Meat you there

My grandfather was a butcher in Philadelphia, and he used to bring us cow tongue to snack on as kids. I thought it was bologna for a long time. So I was always well aware that meat came from animals and not supermarkets.

These days, we’re lucky to be alive in the retro 21st century, when foods made from scratch and butchered on site are all the rage. You can learn how to break down a whole hog and make sausage with Mark Liberman of Black Sheep Butchery (http://wholehogbutchery.eventbrite.com) and study Butchering 101 with Taylor’s Market butcher Danny Johnson (www.taylorsmarket.com). Danny will school you in breaking down a lamb and choosing cuts to grill, and even serve you lunch.

If that’s not enough meatiness for you, trundle over to the Meat Lab at UC Davis on Thursdays and Fridays to take part in their meat sale. There, they teach animal science students to butcher whole animals and then sell the results. So don’t shy away from meat sources—go find out what’s on your plate.