So what’s this about pigs in the kitchen?

What's a Smart Pig Kitchen? So what’s this about pigs in the kitchen?




Pig has for a long time been an insult to indicate one who hoards food. So don't hoard food, share it. Not virtually, or by donation. Eat with people IRL. Keep a pig in the kitchen to remind you that it's a Smart Pig Kitchen.




In Canada, the term "house hippo" refers to a fictional creature popularized in a Canadian public service announcement (PSA) designed to teach media literacy. The PSA depicted a tiny, hamster-sized hippo that supposedly lived in houses, eating crumbs and making nests out of lint. The humorous premise aimed to show that not everything seen on television is true and to encourage critical thinking about media. 




This icon was brought back in 2019 by Media Smarts who've been writing about it as recently as 2024 to caution against fake news.




It's also become an internet craze to have a hippo in your home to remind you to check your sources.




Like a house hippo, having a pig in the kitchen reminds you of something important. Share food. Share food with people in need. Share food with your friends and neighbors. Share food with strangers. It's not only good for them, it's good for you, to have people over to eat, as you can read in this post here.




Ring in the meaning of hospitality, of kindness to strangers. In my religion, one is warned: Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. - Hebrews 13:2 But this holds for anyone, you never know who might come to your table. Also I believe that hospitality is the rule in many religions, and in many hearts and kind souls the world over.




So find or make a pig and put it in your kitchen as a reminder to be a Smart Pig, not a stupid one. You can make a pig with your kids, teaching them this important life lesson. The one on the left was made by me as a kid out of fimo, the one on the right by my sister as a kid out of plain old plasticine. Hers is cuter but he doesn’t hear well and has a skin condition.


Home made smart pigs for the kitchen

This is my current Pig in the Kitchen, it was a gift from my aunt to my mother as they are Cunning-hams:

Smart Pig for the Kitchen



It is a constant reminder to share… because a smart pig is a greedy eater who likes to share: share recipes, share food, share what's good to eat!



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