Is 2009 going to be the year of the Goat?
Let’s hope so.
And no, I’m not talking about the metaphorical goat, like the bonus babies at AIG or any of the other recently disgraced masters of the now incredibly shrunken universe.
I’m talking about the real deal; goat. The type you eat. Everyone knows Goat Cheese (our beloved chevre) is legit; but only recently has Goat Meat started to gain some traction in our beef-centric country. In today’s New York Times, Henry Alford gets all Zamfir about this up-and-coming comestible: How I Learned to Love Goat Meat:
Indeed, goats have long held a lowly reputation. Scavengers, they are falsely accused of eating tin cans. Their unappetizing visage is simultaneously dopey and satanic, like a Disney character with a terrible secret. Their chin hair is sometimes prodigious enough to carpet Montana. Chaucer said they “stinken.”
My conversion moment came this February when I went to the West Village restaurant Cabrito and had the goat tacos. This hip taquería-style restaurant — which is named after the baby goat that is pit-barbecued in Texas and Mexico — marinates its meat for 24 hours before wet-roasting it over pineapple, chilies, onion and garlic. The resultant delicious pulled meat is tender throughout and slightly crisp and caramelized around the edges. Think lamb, but with a tang of earthy darkness. Think lamb, but with a rustle in the bushes. Think … jungle lamb. Suddenly I was go go goat. I wanted to order goat in as many restaurants as possible. Shortly into this process, a friend asked me, “Is it gay meat?” Confused, I said, “There’s nothing gay about it at all.” She explained, “No, I said is it gamey?”
This goat = good: 
This goat, not so much: 
I myself am new to the goat game, but I’m already a fan, and hope the trend takes hold. The goats have had their way with us, I reckon it’s time we returned the favor. And after that, we can eat some goat meat.
