One smart pig

This weekend was my mom's family reunion. It's always over Labor Day weekend and it's fun seeing all my relatives. I learned lots and had tons of fun. I found out this year that from the family of Dean and Katherine Phillips there are 10 children, 51 grand children and 116 great-grand children. I also learned I was the only one born in 1993. I also learned that Heart of Darkness is one of the most confusing and pointless books in existence...but that's not even the fun part of my weekend. For Saturday linner [a combination of lunch and dinner] my cowboy cousins decided they wanted to have pig...not ham, pig. Like a luau kinda pig, except we grilled it instead of turning it on a spit or burying it in the ground. Here's the piggy:


We got the whole apple effect and everything! I didn't get a full picture of him, but the head was what was important anyways :). It was really yummy! They seasoned it and even stuffed a few chickens in his belly for a little more variety. When everyone was done, they were cleaning it up, and my mom asked what they were going to do with the head...it was then I offered to cut it up :D :D :D. Me and my biology nerd-ness were so excited! So I got a knife and some gloves and went to work!
CAUTION: pictures with pig guts appear ahead, those who are a little shaky, please do not continue


I had to peal all the skin off. They had already cut the ears off so it was easy.


There was this whole audience, some of the little ones were even excited! However, my cousin who's arm is in this picture was a little squeamish :P


Once I got the skin off, it pretty much fell apart. Here is the jaw, still with a little chin hair.


and the skull! Still full with all the guts. I pulled the snout out and all the arteries and fat came off with it, but I'm still curious as to how they snort!

I pretty much just poked all the guts out, pulled out the eyeballs, cleaned off the arteries and muscles...but my goal was the brain. Pigs are supposed to be semi-intelligent, on about the same level as a dog, I was curious to check it out...are you ready?


There we are! It took some hard work to get inside the skull...but I got it out! I thought it was pretty small, but whatever. [btw: all the other guts on the table did not come from the head...that was it's neck and back.]


This is the back of the skull that I actually broke off to get to the brain, and I got to take it home!! I can't wait to show everyone.


Me and my clean pig skull...One happy moment of my life.

This was probably the hi-light of my entire weekend. I have more other pictures that are NOT disgusting, but of my cute cousin's kids which I will be sure to post later!