Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Hog heaven

My son called this evening. I’d been wondering.

DW (his), son and he moved to Hawaii last month. It’s their second try at making a go of it there, expensive and service industry-oriented as the state is. I was somewhat relieved to know that he was out looking for work today.

I still worry, yet there may be a way to eke out a subsistence lifestyle as they rent from a farmer who has groves of fruits and nuts and needs labor. My son is already helping by clearing away jungle that has encroached, thereby insuring a better harvest.

“Of course it doesn’t help that a feral pig comes down to eat the macademia nuts every day.”

“And this pig is still alive, why? There’s your protein.”
 
“We’ve been eating a lot of mung beans and tofu.”

“Still, I know you like pork.”

“We don’t have the freezer space.”

How about your landlord? Does he have a gun? I’d say a 30-06 oughta do it.”

“It’s 250 pounds, and no, I don’t think he owns a gun.”

“Well, how about your old neighbor, the pig hunter. Buy him a six pack of beer and offer to go halvsies.”

“Yeah, I could do that. We could smoke up some good meat when you’re here in February.”

“Yes, we could.”

With no natural predators other than humans, pigs have become a problem on the island, just as they have in many other countries without large carnivores.

“We have some wild cows up the road too. You can hear them bellowing at night. Our landlord says it’s some of the best beef he’s ever had. There's wild goats too.”

“Lord, son, borrow a gun and buy a used freezer.”

“DW (his) says you’d do the deed, Dad, no problem.”

Indeed, I would. I have to look after my kin, right.

February.

2 comments:

lightning36 said...

Hunting in Hawaii just sounds kind of different.

Crash said...

Just don't kill any moles unless you are going to eat them.

The weather there in February will be good. Or, name any other month!