The Pig Pen | My Pig Me Up

My Pig Me Up Fundraiser at Art-B-Que!

Written by Lillian Tram on May 10th, 2013

We just bought 60lbs of pork to make Pulled Pork BBQ. Come out to support a good cause at Art-B-Que. My Pig Me Up is holding a charity fundraiser to bring a mobile petting zoo to Egleston Children’ts Hospital in June. Find My Pig Me Up‘s booth near the stage to your left at Avondale Estate. See you there!!!

Check out the Art-B-Que event page on Facebook.

A Disabled Pig Who Gets By With A Little Help!

Written by Lillian Tram on March 6th, 2013

Meet Chris P. Bacon, the coolest little disabled pig on the block. See, Mr. Bacon was born without the use of his hind legs, so he was given this genius little contraption to get him around and moving again, and get him going on his way with a little wheelchair cart to explore the world!

The pig’s previous owners had taken him to the veterinarian in Florida to put him down, since they just kind of assumed that there wouldn’t be anything they could do and there was no way to allow the pig to live a positive, healthy quality of life with only his two front legs.

Because Of What It is…..BACON!

Written by Samuel Reyes on February 27th, 2013

Come back for more pork related comic next week! Bacon time…….

How’s Your Hog Doing?

Written by Lillian Tram on February 23rd, 2013

I’m no biker, but bikes are badass. Or, I guess I should say, hogs are bad ass – since that’s what bikers, and specifically Harley Davidson riders, call their bikes. There’s an owner’s group out there now called the Harley Owner’s Group (get it? HOG?), but even before that, I wondered why Harleys were called hogs. So, I looked it up!

It turns out that down south back in the 1920s and for several decades, Harley Davidson teams of racers had mascots to cheer them along, and one (or maybe more?) of the successful teams had hog and pig mascots. They figured that the bikes and the hogs both had a workman-like, endearing quality to them, and they forever became linked. The racing teams called themselves the hogs as an homage to their hog mascot, and they considered themselves to be linked from it.

Happy Valentine’s Day Oinkers!

Written by Lillian Tram on February 14th, 2013

Happy Valentine’s Day My Pig Me Up readers. Hope you are enjoying this Pigtastic day with your special someone. Hogs and kisses!!!

Pig Out Because You’re Poor?

Written by Lillian Tram on February 12th, 2013

Ok, maybe not because you are poor, per se, but NPR has a fascinating new article up recently about how evolutionary biologists have determined that people are more likely to pig out – i.e., gain weight – over time during two major periods: recessions, and winter time.

It makes sense when you think about it (and you can read more about it here on NPR’s website), but basically, it all comes down to scarcity. When food and other resources are scarcer, or at the very least when they are perceived to be scarcer, they come up more likely that you will use them to ensure that you survive.

Bracing For Antibiotic Resistance

Written by Lillian Tram on February 8th, 2013

Big news on the farm around the country is the issues with antibiotic usage – and now resistance to antibiotics by diseases – by pig farmers all around the country. While pig farmers have been feeding antibiotics to their pigs for years now, just in the last few years the United States and the FDA have come down with some pretty stringent guidelines on antibiotics in animals and for animal food.

Antibiotics, after all, make the pigs ward off disease when they are young and vulnerable, and allow farmers to see to it that they have a clean crop each year and a good set of pigs from which to choose. Plus, antibiotics help the older pigs grow faster on less feed, accounting for more profits and a better profit margin than what had been previously used decades before.

What’s Up With Cochon 555 This Year?

Written by Lillian Tram on February 4th, 2013

If you’ve been living under a rock, or you’re not as big a fan of pigs as I am (ha!), you may not know about Cochon 555, a kind of new foodie rock & roll paradise that is dedicated to being a traveling circus of sorts. It prides itself on sustainability, and being a “locavore” event for people who love eating, spending, and shopping locally, as well as a cooking contest and a wine tasting event for those who just love food and drink.

Oh, yeah. And the pigs.

The Best Bacon Bouquet You Can Make

Written by Lillian Tram on February 2nd, 2013

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, believe it or not, but don’t worry, fellas! If you’ve got a girlfriend (and if she’s anything like me!), chances are she wants two things for the special day: a set of nice, beautiful roses, and something tasty to eat. Well… what if I told you that there was a way that you could give her both of those things at once? And no, I’m not talking about having her eat the roses, silly…

I’m of course talking about a BACON BOUQUET! That’s right – a bouquet of what looks like roses, but instead of being actual flowers and plants, well, it’s bacon! What’s not to love about that?

It’s All Over For The Hogettes

Written by Lillian Tram on January 28th, 2013

When it comes to famous mascots and amazing crowd support and fandom, few sports can match the intensity of the National Football League. After all, you had Barrel Man in Denver, the famous firefighter who rooted on the New York Jets loyally, and countless other supporters and fans across the country pushing their teams to victory week in, and week out.

But few fans really came up with as original and, ahem, as unforgettable work in their support as those of the Washington Redskins. I’m of course talking about The Hogettes, a group of middle-aged men who liked to dress up as women, in flowery, colorful dresses, with pig snouts on their noses. They loyally cheered at each and every Redskins home game, and even their fair share of road games over time on their way to being, well, unforgettable in the minds of most Redskins fans.

Make Room For The Most Recent Therapy…Pig?

Written by Lillian Tram on January 23rd, 2013

We know therapy dogs work in a variety of situations. You saw them in Newtown after the tragic shooting last month, helping victims and families cope and get through the emotional toil with a new furry, four-legged friend.

