacking away" at loads of shit instead of a keyboard - one and a half hours of shoveling shit and spreading sawdust for the pigs to walk / sleep on. When I was only half done, my cap was soaking wet from sweat. I wasn't exhausted, I just got really warm from shoveling (I guess I should exercise more). So, holidays are a time for doing something different. Farming sure is a lot more physical than what I usually do :D
PS: I've now showered for half an hour to get rid of the smell, but I suspect I'll need another shower to loose it completely...
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Greetings from Ukraine, where pigs are in the high grade of respect — nearly to totem animal.
I was born and grew at the country side of Poltava region of Ukraine, in Kotelva village. It often considered as the most "pig-full" region of the whole country. For example, there's a Pig Breeding Institute in the region.
I spent 15 years of my life in village, helping my parents in breeding and feeding the pigs, and sometime cows, goats, rabbits, chickens, ducks and more. Then I moved to Kharkiv city to learn the Radio Electronics and Computers. Now working here with Flash and Flex. But sometime I visit my fatherland and recall everything of village life including the lack of good books and music (now there's an Internet, so things became much better that in my childhood).
Back to the pigs, the most famous Ukrainian national product called "Salo" ("Сало" in Ukrainian and Russian). It is produced from the pig's body. It's... hmm like the non-meat part of beacon (with little stripes of meat - they called "прорiзь" in Ukrainian and often valued as the most important detail of "Salo").
Actually its hard to explain "The Salo" food phenomena. Its easier to taste this "legal drug" produced from the fat pig body. A lot of people agree: there's only one country in the world, Ukraine, where human can recognize the truly delicious taste of Salo. Its kinda national tradition: only in Ukraine tasty Salo could be made, cooks from all other countries fail :)
Thank you for this short reminiscence in my own roots :)
Posted by: Rostislav Siryk | January 27, 2008 07:35 PM