I’m in the midst of packing to move this Saturday, but I did manage to fit in one big meating this week: Veal.

Beef has been a big fear of mine, since I’ve gotten sick from food I didn’t know was beef-tinged before. But when I checked out the menu for Fleur de Sel, where I had a NYC Restaurant Week lunch date with my friend Heather, I saw one of the two entre choices was veal. Besides the moral objections to eating a baby cow, I had heard it was a little more tender and probably milder on my tummy. Also, usually portions at these lunch deal thingies aren’t that huge so it wasn’t going to be like a steak the size of my ass.

Veal and Oxtail Ravioli at Fleur de Sel

When we got there, I stuck bravely with the plan, even though the veal was different than on the online menu and included an oxtail ravioli. Not one, but two meats on one plate! Heather ordered the same, so I would have someone to verify whether this preparation of wittle baby cow was well done.

When it arrived, I was surprised that while not the size of my ass — in fact, I’m not even sure that’s possible now that I think of it, what with it coming from itty bitty calfs and my ass being the size it is and all — Anyway, it was bigger than I thought it would be. I was a little ascared.

Now once before I had a bite of steak when someone said “this is the best most tender steak I’ve ever had” and my main recollection was that I had to chew it FOREVER. I have no memory of the taste, just that I felt ironically like a cow forever chewing its cud, it was in my mouth for so long.

The veal was decidedly more tender than that, and I believed Heather when she verified that it was well done. But I didn’t love it. It was okay — I didn’t get a strong taste from it outside the sauce. I did appreciate that it was … flaky? My meat vocabulary is at a first-grade level. The meat sorta pulled apart easily and wasn’t tough or stringy.  I only ate about half of it, partially because I didn’t want to get sick, but I also just wasn’t kookoo for cocoapuffs over it. On the other hand, I really liked the oxtail ravioli. I’m not sure if it was the oxtail or the spices or what, but mmmm mmm good. Rich and warm and yummo in mah tummo.

Anyway, I’m not knocking Fleur de Sel, the meal was tasty, but so far beef is losing to pork in the meat competition. And since I do feel a little bad about veal from a moral standpoint, it had to be crazy good for me to make it a regular item. I might try it again, but I guess I am still more a Stan than a Cartman: