Maybe it was the Tsing Tao ...

But visited Red Pepper tonight for an early dinner and ventured out of the comfort zone and had the Hot Pepper Pork Stomach. It was ... fantastic. The meat had a wonderful smoky flavor, a nice bit of heat -- so glad I left caution to the wind and tried something new. Have yet to be disappointed at this restaurant. Pulling hard that it overcomes the curse of Lower Brownsboro and thrives at this location

[Robin Garr]

Bill, I share your affection for Red Pepper, and I've tried a lot of their dishes. Guess I'll have to try the pork stomach one of these days ...

I've never had stomach of any kind. Can someone recommend an additional coupla places where I can try it? I'll promise to report back on the experience.

It's been a while (3 years), but I had pork stomach at a Chinese buffet off Bardstown Road at Hurstbourne and I liked it a lot. I believe it was in the Piccadilly Plaza? It wasn't on the menu. I got to know the people who ran the place and they were always bringing me such oddities, and seemed quite proud to do so. I think they were trying to see what I would eat before they grossed me out. Fish heads, animal guts, chicken feet, and things that I don't even know what they were and was told not to ask. I dunno if the place is even around anymore.

Anything non-chinese? My most sensuous meat experiences are free from sweet and salty curing. I wanna have a neat and authentic stomach tasting time. My stomach is already growling... for stomach... (insert dracula emoticon)...

I think they were trying to see what I would eat before they grossed me out. Fish heads, .

Gross man, you really ate the fish heads? I sucked a crawfish once, but, like a striped bash or catfish head? Eye balls too?

Anything non-chinese? My most sensuous meat experiences are free from sweet and salty curing. I wanna have a neat and authentic stomach tasting time. My stomach is already growling... for stomach... (insert dracula emoticon)...

There is a little taqueria called La Mexicana next door to La Favorita Grocery at 6201 Preston that makes menudo which is a beef tripe soup... traditionally it uses the first three of the four chambers of a cow's stomach. They make it fresh for Saturday's and maybe Sunday? I have not had it, but their carne asada burrito with green sauce is AMAZING! You could try that for another ethnic version of stomach. Enjoy!

Please to explain "pork stomach." And is that the same thing as "pork lace" or "pork caul"? And if it is, does anybody know where I can buy some? I've asked some local butchers, and nobody has a clue what I'm talking about.

I think they were trying to see what I would eat before they grossed me out. Fish heads, .

Gross man, you really ate the fish heads? I sucked a crawfish once, but, like a striped bash or catfish head? Eye balls too?

Yes, even the eyeballs. Sick, huh?!?

fish heads for jackie.jpg

I thought "pork belly" referred to the same cut which is used to make bacon. There is organ meat or "offal" called tripe when referring to the stomach. Pork caul or lace is the fat or "mesentery" surrounding the animal's abdominal organs. I would think that most butchers should be familiar with the term mesentery.

[Robin Garr]

I thought "pork belly" referred to the same cut which is used to make bacon. There is organ meat or "offal" called tripe when referring to the stomach. Pork caul or lace is the fat or "mesentery" surrounding the animal's abdominal organs. I would think that most butchers should be familiar with the term mesentery.

The problem with ethnic restaurant menus is generally the language barrier. It's hard to know what the good folks at Red Pepper mean by "stomach." Tripe, as in menudo? (Pigs not being ruminants, though, they don't have tripe.) The actual stomach, as in the vessel used to make Scottish haggis? Or maybe just a literal translation of "pork belly"? Could be any of the above, or something else.

I've got the Red Pepper authentic menu here someplace. I'll dig it out today and try to find the Chinese characters in my Mandarin dictionary and see if the original name is more revealing.

The vast majority of tripe seen on menus is from cows, but there is pork tripe. It is common in sichuan (szechuan) dishes.

[Robin Garr]

The vast majority of tripe seen on menus is from cows, but there is pork tripe. It is common in sichuan (szechuan) dishes.

I think we're on to something here. Red Pepper's three "pork stomach" dishes all have the final two characters in common. According to my Chinese-English dictionary, they are "Du Si," which means "Tripe silk."

I'm still puzzled about pork tripe, though, since pigs aren't ruminants, don't chew the cud or have multiple stomachs as cows do.

Source: WordNet (r) 1.7

tripe
n 1: lining of the stomach of a ruminant (especially a bovine)
used as food

I agree that some of the best dishes at Red Pepper are the ones that turn you off with the name!

The tripe is some of the best I've ever tried (I agree with you!), my favorite appetizer is the "Smelly Chicken" (can't remember exact name), and I've never gone wrong by selecting a dish with a weird or crazy name.

[Robin Garr]

my favorite appetizer is the "Smelly Chicken" (can't remember exact name), and I've never gone wrong by selecting a dish with a weird or crazy name.

"Unique Chicken Smell" on the menu. Many Chinese restaurants translate this name more accurately as "Strange Flavor Chicken," which is still a little offbeat but maybe a little more appetizing. Whatever you call it, I love it too!