Jerky and the civilized world.

As I clamp down and tear my fist away from clenched teeth my friend looks at me with disgust. His judgment is quick and brutal. He sees the pile of beef jerky lying loosely in a plastic bin in 7-Eleven, with only a flimsy sneeze guard protecting it from the world. There are tongs to retrieve them, but let’s be honest here; It’s three in the morning. No one uses the tongs.

“That’s disgusting. You know you are eating a meat stick that has just been sitting out, only edible because of the chemical processing.”

I shrug it off. My friend’s judgment comes only from his own ignorance. The ability to cure meat was a revolutionary development in the history of mankind. So shove it.