Yesterday Gambrill's family killed and butchered a cow. As you can tell from this first pic, skip this post if your squeamish and don't want to see the butchering process- Kazakhstan style!
The Killing
The Skinning
This sort of work is мужская робота or "man's work." And man's work makes you thirsty for vodka. 1st shot- 10am. By 1pm the process was done and a bottle of vodka was gone. All were merry...except for the cow.
Even Sonya enjoyed the kill.
Pulling the stomach out.
The cook coming to inspect how it was coming along.
Emptying the stomach. The lining will be used and eaten.
After the cow has been cut up, the head and feet are then torched, without taking out anything (eyes, etc). They will then be boilded down and put into a jello mold (or this is what we understood).
All are happy....
...EVEN the cow!
Some of the meat was instantly taken to the kitchen, where the woman prepared Bishbarmak- a traditional Kazakhstani dish. It is meat, onions, pototoes, and homemade noodles. It was very delicious. I've been invited to another killing next weekend and have been pressured into wielding a knife this time...we'll see. :)
