In the days of slaughterhouses, my grandfather, like so many other African-Americans, would make the trek to Chicago for free food. Pig feet, intestines, maws, brains, ham hocks, and other bits of offal that were not commonly sold in stores; this trash was treasure. With many others, he would patiently wait for what was discarded. My grandmother would be overjoyed at this priceless bounty and couldn’t understand why this perfectly good food was being thrown out.
Offal is an example of how ignored food became marketable. After seeing enough people stop by with plastic buckets to collect these pork products, producers began selling them in stores. What was once ignored became recognized as food and became another source of profit. Now pre-cleaned chitterlings are sold frozen in vacuum sealed plastic -a far cry from its previous treatment.