In ancient time, the Chinese had discovered to their amazement that the universe is made up of energy fields known to them as “Qi”. They believed that the Sun, Moon, Earth and other planets in the Solar System radiate cosmic energy which is constantly changing over time depending on the relative positions of the planets.

The discovery had led to the creation of the Chinese calendar which is based on the movement of this cosmic energy. The Chinese charted this cosmic energy into 22 energy pillars known as the Ten Heavenly Stems and Twelve Earthly Branches (equivalent to Twelve Zodiac signs). From these combinations of heavenly stems and earthly branches, the Chinese Solar Calendar (Hsia) is derived which is quite similar to the western Gregorian calendar as it is also based on the earth’s orbit around the sun. However, instead of starting the year on the 1st of January, the Chinese Solar Calendar begins the year on the 1st day of Spring which falls on or around the 4th Feb. This calendar is also used in the practice of Feng Shui and Chinese Astrology known as the Four Pillars of Destiny.

Based on a person’s date and time of birth, the influence of this cosmic energy on the newborn is said to chart the destiny and characteristics of that particular person.

So how does the Chinese Solar Calendar determine whether a day is good or bad?

It is the days when the Zodiac sign of the year clashes with the Zodiac sign of the day.

The twelve Zodiac signs and their clashes are as follows:-

Rat clashes with Horse

Ox clashes with Goat

Tiger clashes with Monkey

Rabbit clashes with Rooster

Dragon clashes with Dog

Snake clashes with Pig

For instance, in the year of the Pig (solar year 2007), the Pig clashes with the Snake of the day. Therefore, a person who is born in the year of the Pig will have a bad day on the day of the Snake. Therefore, any Snake days in 2007 is called a Year Breaker day and it is deemed inauspicious.

There is also the Month Breaker day. This happens when the Zodiac of the month clashes with the Zodiac of the day. For example, in the month of the Dog (9th solar month), the Dog clashes with the Dragon of the day. Therefore, any Dragon days in the 9th solar month is a Month Breaker day and it is considered inauspicious.

This is just one quick and simple way in a complicated system of date selection used in Chinese Astrology.

Bali has many kind of traditional food which are tastefully spicy as they are remarkably varied. Balinese still keep their traditional food especially in Balinese temple ceremony, Balinese birthday otonan, Balinese wedding, or when hosting special guest. I will list some of popular Balinese Traditional Food.

1. Babi Guling (Suckling Pig)

Suckling pis if very famous in Bali, almost every Balinese favorite. Suckling pis is full body roasted with variety of spices. Usually prepared for temple ceremony, Galungan Day, or Balinese Ceremony. However Balinese often keep pigs behind the house, feeding on food scraps, for that important time when they will be killed and eaten. If you think Suckling Pig in Bali is exclusively Balinese traditional food that can only be found in Bali, you are totally wrong, because I found a list that Balinese suckling pig is already International Food (Esquire October 2007 edition, page 72) and one of my favorite Suckling Pig warung in Ubud called Bu OKA list on it.

2. Ayam Betutu

Ayam betutu is chicken with Balinese spice mixture, the spices consist of coconut oil, turmeric, ginger, nutmeg, onion, garlic, cassava or salam leaves, a chilies. All the spices are mixed and put with the chicken. Ayam betutu is also served in Balinese ceremonies such as otonan, odalan, or wedding ceremonies. Ayam betutu served with side dishes for example crispy-fried peanuts and plecing kankung ( water spinach with hot chili sauce). First Ayam betutu is very popular in Gilimanuk ( a lot of restaurant served ayam betutu ) but now on Ayam betutu could find in everywhere.

3. Jukut Ares

Is made by banana tree mixed with pork ribs, and meat, usually the colors is dark yellow. Usually jukut ares is a side dishes of suckling pig, it’s kind of small bowl of soup. The taste is spicy, and Ares is cut until very small pieces and mixed with variety spices.

4. Jukut Urab

Jukut arab is a mixed vegetables of bean sprout, coconut, long bean, and no meat at all. Sometime Balinese add brown sugar to have some sweet taste and they always put some chili to make a little bit spicy.

