Tales of Ox

Ox Tails....is this on anyone's shopping list? It certainly isn't on mine. But, everywhere I go lately I see it. There is a huge hand written sign posted on the freezer door of our little grocery store announcing, "YES, WE HAVE OX TAILS". Oh, good. I was worried.

Then, I check out this new restaurant. They have oxtails on their menu. What is up with that? But even worse is the first item on their dry erase board menu. Curried goat. Bleh. I'm glad my appetite rushed back to the car before my lunch hurled to the floor. You don't have to worry about me making reservations.

This site says, "Oxtail soup is a comfort food for many." No. No. No. Chocolate is a comfort food. Brownies, oreos, Molten Chocolate Cake. These are comfort foods. No where in the PMS guide does it list Oxtail soup. The ox doesn't even find any comfort in that. And certainly not me. Who the hell finds comfort in oxtail soup?

Further, it states, "Today, upscale chefs are rediscovering oxtails to the nostalgic delight of older patrons and the wonder of the younger crowd who consider it an exotic meat. And it's not just for soup or stew these days, as you'll see from the recipes. " Nostalgic delight?! Exotic?! No, it's the left over parts no one wants to eat. The older people ate it because they were poor and people used to give the junk away. It was called survival food. They ate it because they had to. It became undiscovered because it was crap. Now all of a sudden it's exotic? Give me a break. I don't believe it. People use it because it's cheap.

The article says that it's the collagen from the oxtail that makes it tasty. Animal collagen is used in shampoos and conditioners. It is in antiwrinkle creams. I have no desire to eat my shampoo and cosmetics. This doesn't even sound appetizing.

Has anyone reading this eaten oxtail? Do you cook with it regularly? I'm just curious. Don't invite me for dinner that night.