Mary's Little Lamb

[Chef Dave]

On Friday my advanced culinary arts class made lamb curry with lentil dahl and steamed white rice.

"Lamb!" One of my girls wrinkled her nose. "That's mean! How could anyone eat a baby lamb? They're so cute!"

"And plump and tender," I said with a smile. I rubbed my belly. "Lamb curry, yum-yum!"

The girls grumbled under their breath. They weren't amused when I began singing my own version of Mary's Little Lamb.

Mary had a little lamb,
A little lamb, a little lamb,
Mary had a little lamb,
And it was really fat.

It followed her to school one day,
School one day, school one day,
It followed her to school one day,
And wandered through the halls.

It came into our kitchen lab,
Kitchen lab, kitchen lab,
It came into our kitchen lab,
And was taken by the chef.

He gutted Mary’s little lamb,
Little lamb, little lamb,
He gutted Mary’s little lamb,
And skinned it really well.

We fabricated legs and shanks,
Legs and shanks, legs and shanks,
We fabricated legs and shanks,
And rubbed them well with herbs.

The shanks were braised with French mirepoix,
French mirepoix, French mirepoix,
The shanks were braised with French mirepoix,
And Cabinet Sauvignon.

"STOP SINGING!" moaned one of the girls. She clapped her hands over her ears. "How can we cook this disgusting curry if you're singing?"

"That was a mean song!" complained another girl. "And you're singing off key!"

"There are rules against child abuse!" added a third girl.

The lamb curry was delicious ... but none of the students would taste it.

"How can you adjust seasoning if you don't taste it?" I asked.

"But it's a little baby LAMB!" moaned a student. "I bet it had a really cute little name like 'Lambkins' or 'Snowflake.'"

"If you make me taste it, I'll throw up!" insisted another girl.

"Oh I'm sure it had a name," I said with an evil grin. "It was probably called 'Lunch' and it's brother was called 'Dinner.'" :)

"Mean ... you're so mean ..." moaned the girls.

The boys laughed ... but they wouldn't taste the lamb any more than the girls would ...

http://mydinnertable.typepad.com/home/images/2007/10/23/lamb_curry.jpg

[Bananas]

Just hope that none of your students are PETA members with a lawsuit waiting to happen. ;)

So far, I am down four pounds, and food still doesn't look appetizing. :eek:

[busbus]

Well Chef,

This is one time that I must agree with the students. If nothing else, your version of Mary's Little Lamb opened that soft spot in my heart. After hearing you recite or sing it, there is no way that I would have tasted or eaten Mary's poor little innocent lamb! :mad:

[Chef Dave]

here is the fabrication of Mary's lamb ... :)

http://www.beechenhill.co.uk/img/cuts_of_lamb.gif

P.S. Based upon my experience with the lamb, I suppose I shouldn't play with our defrosted baby squids. I can do a really bad imitation of Squidward Tentacles from Spongebob Squarepants. (GRIN)

http://www.unitedspongebob.com/squidbio.jpg

[Chef Dave]

Ah .... did I mention that next week we're roasting Bambi? At some point we'll also serve Thumper and Daffy ... (YUM)

[Aziz]

Haha, Chef Dave. I was never one to be vegetarian.

If you're grossed out by that song, make sure not to spend time in a Muslim country during Eid al-adha. That's the sacrifice of the lamb, where you get to see a bunch of decapitated lambs with puddles of their blood in the streets.

I hope you don't think of me as some animal abuser now. I simply have no problem facing the fact that we have to kill animals in order to eat them. I would opt for the least painful way of killing animals over any crueler ways.

-Aziz

[Chef Dave]

If you're grossed out by that song, make sure not to spend time in a Muslim country during Eid al-adha. That's the sacrifice of the lamb, where you get to see a bunch of decapitated lambs with puddles of their blood in the streets.

-Aziz

When I was an elementary teacher I spent 7 years in Saudi Arabia and 1 in Lebanon.

In Beirut, I lived in the Muslim western selection. On Saturday when I went grocery shopping, I purchased produce from the produce souq, bread from the baker, dry goods from the dry goods store, and lamb from the butcher.

The lamb carcass hung on a meat hook and dripped blood on the concrete floor. Since the meat wasn't refrigerated, I always made a point of shopping early before the meat became "ripe."

[Aziz]

Chef Dave,

I know how that is, where unlike here, each store has it's own specialty.

Do you speak Arabic? (I don't--I can only read it.)

-Aziz

[Bananas]

For some levity, here is the song in our Norwegian family. Our family used to go to a restaurant each Advent to eat Lutefisk and drink Glogg. I ordered steak, being green around the edges. Enjoy!

Oh Lutefisk
by Red Stangeland last verse by Robert L. Lee

[Sung to the tune of 'O Tannunbaum]

Lutefisk... Oh Lutefisk... how fragrant your aroma
Oh Lutefisk... Oh Lutefisk... You put me, in a coma
You smell so strong... You look like glue
You taste yust like an overshoe
Put Lutefisk ... come Saturday
I tink I'll eat you anyway.

Lutefisk ... Oh Lutefisk ... I put you by the doorway
I vanted you to ripen up ... yust like dey do in Norway
A dog came by and sprinkled you ... I hit him vit an army shoe
Oh Lutefisk ... now I suppose
I'll eat you as I hold my nose.

Lutefisk ... Oh Lutefisk ... how well I do remember
On Christmas Eve how we'd receive ... our big treat of December
It vasn't turkey or fried ham ... it vasn't even pickled spam
My mudder knew dere vas no risk ...
In serving buttered lutefisk.

Lutefisk ... Oh Lutefisk ... now everyone discovers
Dat Lutefisk and lefse makes-Norweigians better lovers
Now all da vorld can have a ball ... you're better dan dat Yeritol
Oh Lutefisk ... vit brennevin
You make me feel like Errol Flynn.

Lutefisk ... Oh lutefisk ... You have a special flavor
Lutefisk ... Oh lutefisk ... All good Norwegians savor.
That slimy slab we know so well ... Identified by ghastky smell
Lutefisk ... Oh lutefisk ... Our loyalty won't waver.

Lutefisk...Oh lutefisk...When my poor heart stops beating
The pearly gates will open wide, I'll see the angels eating
From steaming platters of the stuff, and there will always be enough
O piece of cod that I adore, O lutefisk forevermore!

[Chef Dave]

Chef Dave,

Do you speak Arabic? (I don't--I can only read it.)



I only speak a few words. I taught at international American schools.

Question: How can you read Arabic if you don't speak it? Oral language development usually precedes reading and writing.

Lutefisk... Oh Lutefisk... how fragrant your aroma



Hah-hah ... cute ... I've never had Lutefish.

During my last year in Saudi Arabia, I almost went to Norway on vacation. Since it was April, I decided that Norway was too cold and wound up changing my plans and going to Switzerland instead.

[Aziz]

Chef Dave,

I speak Farsi. Same alphabet, different language. Some of the words are the same, but they're pronounced differently.

That's why I didn't assume you knew Arabic off the bat, because I figured you might have taught at an American or British school.

-Aziz/عزیز