PORK PILLOW

Guanciale (Italian for "pillow") is the newest addition to food vocabulary. It is a kind of Italian bacon made from the jowl of a pig instead of the rib. It is much fattier (more flavorful) than normal bacon which explains why it missed my ano-radar screen but it sounds absolutely delicious; therefore, I propose seeking out this savory meat in the name of therapy and recovery.

Margy brought it to my attention with a cute annecdote about almost stealing Debbie Mazar's guanciale during dinner at Osteria Mozza but realized her "mistake" in time and was then rewarded with a "history of" lesson from Debbie's husband. If the fattier, less smoky Italian bacon had not already sparked my interest, the story of the Italian shepherds carrying around this massive chunk of pork attached to their belt with an equally sizable chunk of cheese (an early lunchable, if you will) sealed the deal with its echo of one of my favorite Simpsons annecdotes in which Abe Simpson rambles about tying an onion to his belt because it was the style at the time. Unfortunately though, I couldn't find the story actually written anywhere and the bazillion calls I made were of little help. NEVERTHELESS, I feel the humorous imagery justifies the retelling of this potentially bogus story. Guanciale, a kind of Paul Bunyan for the bacon world.