Many times, good food gets lost in generational and cultural changes. Growing up on a small farm, we raised our own food. When we butchered cattle, we ate the whole thing... or as much as humanly possible.
I still remember cold tongue sandwiches. You could take a beef tongue, pressure cook it, and toss it in the fridge. A nice slice or two of the beef tongue on bread, with homeade butter, made many a lunchtime meal.
One of my favorites was beef brains and eggs. Mom would stir beef brains into a bowl with raw eggs. Raw... it was not much to look at. But, it fried into small, pancake type patties and would make an entire meal. Cut a couple slices of homemade bread and eat plate after plate of fried brains.
Did eat some chitlins. Those are nothing but deep fat fried hog intestines. The flavor wasn't too bad, just quite "rubbery" and a little difficult to chew.
Neighbor to the west made homemade bread. Mom would send me the 1/4 mile to "Edith's" to pick up a loaf whenever she called and offered. I think Edith just like company and would bake bread so folks would come and visit with her when they picked it up. On a summers day, the door was always open from the porch to Edith's kitchen. There was, usually, either some chicks or ducklings under a heat lamp in a corner of the kitchen. She'd have to shoo a laying hen out of a chair if you needed a place to sit. Nothing to have cats or chickens walking across the cabinets or kitchen table. We knew we didn't keep animals in the house at home, but never thought twice about Edith's home. That was none of our business and the bread was GREAT!
Today, I have a daughter that has to have "Eggland" eggs for her family from the grocery store. Something about what the chickens are fed that lay the eggs. My word!!! How times have changed!!!!
Limp, not as old as you are, but we grew up farming, and we did much the same thing. I personally think beef tongue is one of the better parts of the cow. We always ate everything but the squeel from a pig(Pigs feet are ok, but not my favorite). We always had chickens, I do not think I ate store bought eggs or chicken till I was in college. As to squirel, I love it. Par boiled in a little vinegar and water, battered and fried, then put in brown gravy with mushrooms and onions, with rice and biscuits, that is fine eating there. Pear pie is the best fruit pie there is.