City officials still hand out pork, known as member items, money that needs to be watched carefully.
Wielding two 3.5 lb cleavers, one in each hand, his pork chopping technique is second to none.
Perhaps that's because of the intoxicatingly smoky aroma emanating from the hand-brushed pork on skewers on a home-style barbecue set among the tables.
Of the cold supporting cast, however, I can always find space for a slice of hand-raised pork pie or rugged terrine (no smooth pates, though).
The party will find it harder to maintain its lustre as it starts handing out pork to Democratic interest groups; Democratic lobbyists are swarming over Capitol Hill like locusts at the moment.
"These are world-famous caillettes here — with a lot of heart!" The classic version is made with hand-ground pork, chopped pork liver, Swiss chard, spinach and spices; it is wrapped in pig's caul fat (the thin membrane that surrounds the stomach) rather than in a casing.
While the bistro (more of an old-school cafe) knocks out dishes such as homemade lasagne with salad and chips, and platters of Italian meats and cheeses, for just £5, the deli counter delivers cut-price sandwiches and slices of decent hand-raised pork pie (just 60p).
Lawyers and construction workers, African- and Mexican- and Asian-Americans, crowd the aisles, buying tin toys and purslane and chop suey and (if they're smart) following the crowds to Roast to Go, which has been dispensing the city's best tacos since 1952 -- soft tortillas filled with hand-chopped pork (or hog maw or tripe, as you will) with hot red sauce.
Mr. Thurmond's political agility, his ability to remember names and faces and his fine hand at pork-barrel politics enabled him to win re-election with 64percentt of the vote in 1972, 56percentt in 1978, 67percentt in 1984, 64percentt in 1990 and 53percentt in 1996.
I bought some hand-cut pork chops for $2.53 per pound, and they were tender and delicious for supper that night.