5. Pepes

Pepes is a seafood (it could be fish or prawn for main ingredient) wrapped with coconut leaf and grilled in a few minutes. Pepes usually found in Klungkung area, they are famous with their special Balinese traditional seafood cooking. Named of area that sell variety of Balinese Traditional seafood such as Pepes, Sate lilit ( fish satay mix with coconut ), fish soup, is called Pesinggahan, located near Goa Lawah tourism object in Klungkung Regency.

6. Tum

Tum is almost similar with Pepes, but the way to cook is different, if Pepes grilled for few minutes, Tum is steamed for few minutes. Tum usually combines from chopped pork or chicken, spices, and young jack fruit. But now on Tum could be more variety, such as for vegetarian, there is Tum made by mushrooms or vegetables only. Tum could be found easy in any traditional market or Balinese traditional warung.

7. Urutan (Balinese Sausages)

Urutan or Balinese Sausages usually found in Suckling Pig warung. It made from pork intestines stuffed with pork meat and spices. Urutan fried until it is brownish yellow. The surface of Urutan is not smooth as western sausages since it contains chunks of meat and fat.

Welcome to the final part of this series on practical application of Chinese astrology in your daily life to create more good luck for yourself. In this article, you will be looking at the last 4 animals of the Chinese zodiac, the Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig.

The Monkey is the ninth sign of the Chinese zodiac. Monkey people tend to stand out from the crowd. They have interesting personalities. These people are competitive, they love winning and have the energy to work to get what they want. They love power. If you want a Monkey to do a good job, make him the leader. If you make him a follower, there is a risk that he might leave the project half way.

Monkey people hate to be told what to do. Like Tiger people, they love to be in command and control. Though they may seem tough on the surface, deep down inside, they are quite insecure. Most Monkey people make good leaders. They are able to lead well and get things done. If they are a follower, the leader better gain their respect, if not, the Monkey will just run off and leave the job half done.

Monkey people love being the center of attention. If they are not being made the center of attention, their interest wanes and they will start getting bored easily. These people are very helpful, but they simply hate to ask for help. Ask a Monkey for help while complimenting him at the same time, you are sure to get what you want. When it comes to asking for help, he will rather suffer in silence than ask for help.

On the flip side, they tend to be argumentative and sarcastic when things don’t go their way. Monkeys hate it when their ideas and plans are being opposed. If their ideas are not taken into consideration, they will just do a lousy job and call it a day. Because of their attitude, they offend others and make enemies unknowingly.

These people’s lives are full of ups and downs. They are fantastic risk takers. Some of them are born gamblers. This explains why money comes and goes easily. Like the Dragon and Tiger, Monkeys hate to lose face. They are quite revengeful when it comes to making them lose face. If you want to disagree with a Monkey’s point of view, you must put it in such a way that it seems that he is the one changing his point of view.

Like the real Monkey, these people are witty, intelligent and full of tricks. They love to laugh and party, at the same time, they can be mischievous. Monkey people are usually happy go lucky people, preferring to laugh their problems away.

The Monkey gets along very well with the Rat, Dragon and Snake. Monkey represents Metal. If Metal is your favorable element, hang a picture of a Monkey in your home or office to increase your good luck. Monkey combines with Rat and Dragon to form Water.

For parents whose kids’ favorable element is Metal, you might want to buy “Journey To The West” cartoons for them to watch, or tell them to play the video game “Donkey Kong” from Nintendo. Monkey figures will also help to enhance their luck cycle. The Monkey hour spans from 3pm to 5pm each day, while the Monkey month is from 8th August to 7th September of each year.

The Rooster is the tenth sign of the Chinese zodiac. Speaking of personal experience, I have many good things to say about Rooster people. Rooster people are very loyal. You can always depend on them as friends. They will not betray you. Speaking of this, Lim Bo Seng was also born under the Rooster sign. Despite being tortured by the Japanese during World War II, he refused to give them any information about his comrades.

Sadly, he died in a prison in Batu Gajah in Malaysia at the age of 35 in 1944. Pretty sad, but without his sacrifice, things might have been worse for Singapore back then. Coming back to the Rooster personality, these people are very sharp and observant. Very little escapes their eyes. They tend to be very straightforward too. Sometimes, others find them very blunt. Despite their sharp tongue, these people are very soft-hearted and helpful. They will not hesitate to help those in need.

