Ham and heart failure

[susandennis]

My family is rife with old age heart issues. Of my parents and my grandparents, only one did not die of some heart related something - at age 75 or older. (My paternal grandfather lived with painful glaucoma for years and lived longest of all but he spent his last two decades as a basic broccoli.) Anywhoooo. I've always assumed my own heart had a shelf life shorter than everything else in my body.

I just hope when it gives up, it does so quickly and painlessly. I don't do tests. I've had a great life and when my time is done it's done. All this is a prelude to a very odd sensation I got in the middle of my chest (just below the boob shelf) yesterday. I was sitting down and had been sitting down most of the day. It lasted just long enough for me to wonder whatthefuckisthat and why won't it go away. It did. Today it came back while I was swimming. A couple of times. I'm not going to do anything about it. Just documenting here in case I need the info later.

But ham. Here in the Pacific Northwest, ham is a minor meat. Beyond sandwiches, it is rarely on the menu. You can find it in the deli sections of grocery stores but it's not great ham. Just ok ham or ok ham adjacent. Sugar cured pink ham.

We do have some specialty stores that have a nice variety of Italian cured hams. But you aren't going to make a steak out of those.

Growing up in the south, ham was a staple. A breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack staple. Ham was on everything. Ham was the star of a wonderful dinner party. Ham was cured in a million different wonderfully delicious amazing ways. Everyone had ham in the fridge for emergencies.

The very best. The crown. The creme de la creme of ham was country ham. County ham is ham that is smoked (mostly hickory) and then salt cured for months. It is now pink. It is the color of fine burgundy. It has a perfume that you can smell with your tongue. It's delicious. There is a butcher (or used to be) here who sold country hams but only sold them whole - not in slices - so out of my reach.

A country ham biscuit is about as good as it gets eatin' wise. We can't even get good biscuits here (although that is changing little by little). And, in fact, there is a place, down at Pike Place Market where two guys from North Carolina sell country ham biscuits and, while they aren't as good as you can get in the south, they are pretty darned good for salmon country.

My brother made country ham biscuits this morning and sent me a picture from 2,000 miles away. Torture. Sigh.



Last night, I was scrolling through TiVo and found 4 episodes of something called Imposters. I started watching the first one and realized it was season 2 of an obscure show that I found last year and LOVED. It's a Bravo show and so good. What fun to have season 2. Thank you, TiVo.

Today's baseball game starts now. So after the game I'll still have lots of day left so I might just be making a new swimsuit.

Comments

[kristy.livejournal.com]

Ham is a delicious food & I had it a lot when I lived in the south.

:)

[meowmensteen]

Of course I made biscuits this morning. I usually make gravy for the family, and use jam for myself, but I might try to hunt down some decent jam for next Sunday. I've always liked jam, but Jere doesn't so I rarely cook it. This seems like the perfect solution because I already do something different with my biscuits.

Gary Hill just let the radio listeners know that Rizz said hi to everyone... I can't wait for him to come back. Him and Sims need to be more careful haha

[susandennis]

old men playing like they aren't. you really got the snake end, tho. at least we still have blowers. i am ready to send aaron back to you :)

[meowmensteen]

I don't know, I think Aaron is trying to follow in Joe Buck's footsteps. He might run off to national TV and leave Seattle behind.

[becomingkate.livejournal.com]

I hope your chest pain was nothing serious!

My husband loves ham. He bought an 8 lb. bone-in half ham for Easter. I made it, and then we had leftovers for about 3 days, and then I made broth with the bone and put chopped ham and potatoes in it. We had that for about 3 days. My son and I never want to look at ham again, but my husband can't get enough!

[kishenehn.livejournal.com]

That biscuit really does sound good.

I sometimes think that, at least on some level, we're better off not knowing what did our ancestors in. Pretty much everyone in my Mom's family ended up with Alzheimer's, so I always have this moment of subconscious genetic panic every time I forget where my keys are, or where I set my phone down ...

[susandennis]

I was thinking this morning that at least there was only one of them that had dementia. I have had this chest thing two times briefly. I forget shit constantly and, like you, I would absolutely worry every single time. :(

[jwg.livejournal.com]

I occasionally get chest pain and it is always caused by acid reflex. A couple of Tums or the equivalent relieve it.

My father died of a heart attack at the age of 55 while playing bridge. His father died of a heat attack at the age of 55 while playing bridge. To avoid this hereditary issue I stopped playing bridge before I was 55. It seems to have worked.

My mother made it to 92 and died of congestive heart failure. She was in pretty good health until then and lived alone in NYC; her mind was good - she played bridge regularly. I held her memorial service in her bridge club.

[susandennis]

A bridge too far... Good work on breaking the chain!

[christopher575.livejournal.com]

I ended up swimming in the afternoon at Snohomish Aquatic Center on Thursday and decided to go to Collector's Choice Restaurant in Snohomish because I was in the mood for a patty melt. I wish I would have changed my mind when I saw they have a ham melt on the menu, because the patty melt wasn't great.

[susandennis]

oh but swimming at SAC! That's top drawer. I wish it was closer.

[christopher575.livejournal.com]

It's not far for me but I prefer my normal pool here in Everett. It's nice to hit SAC once in a while either way. I'm happy to report the showers in SAC are finally warm!

[lacachet.livejournal.com]

There is a show on PBS called "A Chef's Life". Vivian Howard runs a restaurant in eastern North Carolina, farm to table. She cooks a number of things, some of which I've never even heard of, much less eaten. You might like it, I really enjoy it!

[susandennis]

i saw a couple of episodes when they first were aired here.

[zyzyly.livejournal.com]

Those ham biscuits look delicious!

[roasted-beets.livejournal.com]

What is the condiment of choice for a ham biscuit?

[susandennis]

none... just country ham in the middle of two biscuit halves.

[ani-mama.livejournal.com]

We get a 4H pig at the county fair every year, and get it processed at a local butcher. He makes the most lovely ham. I never used to like ham very much until I started getting it from the butcher. The stuff at the supermarket seems just too salty and fake now.