Deeper shade of grey | gizzard gulp

culinary mysteries

M

y first mistake was eating it, my second asking what it was, my third mistake was looking what I had eaten up in the dictionary.

I love multi-cultural diversity! The richness of the ‘lack of sameness’ is refreshing. I’m learning the importance of accepting hospitality as part of cultural exchange.

I only popped by to drop something off to Ade - I knew I would be offered something to honour my visit but nothing really prepared me for what I was about to receive. “Please have some pepper soup.”,

“Thank you” I reply, relieved - I’d just eaten at home… soup would be fine.

Ade leaves me in the single room where she lives with her mother and son. She soon returns with more of a stew than soup. A quick look in the fading light and I know I’m facing a task. The meat is unidentifiable. The soup is red hot and my eyes are watering. A prod and a push doesn’t help me in the identification. Ade’s eager eyes wait for me to eat. I gingerly take my first bite. I chew and chew and chew….. and chew…. and chew. I still have no clue what I am eating. For fear of rudeness I keep eating - I eat half before I can go no further. I make my excuses hoping I haven’t appeared rude.

“So… Ade… what kind of meat is that…?”

“Gizzard” she replies.

“Gizzard…gizzard?” I babble, my mind wonders furiously.

“Yes gizzard … turkey gizzard”

“Oh!” I say failing to sound enthusiastic but relieved that it belongs to an animal I know.

I drive home thinking ‘turkey gizzard… turkey gizzard, what is a gizzard?’ all I know is that I haven’t seen gizzard in the supermarket. All I know is Bernard Matthews hasn’t a breaded gizzard range. All I know is that I have never seen gizzard advertised on TV, or in a Jamie Oliver book. As soon as I get home I have the dictionary open and it made me feel oh so much better.

‘Gizzard: A modified muscular pouch behind the stomach in the alimentary canal of birds, having a thick lining and often containing ingested grit that aids in the breakdown of seeds before digestion.’

How much broader is my life because of multicultural diversity!

Deeper shade of grey appears every Wednesday on theRubicon. Find past posts and a bio of Capt. Gordon Cotterill here.

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