Bacon Free Zone

When we traveled to Prague and Budapest we ate pork.

We ate pork loin sprinkled with bacon bits, sausages of varied lengths, and anything bacon-wrapped on the menu... because we could. The Saudis in our group had to return their "special non-pork meals" every time because they would accidentally add bits of pork. They loved the soups in that region, especially in Budapest. I too enjoyed the Goulash. It was full of chunky veggies in a yummy broth with occasional meat chunks added. I wanted to purchase a Goulash cookbook but I noticed that EVERY recipe used lard so I passed. I've never cooked with lard and generally avoid recipes that use it. Just recently I found out lard comes from PIGS. So I guess when they ate the soup it was equivalent to the European desserts I've accidentally eaten that had coffee or liquor in them.

We've heard that once upon a time you could buy pork products here. Special rooms were set aside for these "dirty" items. But some non-pork eaters decided they could make a buck and started a black pork market, so that was the end of that. Now you can only indulge outside the country. Except for those people who try to tape it to their bodies to get it across the border.

We are sick and tired of turkey bacon, turkey sausage, turkey lunch meat of every kind, turkey ham, turkey bologna... we'll be home (in the US) just in time to celebrate the biggest Turkey Day of the year.

So the point of all of this rambling is this... our boys were admiring some friend's guinea pigs. They were very interested, having never seen them before. Our friends then told us how fortunate they were to get them because apparently guinea PIGS get turned away at the boarder. They have another friend who has tried repeatedly to smuggle them in. After two failed attempts, they then tried to bring it over as a hamster......and that too was denied. After that they gave up. 

Somehow, someone got one in, or I guess two, and they are breeding them. They are available if you know the right person.

A day or two after hearing this story I was shocked to find these at the store...

I guess these soy chips pass the test, even if the name is questionable. They should, because they definitely don't taste like bacon.