Mon 3 Jul 2006
Jamón part II: An alternative version
Posted by eric under Jamón Conspiracy , Living la vida española
On June 9th, I wrote “Jamón: What nobody wants to admit” about the dark side of Spain’s devotion for its beloved cured pig legs. Allow me to clarify: I am not a huge fan of conspiracy theories, but I do believe that Spanish people bare a hidden secret that they conceal from foreigners like me. As a matter of fact, each time that I bring up the subject in the office, everyone gets very uncomfortable and suspiciously defensive. My theory is that at a young age, children are told by their parents the truth under sworn oath (they are probably even forced to sign an NDA) about how there can be such a vast number of pig legs with so very few pigs. Basically, I have arrived at two possibilities: (i) massive, clandestine imports or (ii) genetically engineered pigs that can regenerate their legs after they have been cut off (yes, sounds like a sci-fi horror movie starring aged and washed up actors).
In any event, my brother, very much the conspiracy theorist, has offered another possibility: The Meatrix. My guess is that he would plea to “fight the power”.
July 5th, 2006 at 6:30 am
Check out the Meatrix, but don’t waste your time w/ the Meatrix II. Another movie to watch, which i think you can find (on a great website) called information clearinghouse, http://www.informationclearinghouse.info, is called “the future of food.”
the documentary is crazy- it basically talks about corporations (primarly, Monsanto) and how they control not only what the farmers grow (in a very fucked up way) in the U.S., and internationally, but (as eric would say- ‘at the end of the day’) what we eat.
As far as conspiracies go… the whole meat/food thing- it is only a conspiracy if they are trying to cover it up. i don’t think they are… as i have said in other posts- people (at least in America) do NOT care. As long as they are drinking their lattes from Starbucks w/ no problem what do they care if all of the power in world is in the hands of a few corporations? Government is increasing becoming less of the enemy and just another pawn of the Corporations. There should be no question that in America, at least at the Federal level, the constituents are no longer the people, but the Corporations. Unless there is serious campaign finance reform in the U.S. there is no reason to vote. No matter what book/documentary you read/watch regarding any progressive topic related to America in the last 10+ years it will relate to campaign finance reform.
so conspiracy theory, no; Americans that do not care about their future, yes; serious problem related to the present/future of food, yes; is this problem related to corporations have too much power, yes. would adam smith or any rational capitalist agree w/ the current climate of corporate power, no. Anyway, i talk too much.
July 14th, 2006 at 9:18 am
[…] The saga, the mystery, that conspiracy behind the conspiracy continues. Finally, Spanish jamón is available in the US. This means more jamón legs, but still no one has yet to explain where the pigs are coming from. For background information, please read Jamón: What nobody wants to admit and Jamón part II: an alternative version. Does this mean more clandestine pig hospitals? More genetic engineering of mutant pigs capable of regenerating their legs? Will Dustin Hoffman be starring in the lead role of the sci-fi thriller? […]
October 8th, 2006 at 11:10 am
[…] A few months ago, in an attempt to solve the mystery behind why there are so many legs of ham everywhere in Spain and yet there are so few visible pigs, I revealed what may be a massive Jamón Conspiracy (see also, Parts II and III). And Last night while driving around in circles looking for parking with my friends Cobra and Berga, I discovered that there just might be a fourth explanation. Everytime I go into a bar or a supermarket, and I see severed, cured pig legs, I start doing the math. For every 4 legs (two paletillas and two jamones), you are missing one big pig. And as Cobra, Berga, and I were driving around, we kept passing small bars that were packed like sardines with legs of ham hanging everywhere. Then, it finally occurred to me why there were so many pig legs and yet no pigs in sight. If they didn’t cut off the legs and just left the entire pig, then there wouldn’t be any room in these tiny bars for all of the customers. Of course, that’s why they cut the legs off. They desperately need the space. It’s a resource issue. Just imagine going into a bar for tapas and it is full of huge Iberian pigs hanging from the ceiling. The only solution they could reasonably come up with was to discard everything put the front and hind legs. Sacrifice the bodies for greater leg room. Nevertheless, this doesn’t explain where the rest of the pig is hiding. […]
April 4th, 2007 at 12:46 am
Tramadol….
Tramadol….