Coming to their flip side, these individuals tend to be very impatient and bossy. They love being smarter than others. At times, they might come across as being show offs. I personally like their straightforward character. You know that these people won’t play games behind your back. These people don’t hold grudges, they forgive and forget easily.

Because of being too detail-oriented, Rooster people come across as being very picky and fussy. True enough, in certain situations, they over analyse and slow things down. Rooster people should learn to relax more and not put too much pressure on themselves.

The Rooster gets along very well with the Ox, Snake and Dragon. Rooster represents Metal. Besides using Monkeys to increase the effect of Metal in your daily life, you can also use the Rooster to achieve the same effect. Eating chicken is one way to increase the effect of Metal. The most effective way is to eat steamed chicken instead of fried chicken.

The Rooster hour spans from 5pm to 7pm of each day, while the Rooster month is from 8th September to 7th October of each year. Paintings and figures of chickens will help to increase the effect of Metal in your daily life. For kids who need Metal, watching or playing with “Chicken Little” helps.

The eleventh sign of the Chinese zodiac is the Dog. Like their animal counterpart, Dog people make loyal friends. Because of their kind and helpful nature, they are frequently being taken advantage of. Because of this, some of them tend to be very defensive. They will “sniff” around people before they start trusting. Once you win their trust, they will always trust you.

Throughout years of experience, I noticed that the older they are, Dog people tend to be more fun loving. At a younger age, they tend to be more serious. Dog people are very emotional. During a touching movie, most of those whose eyes are wet are usually Dog people.

Dog people are very persistent. They will keep going until they get the job done. These people tend to be quite resistant to change. They prefer to stay in their comfort zone and not try out new things. Dog people tend to worry too much. They are quite expressive. You can easily read their emotions on their face. These people are never selfish. They will sacrifice their own gains to help their friends. True, a Dog may be man’s best friend. A Dog person will also be your best friend.

The Dog gets along very well with the Tiger, Horse and Rabbit. Dog represents Hot Earth, just like Sheep. Dog combines with Tiger and Horse to form Fire. Dogs make very good pets for those born in Winter due to the effect of Hot Earth. The Dog hour spans from 7pm to 9pm of each day while the Dog month is from 8th October to 7th November of each year.

Now, for the last sign of the Chinese zodiac, the twelfth sign, the Pig. The Pig gives people the impression that he is stupid and lazy. Nothing could be further than the truth. Pig people are very intelligent and hardworking(if they choose to).

Most of the time, they will only choose to be hardworking at things which are relevant to them. If they refuse to do something, no one can force them. They are very stubborn people. Pig people tend to not follow advice. They have their own mind in deciding something. Although they may look weak on the surface, but they are no push over when it comes to fighting for their rights.

Pig people are peaceful folks. They prefer to live in their own world and do their own things. Their weakness is starting a project and giving up when the going gets tough. This explains why they tend to be unsuccessful in their endeavors. Another flip side of Pig people is that they love to argue for the sake of arguing. Even though their point may be irrelevant, they will still insist that they are right. If you have argued with a Pig person before, you know what I mean.

On the good side, Pig people are very friendly and polite folks. They are quite charitable when it comes to helping others. Pig people are quite generous when it comes to donations to good causes. They tend to be quite gullible when it comes to trusting people. As a result, they tend to be the victims of con men. But Pig people will just shrug it off the experience and they might repeat history again.

As their friend, you might need to be patient with them. After listening to your advice, and doing things their own way, they will come back and complain to you that they are in a bad situation. And when you ask why isn’t your advice being followed, they will give all sorts of excuses, but never accepting the responsibility themselves.

Another bad point I observed about Pig people is their selfishness. They will only do things for their own gains. On the surface, they may seem nice, but they are quite selfish when it comes to their own interest. Don’t be surprised if your interest is being “sacrificed”. Oh yes, one more point before I conclude, there is a saying in Cantonese, it’s called “Acting Like A Pig And Eating Up The Tiger”. This means pretending to be innocent. Something like “A snake in the grass”. Some Pig people are like that, they act innocent, but you don’t know what’s beneath.

