Mark Thorson wrote:
> One of the biggests wastes of TV is Martha Stewart's
> Everyday Food show. It's always the most mundane
> stuff, like Sloppy Joes, lettuce and tomato salad
> with dressing, sugar cookies, etc. It's not like
> Lidia Bastianich or Jacques Pepin where I'm being
> shown stuff I've never done or don't know how to do.
> If there's nothing else food-related on TV, I'll
> turn on Everyday Food while doing something else.

Maybe, but have you considered the population that think you need
"sloppy joe mix"? If it gives anyone a start it isn't so bad.

>
> So I was surprised when I saw something very
> interesting. One of their people made a BLT
> sandwich, but substituted fried prosciutto for
> the bacon. I'd never thought of frying prosciutto
> before. It sure looked good on TV.
>
> At Trader Joe's, I bought a package of a cheap
> prosciutto (Stockmeyer's, from Germany). I've
> eaten this prosciutto often, and while not the
> best, it's a very good value. You get a lot
> for your money.
>
> I fried two batches, one on moderate-low and
> another on moderate. They were okay, but not
> really exciting. I saved the rest of the
> prosciutto to eat in the usual way.
>
> However, something unexpected developed later
> in the day. I noticed an unpleasant odor.
> At first, I couldn't say what it was. I was
> thinking it might be dead animal, but it didn't
> really smell like a dead animal.
>
> Then, I hit on what it really smelled like.
> It smelled exactly like fried fish. The last
> fish I made was in soup a few days earlier,
> but fish soup never stinks up the kitchen.
> It's probably been 10 or 15 years since I
> fried a fish.
>
> Bingo! I know what it is. It's the prosciutto.
> That must be why Stockmeyer's is so cheap.
> They must be feeding fish waste (heads, tails,
> etc.) to the pigs. I've never noticed a fishy
> flavor in their prosciutto when eaten fresh
> out of the package. But frying it released
> these odors.
>
> That's not to say there's anything wrong with
> feeding fish waste to pigs. It might even be
> healthful because of the omega-3 fatty acids.
> And I've never noticed any off-flavors in the
> prosciutto. Still, it came as a surprise that
> such a strong and unpleasant odor would be
> released.