You see therapy dogs with soldiers, working to promote their mental and physical health as they get back from Afghanistan or Iraq, and work to improve their lives as they re-acclimate to civilian society.

Spotted Pig Gate

Written by Lillian Tram on January 18th, 2013

Gordon Ramsay is at it again, and this time, he is feuding (again) with Mario Batali and his business partner April Bloomfield. Back in 2004, Batali and Bloomfield opened up a restaurant called the Spotted Pig in New York’s West Village, and ever since then it has been an extremely solid and high quality restaurant and New York eatery.

With stars in the Michelin guide, stars dining in the restaurant, and great food and dishes prepared by world-class chefs, it’s one of the more famous restaurants in New York, and certainly one that every other celebrity chef would know about.

Guess Who Has The Most Pigs In The United States??

Written by Lillian Tram on January 15th, 2013

Well, it’s official. In case you had ever wondered (and you KNOW I did!), Iowa has the largest pig and hog inventory in the United States. According to the US Department of Agriculture, Iowa has a whopping 20.6 million pigs and hogs on farms this year, as of December 1st.

And the population is rising! That’s a three percent increase in pigs and hogs relative to last year. Believe it or not, our nearby neighbors to the north of me in Georgia have the second most pigs: North Carolina comes in with more than nine million pigs and hogs of their own, though that’s less than half of the number one state in Iowa.

Super Pig To The Rescue!

Written by Lillian Tram on January 12th, 2013

There’s a cool YouTube video out right now with a pig saving a baby goat from drowning, believe it or not. In the video, the pig saves a goat whose foot had become stuck at this underwater petting zoo.

I didn’t know underwater petting zoos exist, of course, but I guess pretty much everything exists nowadays, so I don’t know why I should be surprised…

Anyways, a YouTube user uploaded the video in September, and immediately it got a lot of play because, well, it’s just amazing. When you watch the video, I’ve got to say I am really impressed with how it all worked out and what came from it – it is definitely cool and touching to see that little pig swim over and save the goat from maybe drowning or at least being stuck for quite some time.

Pig’s Head Left Outside Facility Used By Muslims

Written by Lillian Tram on January 8th, 2013

In a weird and unfortunate story last week from the United Kingdom, three people have been arrested for what police say is leaving a pig’s head outside a center used by Muslims in Leicester. Sadly, this sort of thing for attention (or to intimidate the group in question) is really nothing new, both in England and the United States.

The pig, of course, is offensive to Muslims since in their religion they consider it unclean, and they are not allowed to eat pork. So, naturally, finding a pig head is a pretty clear symbol and sign of offense, disrespect, and hate.

The Muslim center in that area is apparently considering a move into a new neighborhood, but there have unfortunately been a great deal of protests in the English neighborhood, and by the British National Party against the move and against opening a new center in general.

Happy Holidays!

Written by Lillian Tram on December 25th, 2012

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and happy holidays. Oink oink!

Who You Callin Pigs, Anyways?

Written by Lillian Tram on December 23rd, 2012

Here’s a cool music video we found about pigs, and their treatment, called Who Ya Callin Pigs? It’s kind of a cool and funny video where pigs are “protesting” their treatment and name, and it’s all about getting people to love pigs a little more.

The video and lyrics have a more serious side, though, too; they are a call to attention on pigs and their treatment when used for food in things like bacon and pork by the major food production industries, and by restaurants and corporations around the country.

Down Home With The Neelys And Pig Barbecues

Written by Lillian Tram on December 18th, 2012

I’m not sure if you guys remember Down Home With The Neelys, which was this show on the Food Network; if you’re like me, you have to watch the Food Network to keep up with the blog, after all!

But for those who don’t watch it quite as religiously as I do, the Neely’s are a husband and wife team who cook a ton of yummy foods, and kind of focus on southern cuisine, and really rich, down-home cooking of various meals.

They come from that Paula Deen vein of really rich, tasty, and decadent foods that are total comfort cuisines. Plus, they’ve got some southern barbecue flavor and flare to them, so you know that they know how to grill a good piggy!

The Best Songs About Pigs – Part One

Written by Lillian Tram on December 13th, 2012

Humans are pretty musically inclined, but we give pigs a pretty bad rap (get it?!) when it comes to their own musical tastes. In fact, there are quite a few songs out there about pigs and pig products that rock my socks off!

You know pigs are intelligent, and you definitely know how much people like me love a good pig, but who would’ve thought that so many musicians had such great things to say about our favorite four-legged friends?!

Piggy Pajamas

Written by Lillian Tram on December 7th, 2012

Oprah seems to be the bearer of great news for a lot of people – she mentions a book on her show, and the next week it becomes a New York Times bestseller. She drops a note about a certain TV show or food, and it becomes the must-watch or must-make item of the month, making somebody in that business a very happy person.

While I sit here and dream that maybe one day Oprah will do the same thing for my blog, there is somebody in the piggy space of the world who Oprah has mentioned, and has made pretty famous and important almost overnight: the people who created (get this) ORGANIC PIG PAJAMAS!

The lady who created these pig-inspired pajamas was featured on Oprah a while back, in addition to having a blog and everything on her own. Business must be pretty good, too, because the price for a set of piggy pajamas is pretty steep; $89.95, to be exact. I don’t know if I have the kind of money to shell out for piggy pajamas, but… oh, who am I kidding? If it has to do with pigs, I’m probably going to buy it!