A Tough Topic

Today I'm going to take on a tough topic. You may think this is just another of my gags, but really it's just something a little more meaty than usual. And by writing this, I'm hoping to give you something to chew on, something you can really sink your teeth into. Today's topic is...

Gristle

Gristle is about as nasty as things come.

First of all, for those who may not be familiar with the word, here is the dictionary definition:

Gristle: cartilage, especially when found as tough, inedible tissue in meat. 

In fact, when I say "here's the dictionary definition" I do mean the dictionary definition. It is the word so repulsive that no other meaning wants to be associated with it. There isn't a second meaning like "The friction created when a person's thighs rub together while walking"; or "A green, studded hat".

"Gristle" only means: "cartilage, especially when found as tough, inedible tissue in meat."

So how about some pictures for the gristle-uninitiated? 

No. Don't wanna. If you want pictures, look for them yourself. Suffice it to say that there are no cute pictures of gristle. Not one. And if I put pictures of it here, well, you and I would always know that somewhere lurking in my blog is a picture of gristle. And we wouldn't like coming here anymore.

Go to your favourite recipe site and try to find something that lists gristle as an ingredient. Here's what food.com had to say:

0 Results for "gristle"

How about famous quotations that contain the word "gristle"? There are some (courtesy of topfamousquotes.com)...but not things we tend to cite often in conversation.

"A bad past is like gristle. You can chew on it forever and starve yourself to death, or you can spit it out and see what else is on the table. Author: Lisa Wingate

"When you're chewing on life's gristle; Don't grumble, give a whistle; And this'll help things turn out for the best...And...always look on the bright side of life...Always look on the light side of life."Author: Graham Chapman

"A book is meant not only to be read, but to haunt you, to importune you like a lover or a parent, to be in your teeth like a piece of gristle." Author: Anatole Broyard

 If you try to visit gristle.com, you get a blank page that says only:

"The new home of Gristle dot com"

And what does that even mean?

Here's what you get a gristle.org:


Words that rhyme with gristle? Thistle, bristle, missile, whistle - each a word with an element of nastiness (if you're wondering about whistle, try giving one to a little child).

Gristle-based foods?

• Gristle Bitz breakfast cereal.
• Gristle Chunkz snack cakes.
• Gristle-and-cream frozen yogurt.
• Grissol bread sticks (nah, that would never work).

Enough said I think. I could go on all day, but I think I made my case. Gristle is the pariah word. We don't talk about it. We don't want to encounter it. We certainly don't want it anywhere near our mouths.

But all that said, I will sign off by offering my own bit of gristle poetry...

It makes me shudder. It makes me shake.
When I find gristle in my steak.
When I don't find it, it's not a stretch.
To say that gristle makes me wretch.

Enjoy your day and let's eat carefully out there.

(In case you're wondering, I was at my Mom's house yesterday, she made soup, and some cabbage got mistaken for some gristle. That's why it came up.)