The Pig gets along very well with the Rabbit, Sheep and Tiger. Pig also represents Water, like the Rat. Pig represent Water, which is favorable for those born in Summer. The Pig hour spans from 9pm to 11pm of each day while the Pig month is from 8th November to 7th December of each year. Eating pork, having piggy banks as well as pig figures around you helps to increase the effect of Water in your daily life.

I have come to the end of this series, I hope you have enjoyed reading them.

Guinea pigs are very social, playful animals. They require daily attention and care. It is necessary to provide them with a wide variety of toys for them to play with when they are lonely or bored. Here is a list of exciting homemade toys that your pet will love.

Socks– Everybody has at least a few pair-less socks that are lying around somewhere. Good toys to make with these socks are:

Sock pillows: Fill an old sock with hay and tie the end off. My guinea pig loves to drag these around.

Play-Socks: Find a holey sock and put it in your pets cage. He will likely run into it and stick his nose out of the holes.

Sock Stacks: Simply stack a huge pile of socks in your guinea pigs habitat. Watch they climb up and jump down. Geronimo!

Sock Hammock: Much like the popular ferret’s toy, this is just a little hanging bed. To make, cut open a sock so that it is in the shape of a square. Using a hole puncher, make four openings in the corners of the sock. Tie four separate pieces of string on the corners, then join them at the top by tying them together. Attach to the top of the cage so that the bed hangs two or three inches off of the ground.

Seed Sock: Tie up a sock as you would if you were making a sock pillow. But instead of filling it with hay, fill it with seeds. Tie the sock to the top of the habitat and cut a very small hole at the bottom of the sock (the hole should be slightly larger than the seeds inside the sock). Now your pig can pull seeds out of the sock if he gets desires a crunchy treat.

Tennis Sock: Put a tennis ball in a sock without holes and tie off. He will drag it around and even toss it. Replace the sock if it rips (unless you want the ball rolling around).

Boxes N’ Bags– Guinea pigs love these to hide and play in! Your guinea pig will love these.

Boxes: You can put a plain box in the cage, or a box with out a bottom. You can stack them to build a castle, or cut them up to make a fort. You can even tape them together to make multi-level houses! Guinea pigs love boxes, so be sure to give yours some to play in.

Paper Bags: My guinea pig absolutely LOVES paper bags, and will amuse himself for hours playing in such a simple toy. I think he just likes the way that it crinkles.

Towels– These are good as make-shift beds, forts (if you hang them up in the corners of the cage), blankets, and even separators, if you want to have a wall in-between parts of the cage.

Little things for guinea pigs to roll, toss, drag, sit on/in, and look at-

Crumpled up newspaper, cat toys with bells, tennis balls, little bowls/containers (like butter tubs or lunch meat containers), mirrors, small stuffed animals, plain wooden blocks (without sealants-just plain old dull blocks), bricks (stack them), toilet paper tubes, and tissues. Tissues are my guinea pigs favorite food group.

Have fun!

There is nothing more stressful than finding oneself responsible for caring for a litter of orphaned pups in the event the mother dies or refuses to nurse for whatever reason. While this is going to require time and commitment, never fear – this is something you CAN do.

Supplies You Will Need:

• Shoebox
• Water bottle
• Insulating materials like towels, old socks, etc
• Additional cloths to wrap babies in when handling
• Wash cloths
• A scale – either postal or kitchen to weigh the babies
• A chart to track their weight
• Special food like Oxbow Critical Care (can be obtained from a veterinarian)
• A small needless syringe
• A selection of real food like hay, grass, veggies, greens, etc.

Supplies You Will Not Need

A number of resources recommend using milk, milk blends, or diluted evaporated milk as a replacement for mother’s milk. This is not necessary as babies are able to consume real food with assistance. Animal products are, as always, harmful for guinea pigs.

Step 1 – Set Up the Living Area

Take the hot water bottle and fill with warm, but not HOT water. Place it along the side wall of the shoe box. Fill the remaining areas with insulating materials. Do not Pack tightly as you want the babies to be able to burrow around. Be sure to check the water bottle regularly to make sure it is still warm. Refill as necessary.

