sausage (original)

Perhaps the most specialty of all the pieces in this collection—this isn’t a sausage you’ll find at the local grocery store, or even at the corner macelleria (butcher shop). Instead, it’s the kind of treasure discovered at the tiniest of Christmas markets, where a proud vendor beams from behind the counter, pressing sample after sample into your hands. Local cheeses, cured meats, and then—this. A venison sausage, deep in flavor and even deeper in color.

But what color was it, exactly? Not just red or burgundy, but a shifting spectrum of hues—every shade of red in my pencil collection, and even some that weren’t. A color that refused to be pinned down, teasing me as it transformed under the light, always just out of reach.

And then there’s the butcher paper—crinkled, creased, the perfect counterpoint to the rich jewel tones of the sliced sausage. The contrast of textures, the interplay of light and shadow—it all made for a feast for the eyes, even before the first bite.