THE DAY OF THE PIG ROAST
Traditionally, "THE DAY" begins at around 6 AM. A select cook committee of host and guest representatives gathers in the motel/hotel lobby for optional Bloody Marys. Criteria for joining this committee are carefully laid out. Any host rep is welcome. Experienced guests who have no excuse, and a few rookies, round out the group. The next stop is at a preselected restaurant of choice (a late Friday night decision made by the Committee around the pool) for breakfast. Normally, in parallel with this activity is a host representative securing the pig de jour. The breakfast has developed into a meaningful fellowship activity for more advanced bonding. The number of cars required to transport the Committee to "the site" is again variable and a function of much forethought. Nothing is left to chance. Some planners will need to return to the motel during the day. Others will stay the course. In any event, the planning will be exact. A treat of recent years is the addition of the fast-food lunch provided by the host group. In earlier years, the hard-core cookers were required to rely on beverages of choice from early breakfast until either the evening meal or when a caring spouse delivered a sandwich in midafternoon. The new tradition of providing lunch for the cookers has served to increase the expected life span of the planners and has eliminated a headache or two. This new activity serves as an example of tweaking an otherwise perfect system periodically in order to remain state-of-the art. As the cook committee arrives at the site, a number of assignments are made, and like precision clockwork, the chores fold into place and the pig is prepared for its date with destiny (see Appendix for details). The main body of the group begins to arrive over a period from noon until around 5 PM. Wives who have been left to their own devices on Saturday are welcome sights to behold, as they arrive from a day's sightseeing, shopping, or recovering from wrong turns on the way to the PR. Planned recreational activities indigenous to the site are available. The more advanced planners find chatting with old acquaintances a great experience. A few token lawn chairs are furnished for the elderly in order to assist those who can spin a yarn or two better from the seated position. The goal is to remove the pig from the fire around 4 PM, approximately one to two hours prior to the evening meal. After a cooling period, the carving ritual is carefully laid out and set in place. Aprons are furnished for the "cutters." Shifts are set up. There is always an observer section. A special treat is being among the eight to ten privileged guests who are allowed to pull a rib — by consensus, the best part — from the pig. Cutters are entitled to eat small bites of "probably wasted meat" and drink beer as they work. These privileges have tended to increase the volunteer cadre over the years. Finally, the meat is prepared. The tables have already been set and strain under the weight of baked beans and coleslaw — various recipes available — and corn, buns, pickles, deserts, and who knows what else. The event is on! It should be noted that some attendees will likely be non-pork eaters, either by choice or for health reasons. While there is no specific Committee rule to handle this issue, it is
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