Step 2 – Weight Each of the Babies

Immediately after birth weight each baby. This is going to be a task you will do every day so making a chart is going to be helpful. The weight of a baby is going to be an indication of how well he or she is thriving. Do not be worried if you see small declines in weight over a couple days, this can be normal. Just take the time to provide a little extra food and see if that helps. If not, please make an appointment with your veterinarian.

Step 3 – Feed Every Two Hours During the Day For the First Two Days

Have the food solution prepared in advance. To prepare the food, take the Critical Care and soak in water to soften. Then mash into a liquid. Place in needless syringe. Aim to feed approximately one to two cc’s of solution per baby. Lift the baby you plan to feed and wrap in a cloth to keep warm while feeding. Gently feed them using the syringe (or if you want, a spoon is okay too if it works.) It is important to be slow and gentle, not forceful as it is easy for babies to choke or inhale the food.

Step 4 – Encourage Elimination

Young guinea pig babies will not eliminate wastes without help. All you need to do is wipe each baby’s genitals with a warm wash cloth after each feeding. Then watch to make sure normal eliminations are happening. If elimination does not occur for a prolonged period, this can be life threatening, so you may need the assistance of a veterinarian.

Step 5 – Introduce Solid Foods

In addition to keeping an assortment of adult guinea pig food available in the babies’ cage, young guinea pigs also learn by modeling. If you have another guinea pig in your home this can serve as a role model for the puppies. Allow the puppies to observe the adult guinea pig eating.

Guinea pigs are fascinating and unique pets whose traits make them very different from other pet rodents. Let’s look at their various characteristics to see why they are such loveable, interesting creatures.

Senses

Cavies have very bad eyesight, and instead tend to rely on their other senses much more than humans do.

Their senses of touch, smell, and hearing are very well developed, giving them the ability to find their way around their environment easily and quickly, sniffing out food and spotting predators in plenty of time.

Physical Ability

Because they have quite large bodies and stumpy legs, they are not particularly nimble. They can run fairly quickly, but they are very poor at dealing with obstacles, and can’t climb steep slopes. For this reason, it’s best to give them a single level cage if at all possible.

Cavies are strong swimmers, which is an ability that probably evolved in the wild. However, they don’t actually like swimming, so you shouldn’t ever force your pets to swim.

Language

Guinea pigs communicate using a language of chatters, squeals, and rumbles. Each sound has a different meaning, which will help you get to know your pets and decipher what they want.

You might also notice that your guinea pigs make a singing sound which sounds a lot like a bird. Nobody is sure exactly what this means, but it is beautiful to experience.

Memory

Guinea pigs have a very good memory, and can remember a route through a maze for a number of months. They are also able to remember who their owner is, which is a fantastic feeling and leads to a special bond between you and your animals.

Nervousness

Guinea pigs are quite anxious pets, and are easily scared by loud or sudden sounds. Because of this, you should always approach them carefully, and avoid making loud sounds near them. If your pets do get nervous, speak to them in a soft, soothing voice to help them calm down.

Taiwanese black pudding or pig’s blood cake is made of pig’s blood mixed with sticky rice. Like many famous Taiwanese ‘little eats’, the Taiwanese black pudding can trace its origins back to Mainland China. This little eat is thought to be invented by the farming communities as a way of utilising all parts of a animal’s body. Without the invention of the black pudding, pig’s blood would be just let to run into the drains and gone to waste.

Duck blood was the first animal blood to have been mixed with rice and steamed into a ‘blood cake’. As duck and its products grew more and more expensive, the Taiwanese look to other animal bloods that would form a steamed blood cake with similar consistencies. Pig’s blood became used and thus delicious variations of pig’s blood cake began to emerge. Duck’s blood cake is not readily seen on the streets of Taiwan any more.

Once the pudding is steamed, it is cut, typically into thick rectangular slices and fixed on a skewer. This is immediately dipped in peanut power and fresh coriander. It is also said that basil is some times used in place of coriander particular in summer when prices for coriander can make it not affordable. Although traditionally cut into rectangular slices, fancy shaped Taiwanese black pudding are sold by some with the claim that is adds to the texture and helps to enhance the flavour in every bite. Some puddings are up to 15 centimeters long and some require 2 skewers to hold it up. Some housewives simply cut up homemade black puddings into small cubes and added to clear soup served up with fresh ginger or coriander.

