Since the beginning of the year, we have been gorging ourselves on young lamb from the island of Pag in the Adriatic. Only a month or so old, the lamb is roasted on a spit in our favorite Zagreb restaurant. It is one of their specialties, too. Pag is famous for its lamb, but it is even more famous for its cheese. Which is why we are eating only males. Females are kept for the production of milk, and only a few males are needed for reproduction. Keeping them alive for more than a couple of months is tantamount to wasting lamb food. At any rate, we do feel a bit guilty about our many feasts, but the lamb is so delicious at this time of the year that it is hard to resist. As far as restaurant food is concerned, lamb on a spit is perhaps the best deal one can get anywhere in Croatia. And it is not likely to last much longer. Across most of Europe, lamb so young is not available as food. Many people would consider it a barbarian habit. Sooner or later, Croatia will join the bulk of the sub-continent in this regard, as well. In the meanwhile, we will keep gorging ourselves during winter months on young lamb from Pag.

Addendum (February 6, 2017)

For our sins, we are still gorging ourselves on young lamb from the island of Pag in the Adriatic so many years later. And it is anyone’s guess how much longer will we be able to maintain our barbaric habit. But, as I like to say, it would be enough to let a lamb prance through our favorite restaurant in the center of Zagreb for lamb on a spit to become the least popular dish on offer. Everyone would be delighted by the gullible and playful animal. Not for nothing is it an image of Jesus himself. Only unabashed cannibals would lick their chops at the sight so heavenly.