I don't really know why, but I have pigs on the mind recently. I love pork chops and bacon, but I don't think that's what has prompted this porcine preoccupation. Anyway, I have gotten to thinking about the modern view of pigs, and just how integral they are in our colloquial expressions and informal culture.
Pigs are often featured at children's zoos, usually surrounded by a family of roughly 200 piglets, [well, okay, maybe eight,] all pink and cute and looking innocent and friendly. They snuffle and snort, looking for all the world like the perfect familial scene. This is false advertising, mostly propagated by people who have seen too many Disney movies. Pigs are large creatures with beady eyes and small, yellow, very sharp teeth, and they are not afraid to use them. I think it's very important to remember this as you sink your own teeth into that juicy chop you are now going to have for dinner.
A word of wisdom - if you don't like to throw dirt, don't get into a pig pen. They are pretty unconcerned about hygiene, happily wallowing in the mud, like... well... pigs. See, that's what I mean. Our culture is full of pig related references, which make our language richer.
Not unlike the end result of feeding pigs, which produces a type of fertilizer that can work in a field, but definitely should not be used on a garden. I'm pretty sure, however, that most Americans don't want to think about what is fertilizing some of those organic crops they are scarfing down by the very expensive bushel. [See, I told you I grew up on a farm. I can throw terms like bushel around, and look really smart, even if I don't know what I'm talking about. Which in this case, I actually do.]
Entire industries revolve around the delicate taste of "the other white meat." It has supported a nationwide obsession with barbecue joints, not to mention men with grills, and of course, the National Pork Producers Council, which works hard every day to protect the fine image of the pig. Imagine, a whole national council to promote the right of every citizen to die by pork sausage patty. Is this a great country or what?
The government, with its usual keen finger on the pulse of the nation, has sponsored a study of pigs, to determine once and for all if Porky is smarter than Doc. Apparently, the results of this study were mixed. While some pigs appear to be smart enough to build houses of brick and send the wolves at the door packing, (or turn them into stew,) other pigs are not quite so hard working. I mean seriously, straw? Twigs? Natural selection at play on that one, I would say.
Pigs are not only found in animated entertainment or fine children's literature, however. We use, or abuse, the pig in daily life on an ongoing basis, and without it, we would be bereft of many colorful cliches, without which, I, for one, would be unable to write this blog.
It has been said that you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. This has obvious meaning, and requires little explanation, unless you don't know silk comes from a worm and not a pig. In which case, you shouldn't be using that metaphor, anyway. [And if that is the case, I once again must urge you to get off the blogs and into a library or a good book, because you are woefully ignorant.]
When we accuse someone of eating like a pig, the meaning is clear, although perhaps a little unfair, since pigs prefer a rather healthy diet of grains and fruits and vegetables, unlike the humans who are being so described. By the way, pigs today are fed carefully controlled menus, to produce the exact amount of meat and fat required for the modern diner. Aren't you glad to know that the spare ribs you will grill were designed just for your tastes?
Someone who is stubborn is pig-headed. We bleed like a stuck pig, and we have as much difficulty achieving our tasks as catching a greased pig.
Some of the phrases are a little less clear. What, exactly, is a pig in a poke? I am guessing we are not talking about a porky Pillsbury Doughboy. And why on earth did we start looking for pigs to fly, I wonder?
Pigs, those versatile creatures, are a complete package it seems. They provide us with food and dog toys. They have played a role in educating generations of children through fine literature, not to mention pointing out that straw does not make for a sturdy dwelling. They have given us a wealth of colloquial sayings, and their animated adventures are part of the history of television. Pigs have provided us with art, and even music. "Who's afraid of the big bad wolf...?" Anyway. Foolish or smart, pigs are an integral part of our informal language and American life.
And now, apparently pigs have broken the barrier into high fashion, because just the other day I heard that not only do we dress pigs, but they are wearing lipstick as well. Do you think Petunia will start her own label?
