Flights and long drives make me think. Reflect. Never about one individual thing. Only about one particular human. Me.
Hazy, important thoughts about the people I love, my hopes and dreams. Somewhere between where I’ve come from and where I’m going a calm clarity occurs.
It’s a blustery winter in Northern Ontario. Snow banks reach shoulder height.The populace hibernates to keep warm. But everyone comes out of hiberation Saturday afternoons to gather at the Beef n’ Bird Pub for Porketta Bingo.
Porketta. Not Porchetta. Porketta. A Sudbury delight inspired by the traditional italian recipe.
What is Porketta you ask? Get ready to Drool.
Porketta is a pork cut (the cut varies by recipe) which has been stuffed full of a mixture containing dill, fennel, garlic, salt and pepper and then slow roasted on a spit for hours. The result. Pure Pork Paradise. You have to taste it for yourself. The slowroasting of the pork makes the meat tender and juicy, while certain parts have been exposed to the heat and have carmelized the pork juices and fat on the outside for a crisp, meaty bite of heaven.
This Saturday we were lucky enough to be able to attend the winter tradition of Porketta Bingo at the Beef n’ Bird in Sudbury. Locals head to the pub early to get a seat (11am) and wait until 3pm when you can buy a bingo card (composed of three playing cards laminated together) for 12$. Your ticket to future meaty winnings. I bought 2 cards. Next you sit, drink and hope you get a “porketta” (the equivalent of Bingo when all three of your cards are called). DON’T Call out BINGO or expect to be booed – Porketta is the word of the Day and after waiting all day to be fed – this is exclaimed loudly and ravenously by anyone lucky enough to win. Winners are brought a full pound of steaming porketta to enjoy with friends. The pork is served on butchers paper in a wicker plate with one fork and one loaf of bread. It disappears quickly. Almost no one uses the fork offered. Fingers get greasy and bellies full. Everything is washed down is pitchers of beer.
Porketta Bingo is a lively, loud game. Tables are competing to be fed – so expect a lot of light hearted rucous. Lots of Swearing. And Fun. Alot of Fun.
We won 5 times in total and took a lot of meat home – much to the dismay of the tables around us.
A good article ran in the Toronto Star a couple years ago about this yummy phenomenon and can be read here and here.
Link to a delicious recipe for Porketta.
Try not to drool too much 🙂
K
I miss Japan. I miss being free and un-encumbered by the daily hamster wheel that seems to be my life.
I miss the order of things in Japan. Everything seems to have its place and everyone their space, their niche in the world. Their purpose.
I’m still not quite sure what mine is…
I haven’t blogged lately because I don’t want to just go through the motions. I want to write when I feel inspired and lately all my inspiration has fled to other aspects of my life. There doesn’t seem to be enough to go around. I’m not going anywhere, I’m excited to post again, but I’m a realist who understands that it might take a while for my inspiration to return. I hope you understand too.
K.
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