While cooking dinner for my house last night, I was reminded that there is nothing quite like that moment when homemade carnitas (pork tacos) arrive at seasoned perfection. Twelve hours of slow cooking, minutes of re-marinating on the stove, and lots of tinkering later, it comes: juicy, citrus-tenderized, just-rightly-salted pork goodness. Not only does it feel like a heroic feat (that I have not, in fact, managed to ruin 20+ pounds of meat); time stops and my taste-buds are transported to paradise.
The experience makes me think of Robert Capon’s The Supper of the Lamb, which I’ve been reading in my free time these days. Capon reminds that the wonder of this world is tied to its unnecessariness. Creation did not arise out of need; it was and continues to be an act of God’s delight and love. For all its brokenness, the world “remains outside the cosmic garbage can of nothingness…because it is the orange peel hung on God’s chandelier, the wishbone in His kitchen closet. He likes it; therefore it stays.” Pork—like wine, trees, cats, and stars—exists not for need or even convenience, but “because it is His very present pleasure to have it so.”
Speaking of Capon’s book, I would like to invite you to our debut event happening Saturday, May 21, 1:00-4:00 PM in Hillsdale, MI: “Taste and See: An Afternoon of Food, Art, and Conversation.” The event will feature one of our favorite artists and friends, Caroline Greb.
Admission will go towards supporting Caroline as well as the work of Perishable Goods. Ticket price includes:
Exclusive access to an exhibit of Caroline’s latest collection
Wine or Espresso Drink + Delicious Food
Event-only microprint
A public interview with Caroline where we'll discuss her work and other familiar Perishable Goods topics: theology, hospitality, embodiment, and food
Raffle entries for giveaways
Also featuring:
Cheese from Pleasant View Farms (Jonesville, MI)
A charcuterie board giveaway thanks to
our friends at Outpost Trestle Company
Be sure to follow them on Instagram via the pictures below!
In an unnecessary world, “nothing is needful, everything is for joy.”
Our hope is that our upcoming event, and everything we do here at Perishable Goods, will help others see and delight more in the goodness that persists in our broken world.
See you next Saturday,
Jared Eckert
On behalf of the Perishable Goods Team