Oscar shoved his snout against Walter’s. “Canadian Bacon,” he squealed.
“Ham,” Walter squealed back.
“Canadian Bacon!”
“Oh give it a rest,” Sally clucked. “What in the world difference does it make? Bacon is bacon.”
“Technically,” Oscar said, “it's neither ham nor bacon. Here in the good old US, bacon is the term given to cured pork belly, ham is the term given to cured pork shoulder or butt, and Canadian bacon is the term given to cured pork loin--”
A gaggle of goslings erupted in laughter. “He said butt,” one of them boldly reported, then to the stern stare from mother, “but I would never say that myself.”
“Well if it goes on a Hawaiian pizza," Rocky said as he nosed through garbage, "it's ham. Telling me what part of the pig's body it's from does nothing for me.”
Owl, perched atop a fence post, raised his brow curious. “You're a raccoon. You eat trash. You’re going to have a difficult time convincing me you’re picky.”
Walter continued to defend. “I’ve never seen this product you call Canadian Bacon sold or served in Canada. What we call Canadian Bacon is Peameal or Back Bacon. Both terms are used interchangeably."
Oscar screwed up his snout. “When have you been to Canada?”
Walter nodded dismissively. “I haven’t. I read that in the paper.”
“Hey,” Rocky piped up, “speaking of papers, here’s the comics from Sunday’s edition. Do you want to read them Walter, before I finish them off that is?”
Oscar continued. “Well, I went to Culinary School in Toronto, and was taught in my butchery class that conventionally streaky bacon is taken from the belly. Peameal, or back bacon, is taken from the loin. Canadian Bacon, is taken from the boneless side. That should clear things up.”
It was Owl’s turn to question now. “A pig in Culinary School?”
Oscar revisited his claim. “Well, actually, I caught a few episodes of a cooking show on a television—okay fine, I read about in the paper as well. But it is true.”
* * *
“Hey Dad,” Timmy said as he gobbled down his breakfast. “This bacon tastes different. Why do you suppose that is?”
Dad took a bite of his own. “I don’t know Timbo but I don’t think I’ll be buying anymore pigs from Canada."
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Thanks to this article; life makes so much more sense now! LOL, thanks for writing in a way that I didn't have to "work" to see it, it just happened. Tis' a gift, methinks!
