I visited my primary supplier this morning, Super King. Noticed that the Dead Pig shelves were quite sparsely stocked. I did notice a single 5 pound slab of leg, at an acceptable price, so I purchased it to replenish my supply.

Beef was still in fairly good supply, though with fewer choices. Chicken and fish were both at pre-covid levels with prices only a little higher than normal. All paper goods were in good supply, though still with restricted brand choices.

Grains and beans were in good supply, and even Thai Jasmine Rice could be had. It had been totally unavailable for a couple of months, but started coming back two weeks ago. What was never in short supply was Indian Basmati.

Herbs and fresh vegetables were never affected at all. Canned goods now look back to normal stocking.

Fruit was abnormally high today, everything well over $1 per pound except apples, oranges, and, surprisingly, cherries. I bought some apples (pinyata variety) and cherries. I didn't buy oranges because that was scheduled for the next stop.

Next, I headed for Vietnam, I needed Stem Lettuce and Sunday Oranges, for which they are the only reliable supplier. For Sunday breakfasts I insist on an orange that weighs well over a pound. Today I got one at 1-1/2 pounds and one at 1-3/4 pounds. Only once have I ever snagged a 2 pound orange. They had a good supply of Stem Lettuce, and I also picked up some Pork Liver and a bag of Gai Lan Mui (Chinese broccoli in very small stalks).

The 5 pound slab of dead pig, I dismantled. Yield was good, a whole 3 pounds of clear lean meat. All bones and trimmings went into the stock pot. There was a wide belt of hide, about 16 inches long, separated from the meat by a thick belt of clear white fat. I shaved the fat off, diced it, and set in an iron pan to render into lard.

The hide went into the stock pot. After 35 minutes simmering, I pulled it out, sliced it, and ate it with a vinegar dip. After all the fat was rendered, I ate the cracklings with a sprinkle of salt.

Very little waste here, just the bones (not many) and the parts of the trimmings that didn't dissolve into the soup stock. The stock gets filtered, then de-fatted using a gravy separator. Finally it is brought back to a boil and poured hot into a glass jar. With the lid sucked down tight as it cools, it will stay usable in the fridge for months.

Tonight, supper will be dad pig with stem lettuce, by a Sichuan recipe. Tasty, but a bit chili hot for some people.