A little over a month ago, MW Restaurant hosted a dinner featuring the prime product of David Wong’s Mountain View Farm, namely his naturally raised pork. With the eventual closing of Shinsato Farm at the end of the year, the 50th did need another source for locally raised swine and in the case of Wong’s Mountain View Farm, the animals are raised via the Korean Natural Farming method. Remember that California Dairy Association commercial stating that “happy cows make better milk which makes better cheese”? Well, happy pigs create tastier pork.
Korean Natural
Farming
The tenet behind Korean Natural Farming stresses natural
indigenous microorganisms to fortify and strengthen the soil so that plants
raised in the soil are heartier and contain more nutrients making them better
food sources for man and animals. No commercial fertilizers are employed and
nutrients from plant by-products are recycled back into the soil. But what does
natural plant production have to do with pork production? For starters, better
animal feed leads to a healthier and often a tastier animal. And one of the
most unusual consequences of Korean Natural Farming in a piggery is the
complete lack of that traditional piggery odor. Okay, I’ll admit that I haven’t
visited Mountain View Farm but David Wong states that there is no odor
whatsoever. In fact David stated that when he first applied to commercially
raise pigs at his farm, the EPA almost kicked him out of their office when he
said there would be no traditional piggery odor.
Wong’s Mountain
View Farm
Situated in Waianae, Mountain View Farm’s David Wong
raises his pigs as humanely as possible. The animals roam on natural soil with
piglets remaining with the sow until they’re weaned. In most large commercial
operations, pigs are raised on concrete in pens just large enough for them to
stand or lie until they’re slaughtered. Their waste is simply drained into the
environment en masse akin to what happens at sewage treatment facilities here
after major rainstorms. Hence the usual piggery odor. Traditional farms also
often use slop as feed which also contributes to the usual odor. But David Wong
swears that his farm has no odor at all. And his swine are raised on naturally
grown produce without the use of antibiotics, vaccinations or growth hormones.
He states that he did take a chance when swine viruses hit the Leeward side a
couple of years ago. He did briefly contemplate vaccinating his animals but
eventually decided against it and guess what? Not one of his animals were
affected by the swine viruses.
He also discussed what plays a major role in my daytime
job, antibiotic resistance. Many bacteria that were easily treated with basic
antibiotics just years ago are now developing antibiotic resistance at an
alarming rate. Because farmers who raise poultry, swine or bovine want their
animals to get to market as soon as possible, they add antibiotics to their
animal feed to prevent the animals from developing any illness which can
decimate the rest of the herd and at the very least, slow their growth. Of
course when humans consume these animals, we also ingest some of these
antibiotic residues which are at too low levels to kill bacteria but because
the bacteria are exposed to the low levels of these antibiotics, are able to
develop resistance to said compounds. Now when we actually develop an infection
and are treated with therapeutic levels of antibiotics, the bacteria already
have a way to disable the antibiotics, hence antibiotic resistance. But there
is no antibiotic use in Mountain View Farms swine.
The Middle Men
Of course, humanely raised proteins mean nothing if
restaurants can’t afford to purchase them or if they don’t produce a flavorful
end protein. That’s where Pono Pork, LLC steps in to process the exquisite hogs
raised by David Wong. Run by Chef Bob McGee formerly of The Whole Ox Deli and
Meatball, Pono Pork butchers the Mountain View Farms animals in a USDA approved
facility and distributes the meat to an ever expanding list of local
restaurants. And one of these restaurants is MW Restaurant run by former Alan
Wong alums, Michelle Karr-Ueoka who creates the desserts and her husband, Wade
Ueoka who creates the savories. On this evening they created a special
nose-to-tail menu using David Wong’s hogs.
The Menu
Kalua Pig Nachos
shredded pork,
refried beans, guacamole
Ham & Cheese
Sandwich
smoked pork,
Gruyere, jalapeno
Pigs Head &
Foie Gras Terrine
Chips & Dip
fried hasu, gobo and chicharones with bacon dip
Kauai Shrimp & Pork Dumpling
topped with sliced
summer truffle
Trotter Terrine
with ginger and
green onion sauce
Pork & Kalamunggay Soup
served in a winter
melon round
Pork Guisantes
“Bacon & Egg” Ravioli
filled with
ricotta and egg yolk
Roast Pork Loin
on five spice
sauce
“Bread & Chocolate”
The first four dishes were served as the initial
appetizers and all four were great starters though I wouldn’t have been able to
tell you the kalua pork or smoked pork were artisanally raised pork. However,
the pigs head terrine and chicharones definitely had a pork flavor raised a
degree or two. The pork dumpling probably was the mildest of the pork dishes
while the trotter terrine was the highlight of the meal! Served like a cold
ginger chicken, I enjoyed it so much I purchased my own trotters to create my
own version on the following weekend! The soup was a great palate cleanser for
the last three savory courses with the ravioli being my favorite (perhaps
because of the runny egg yolk within) though I always enjoy a good pork
guisantes (pork and peas).
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