Date:  Thu, 15 Dec 1994 23:38:46 CST

From:  "Donald M. Lance" <ENGDL[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]MIZZOU1.BITNET>

Subject: Re: Word / meeting / eating of the year



Allan mentioned chicken fajitas. A little "etymology" here.

The word 'faja' means something like 'belt', and the REAL fajas (small ones

= fajitas) are the strips of muscle under the bellies of animals that have

substantial bellies and enough muscle in them to do somwthing with. For

some time, butchers didn't bother with these parts of animals and either sold

them at a cheap rate or gave them away to people in the community who didn't

have much money but had enough patience to strip the fat off these muscle

strips. The meat is pretty tough, so the fajitas were spiced up when cooked.



When yuppies discovered these delectations, the prices soared, and now the

financially challenged no longer have this good source of protein for their

diets. Well, have you ever examined the underside of a chicken? No fajas,

not even enough flesh for fajititas. So what you'll get rather than

chicken fajas/fajitas is chicken breast cooked with a slathering of a

variant of the spicy sauce used on real fajitas -- chicken with fajita

seasoning. Everything has its season, and the time for the old-style

fajita has elapsed. Down in the Valley (in Texas) one can still get the

real item in all sorts of restaurants.   Fajas are also known as

flank steaks.    DMLance