In the early periods, steamed black pudding dipped in thick soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce is the preferred flavours in southern Taiwan where as it was the north that preferred dipping the pudding in peanut power and coriander. Nowadays, the northern version can be seen in all corners of the island.

As customary, food at Taiwanese night markets are cooked in front of you and served immediately. Seeing the stall master lifting your pudding (on the skewer) fresh from the steamer and season the flavours as you wait makes it all the more tantalising experience. You will need to arrive in plenty of time particularly at popular stalls. Some stores are so popular, the wait could be up to an hour or longer and they may run out of stock early in the afternoon.

There are many alternative treatments for Crohn’s disease; aloe vera isn’t the only remedy out there. In fact, one of the latest studies showing promise for Crohn’s disease sufferers is an alternative treatment known as helminthic therapy.

Helminthic therapy is an alternative treatment that uses Trichiuruis suis (pig whipworm) to combat symptoms of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. During therapy, a patient is given eggs of the pig whipworm. The eggs hatch within the body, grow and colonize for a limited time and then disappear, so no harm is done.

It may sound bizarre and disgusting to treat Crohn’s by causing an infestation of pig whipworm in the intestines, after all, shouldn’t we in Western civilization be celebrating that we’ve eradicated these pests from our systems with our sanitized culture? We’re the first people in history to be worm free, so where’s the logic behind this therapy? As ridiculous as it seems, when you learn all the facts behind helminthic therapy, you’ll find that it’s not as crazy as it sounds.

You see, Crohn’s disease occurs when the small intestine becomes inflamed. It is believed by many medical researchers that this inflammation is the result of the immune system’s improper response to regular gut flora. Thus, by introducing pig worms to the body, the immune system is provided with an actual target and will stop its assault on the natural gut flora in Crohn’s sufferers. In short, worms help to regulate the immune system.

It is interesting to note, that many medical researchers believe that there is a link between Crohn’s disease and lack of worms within the system. Crohn’s is a disease of the 20th century, and primarily develops in people who live in Western industrialized countries were sanitation is high and worms no longer exist. Therefore, it is possible that the lack of worms within the body may be partly or totally responsible for bowel disorders such as Crohn’s disease.

Medical studies are being conducted to find out what happens when worms are introduced back into people’s bodies. The hope is that worms will re-instruct the immune system on proper response to inflammation and eradicate the disease.

Most Crohn’s patients who participate in helminthic therapy studies are given the pig whipworm eggs, which are dissolved in a drink they ingest. As was previously mentioned, the whipworms hatch, develop and colonize, but they only live for a short time period.

So far, the success rate of these studies has been high, as more than two thirds of the patients who participated in the study for a 6 month period, experienced remission, while others who didn’t go into remission still found the treatment helpful. Furthermore, researchers are finding that even those who unsuccessfully responded to conventional treatment for Crohn’s, are benefiting from helminthic therapy

There appears to be no side effects or complications with this treatment as none have been reported. However, research and studies are still being conducted on pig whipworm infestation as a therapy. Only time will tell if the re-infestation of worms is the cure for Crohn’s disease. Nonetheless, the future certainly looks promising.

Maori Bone Carving and the Pigs Tusk

Maori carving is done on various animal bone these days. This article is on carving done on pigs tusks. Maori carving on pigs tusks looks very tribal, yet it was not a maori tradition to carve pigs tusks. Maori did wear pigs tusks but they were not carved for there was no purpose for carving them compared to carving a fish hook. A fish hook or hei matau was carved sharply for catching fish before European steel materials were brought into Aotearoa (New Zealand). Bones used today for Maori carving are beef bone, whale bone if resources allow, dear antler, pigs’ tusks and more.

People throughout the world are now learning the art of Maori carving and its designs on bone. China has marketed resin carved items such as the Maori tiki and various other carving forms to imitate Maori bone carvings. Maori designs and the historical traditional designs are a treasure to Maori and preserving the traditional art forms should be respected. However contemporary Maori carving is encouraged but whilst still respecting the knowledge and understanding of traditional values when it comes to whakairo.

