When I was on a hunt for gumbo ingredients the other day (beef smoked sausage and possibly andouille sausage) in Harlem, I found myself in the C-town on 125th. While for a long time that grocery was the only one for miles around aside from Fairway and a few exorbitantly priced organic markets… that doesn’t excuse the fact that in general, all C-towns in the city have a faint lingering odor of under-refrigerated meat and dairy products. I braced myself and ran in, all the way to the back, where I knew the prepackaged Hillshire Farms sausage would be.
Once inside though, I was fascinated by the proliferation of “regular” groceries. I’d insulated myself in a bubble of organic fresh fruits and veggies and sustainably packaged grains and granolas for so long, the sight of hundreds of boxes of Fruit Loops and other neon cereals startled me. And then I remembered how much I *loved* Frosted Flakes as a kid, and grabbed a box.
So I quickly found the beef smoked sausage and allowed my eyes to peruse the shelf to see what other odd random “regular” groceries they had. Hot sausage by the 5 lb box, but something about it was a little too neon red to pique my interest. Then I found the beef bacon. I found duck bacon at Fairway once before and it was a delightful experience, so I figured this would be tasty if not delicious. Good god, was I wrong!
It was like salt cured beef with no smoke flavor… All grease and stringy mush. I threw it away. Couldn’t eat it.
All that said, I would be willing to bet that if I got the beef bacon from Fairway, Whole Foods, or some other fancy organic market, or from a good local source it might be delicious. No. 7 in Fort Greene taught me well that all prepared meats are NOT created equal!
But those fancy markets never had it. Because beef bacon is… gauche.
I suffer, so you don’t have to.
It seemed like a good idea at the time
it turned out a disaster
Eating better than you. 