On Savagery

Keen observers may have noticed that I list 'savagery' as one of my interests. This is not to say that I advocate the collapse of civilisation, or even the hunting of explorers with spears, but I do very much like the use of those concepts as metaphors.

The concept of savagery has evolved considerably within Webster Towers this past six months or so. Hugo (m'housemate) and I tend to use the word to describe a genre of food; key constituents including some kind of beans, meat (preferably ground and/or boiled), a frying pan (for the assembly, not as part of the meal... that really would be savage) and (all-important, this) chilies and chili sauce.




Wossauce you wannnnt... yer wannnnt hot chili, yeah?

The class of foods which qualify as savagery is fairly broad, and encapsulates several better known and/or widely feared items. The carnitas burrito I had from the Cancun at Mission and 19th in SF on Monday night, certainly qualified. I was afflicted (as were Matt and Ben who ordered similar beasts) with uncontrollable tears/runny nose/sweat as I crammed plastic forkfuls of white-hot salsa down my neck. However, the more conventional style of savagery is a homemade dish:



Savagery. Yesterday.

To reproduce such wonders, simply fry a load of onions and garlic, add meat, hot chili, mild chili and some vegetables (whatever's lying about in the fridge - in this case, green bell pepper), and fry it some more. Don't worry if part of it sticks to the pan; this is normal. When it looks like it's done, add more beans than strictly necessary, and add chili sauce to taste. (The taste you are looking for is furious to incandescent.) Serve with rice and low quality beer.

If you tire of the basic recipe, try these variations:

California savagery: same as the basic recipe, except with brown rice. Garnish with avocado.

Savagery Madame: The same as the basic recipe, but with a fried egg on top.

Savagery pobre: The same as above, except with two fried eggs on top.

Game savagery: use ground or diced venison, rabbit or wild boar. Double points if you killed the animal yourself; quadruple if you used your bare hands.

French savagery: reserve the feet and/or head of the animal you are eating, and boil it in a big pan. Serve with garlic butter.

Savagery tartare: Mix ingredients together. Don't bother cooking them.