Winning

Here's a photo of us taking 3rd in Memphis, from Mike Causey.

There's an article about us taking 3rd in the Seattle Weekly. It makes us sound like ingrates, so I should explain - we knew around 4PM or so that we were in the finals, meaning that we'd take either 3rd, 2nd or 1rst place. When we found out we got 3rd, that was the worst possible outcome -- of 3 fantastic outcomes.

We knew that what we'd done (roast a pig and serve it, sans sauce) was so risky, we'd probably not even place. So when we found out we'd made it to the finals, we figured the judges had embraced our approach, and that we'd win - if only because Mangalitsa tastes much better than alternatives, and the other competing teams had all used meat-type pigs, which are relatively dry and flavorless.

After the fact, we sound ridiculously arrogant. E.g. being bothered about getting 3rd. But when you are in the moment, and know that the worst you can do is get 3rd -- and "all" you get is 3rd, you are irritated. And if you've been drinking all day - as we all had - you are even more irritated.

In retrospect, it is amazing that we got 3rd, as Leslie Kelly explains here.