I had another good customer service experience tonight. I went over to the Broadway to get supplies for this beef stew, and I stopped in at the butcher for the meat. “Would that gravy beef be good for a stew?” I asked the guy at the counter. He nodded. I opened my mouth to tell him how much I wanted, when I was suddenly interrupted by another guy in the back. “Nah, you’ll want the oxtail!” he suggested. The what? Oxtail. He showed me a tray of it, which reminded me of shin beef (for making osso bucco). It didn’t take much convincing. It was cheap, and my helpful butcher friend gave me some tips on cooking it. (Just brown it and leave it on the bone while it cooks; add in a good glug of red wine; let it stew for a long time…) So tonight, I cooked oxtail stew for the first time. I cooked it on the stove (rather than putting it in the oven) for about two hours, and I substituted potatoes instead of rutabaga. It was GREAT. The meat went very tender, and the gelatine from the bones made for a lovely rich thick soup (without being overly fatty). Any ickiness I might have felt over eating, you know, SPINAL CORD pretty much disappeared when I had the bowl in front of me. I was gnawin’ those bones with my bare hands! (My sister will be retching at this point.) Thanks, Mr. Butcher Man! It was cheap, filling, and oh so tasty. Much recommended for the carnivorous folks…