My focus for 2014 is to build and improve relationships with friends and family. Studies have linked strong social connectedness with measures as varied and dramatic as motor skill retention, cancer survival, general immune function, memory function preservation, and overall longevity. In contrast, social isolation has been connected with a higher risk for Alzheimer’s disease and heart disease. So, I decided to kick-off the New Year a little differently…
We had our first Primal Organ Party in January. “Ewww, gross”, “what was I thinking”…we heard it all but man did we have a blast!
Interestingly, organs are one of the most nutrient-dense foods and are prized in many cultures; they are the superfoods of the animal kingdom. But here in the US, we tend discard them and not even give them a chance (except hotdogs but I’m not even sure if they’re really meat).
The point of the party wasn’t about the food; it was about getting together with friends with a unique theme and to try something different. I really wanted to see who would disregard the idea based on the theme alone and not even consider trying it.
The concept was that each person would bring one prepared dish made from some type of organ meat. I had a list of the various options on the invite and I even included a few recipes.
I heard a lot of “that’s gross…” but surprisingly we had a really good turnout and many people were excited about it. There are a lot more brave and adventurous people than I was expecting. The idea was a little more popular with my male friends but most of the ladies ended up trying just about everything. My brother-in-law was so excited he bought his cow tongue two weeks in advance and “hid” it in the freezer from my sister-in-law.
The menu included:
- Fried beef kidney nuggets and grits
- Coconut fried chicken liver
- Beef tongue tacos
- Beef heart kabobs
- Tripe soup
- Head cheese
- Heart roast
- Oxtail stew
- Bacon (with skin)
- Chips and guacamole (next time I’m going with pork rinds)
- A giant salad that my wife made for all the people who would not eat the organs but ended up being barely touched…lol!
Well, it was a new experience. For many, it was their first time buying, cooking and tasting various organs, most of which they probably would never have tried in any other situation.
It brought a commonality to the group and led to a great conversation starter…”what did you bring?” Everyone spent time grazing from dish to dish, tasting what was prepared by each other.
We talked about the buying experience – some went to a butcher, some to a specialty store, and some found out they couldn’t buy what the originally intended on making…who knew cow brains were illegal to sell in Florida or that Rocky Mountain Oyster were so hard to track down?
We talked about preparing the organs and the recipes we used. One of our friends made kidney nuggets and grits, a recipe passed on to him by his grandmother (it was normal to eat organs a few decades ago when we ate the entire animal).
The kids even had fun. My son Brixton tried the tripe soup and my 2 year old daughter Suri ate kidney for the first time. Her response “it good…I like!” Brixton’s response, well you can watch for yourself.
The most fun was watching everyone taste all of the different recipes. It was interesting to see what people gravitated towards. Most of us were shocked that everything actually turned out pretty damn good and some of us really liked it. The tongue tacos were the favorite.
Having my friends and family there really encouraged (peer pressured), everyone to try things that they normally wouldn’t try. I was really surprised with how many things my wife tasted.
It was such a fun party and a really unique experience that we were able to share with friends. My wife and I mentioned doing it annually but requests to make it a semiannual event were overwhelming.
I encourage you to come up with a unique party of your own and share your experiences. Getting out of your “comfort food” zone will help you grow on a personal level, strengthen your relationships and create a unique, everlasting memory.
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