Lamb

Picture this - Sicily, 1952 (for all you Golden Girls fans out there).

No really... picture this - Chile, 2011. 3 days ago, to be exact. Take the above image, and replace the man with a Chilean man on his 38th birthday. Remove the foil, and replace the metal rod with an enormous toothpick. Can you picture it? Good.

Ok, now replace the wooded backdrop with a crowded garage full of old car parts lining every wall. Very small. Ok, now one last step - take away this guy's paintbrush, and replace it with a small pocket knife.

Good. Now you're ready for a story.

Jean and I went with E to visit some people on the other side of town. We discovered that the people we intended to visit weren't home, but on our way, we ran into another p-st-r friend. We were invited to his house where we enjoyed the traditional coffee and bread (this time it was cake) with his family, and soon realized that the family was preparing for a celebration. Over the next hour or so, we learned that it was the father of the family's 38th birthday, and the very large lump on the counter, covered in red plastic sheeting was, in fact, a headless, skinned, whole lamb.

I turned my head away as a few men ripped the limbs apart, and the smell almost did me in. My sister would have left this house about 4 minutes ago in this story. The carcase was taken outside and placed on the aforementioned apparatus. E told us that this meat was very expensive and a delicacy. Every so often, blood would drip out. Yep - indeed a delicacy. ;) At times Jean and I were handed a very hot chunk of the meat from a less than sanitary hand. We graciously accepted.

Oh, and remember how I said the lamb was headless? Our host treated us with a thorough look at the in-tact head (eyes and everything). Mmm. Appetizing. :)

As the guests arrived for the celebration, it dawned on us that we were also invited to the party. We gathered around the table (some seated, some standing), while everyone "dug in," in a very literal and communal way.

So... Happy Birthday. This year, as we're looking forward to the most important Birthday of the year, let's celebrate in some special ways. :)