Appetizing Article

...here's a sample of the first course: Fearnley-Whittingstall’s occasional efforts to explain butchery, like boning a leg of lamb (encouraging his readers not to bother with a professional but to do the “hatchet job yourself—it’s quite easy to improvise”), reveal a tolerance for chaos (“It’s a bit tricky to explain”) that may be without precedent among people who make a living from preparing food.

And since I've started a bit of dialog on Mongolia, here's the latest report regarding how they prepare steaks (taken direct from a friend who e-mailed me from Ulaan Bataar):

"Steak... has never been part of the Mongol diet. They learned from the Germans or some other fascists, who cook it beyond well-done to badly-done - the steak comes out on a burning hot skillet and continues to cook and stiffen in front of your outraged eyes. Like a Jew. I was recently treated to beers and one of these "steaks." ...She [Mongol friend] asked me if it was good. I lied. It took me 45 minutes to eat. The fillet of beef is readily available here - the WHOLE long fillet, none of that diminutive mignon. You go to the market and pick out your fillet, they cut to size by the weight you specify, you take it home and you cut it up yourself into nice, plump medallions. In Mongol the filet's called "golnii mah"
meaning "central meat" or "important meat". It is grass-fed. It could be aged. We can cook some steaks when you come - buy the fillet, dry-age the bugger, cut it into mignons, and fry it up. The reason I don't suggest a T-bone or other cut is because I wouldn't know how to find it and cut it out. I'll give this a try before you come. I often crave a good bloody steak."