Where do they come from?

As stated before, my favorite meal is Ox Tail with Rice and Peas. When it was required of me to research the dish and from whence it originated, I thought "well this is easy. Everyone knows that ox tail can be easily obtained by an ox. After all the name says it all. Ox Tail." But boy was I wrong. When I did infact inquire where it came from, I learnt alot of things that I thought I already knew before.

Before I commence, I have to tell those who do not know that an Ox is really a Cow. As stated from Wikipedia, an ox was reffered only to the tail of an ox otherwise known as a castrated bull. The tail of a cow usually weighs 2 to 4 lbs. After it has been skinned, it is cut into small lengths for sale. Ox tail is a very gummy and bony piece of meat. It generally takes a long time to be cooked, and is also a good stock base for soup.

Ox tail is the main ingredient of the Italian dish "coda alla vaccinara." It is a popular flavour for powder, instant and premade canned soups in the UK and Ireland.

Cite

"OxTail." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 30 October 2007. Wikipedia Foundation. 27 November 2007 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxtail

Rice

There are 8 types of rice that can be eaten. They are wild, acromatic, parboiled, precooked, white, brown, medium and short grain and long grain. What I like to eat is the brown rice. I do eat white rice, but with this particular dish, brown rice is a must. As far as what I know, rice is grown in fields. But after that, I am pretty much left at a halt. According to consumer reports, brown rice is harvested and the unpalatable part of the rice is removed and the rice germ and bran are left, giving color and crunch as well as fat, vitamins, minerals and fiber. When brown rice is boiled, the bran layer protects the underlying white rice, adding approximately 15 to 20 minutes to cooking time.

Cite

"Dishing Rice." ConsumerReports.org. Janurary 2005. Testlabs. 27 November 2007 http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/food/expired/rice-a-primer-105/overview/index.htm?EXTKEY=SM72FD0&CMP=KNC-CROFOODM&HBX_OU=52&HBX_PK=rice