Carving traditional Maori designs and using these designs on bone is acceptable in a contemporary fashion but more so respected if the elements of the tradition, legends, spirituality of Maori are apparent through the carvings. This shows that the carver has an understanding of the values which Maori held and still hold today towards their culture, history, where Maori came from, where they are today, and where they are going to.

Since the pigs tusk would be considered a contemporary substitute from traditional bone used, Maori designs on a pigs tusk can include many various Maori patterns depending on the size and the tools used to carve the bone tusk. Traditional designs of Maori could be incorporated very effectively together from the tip to the root of the tusk. Paua can also be inset in the design.

Preparing the Pigs Tusk

A pigs jaw is skinned with a sharp knife and then cut sawn which keeps the jaw intact. For a carver, the pigs jaw is left in the sun outside for insects and ants to eat and cleanly remove all remaining flesh and marrow through the tusks. It is best to allow the jaw to erode around the tusks so the tusks can be loosened from the jaw without breaking or sawing the tusks, this way the tusks are left intact which will allow removal of the whole tusk embedded up to halfway into the jaw.

After removing the tusk the tusk is then boiled with salt to extract any oils and to basically clean the bone ready for carving. The tusk can be boiled up to three times to help whiten the bone.

Pencil sketch on the bone your Maori design or pattern and then use a dremel to carve into the tusk. There are many different attachments to use for detailed designs and shaving can be done with a file. Polishing afterwards can be done with a dremel buffer or even a shoe brush depending on how much of a natural shine you want on the bone.

Bleaching a bone with bleach and water may have your bone look more like plastic.

In Maori tradition, a bone turned yellow due to the wearers skin oils seeping into the bone over time which signified the wearers being or spirit merging with the spirit or meaning of the bone. When the bone was passed down to descendents then the next wearer would add their spirit, mana to the bone and so forth, which could give the pendant more symbolic meaning and becoming a treasure to the whanau (family).

Christmas must be near. My Mom asked me to “keep my eye out” for pigs feet. Why, you ask? Such a silly question for someone like me, who cherishes the one time of the year where I enjoy this “delicacy.”

OK, I admit the oft-maligned porcine treat does not fall into the “delicacy” category for many, except the hearty souls who still enjoy a bit of the “old country.” That would be Sweden and Norway for the uninformed, thank you. Alas, my birthplace is Minnesota, but my gene pool can be found amongst the fjords. Ever since I can remember, pickled pigs feet were an integral part of our family Christmas.

I know there are variations to the recipe using vinegar and spices, but we are purists. The ingredient label rivals the shortest on record: pigs feet and salt. Not much of a recipe here. You take pigs feet (conveniently pre-split by the butcher) and boil them. And boil them. And boil them. Hours. You can start checking them around the 4 hour mark, but don’t expect them to be done. And what I mean by done is by most standards considered to be closely resembling Jello. Oddly enough, the resulting cooking liquid is LOADED with gelatin, as you will be able to tell when it cools down.

You would think that after a few hours, the feet should be tender. To the casual tester, a fork does easily slide into the feet, fooling the novice into thinking they are done. Experience has told me this is not true. The next step proves this point.

Get yourself a kettle and make a salt water brine solution. No recipe. Just lots of salt. But not too much. Or too little. You know, just the right amount. Cool that down, put your feet (well, not yours, but the pig’s) into a bowl or bucket, and cover them with the salt solution. Throw them in the fridge behind the herring and the lefse. Take them out the next day and repeat the brining process, as the first batch of brine will usually have that gelatinous viscosity. Taste them. Salty enough? Too salty? Adjust your salt brine solution accordingly. You know, just salty enough. But not too salty. Throw it back in the fridge behind the lefse, herring, and lutefisk you picked up that day. The next day you are in business! You will find that what you thought were mushy wads of goo have firmed up into, well, firm wads of goo. But delicious ones.

I have to admit my mom, one brother, and I are the only ones who eat these gristly wonders. The slimy mixture of tendon, skin, fat, and tiny morsel of actual meat are heaven-sent. My brother loves to “suck a knuckle” as he proclaims, and the inevitable toe jam joke is brought out of storage for the annual event (always by a non-pigs feet believer.) I take great pleasure in slurping down a knuckle in front of the rest of the family, gleeful in the knowledge I am traveling down a road they dare not travel.

Mmmm…I can taste them now…!