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There's a paradox in pork: It's a staple for a majority of the world's eaters, yet taboo for the rest; it's turned into Bacon Explosions by some, while it's forbidden for Jews, Muslims and others. Jeffrey Yoskowitz, a writer who covers food, culture and politics, wanted to explore pork in a more nuanced way, so he launched Pork Memoirs, a continually updated website where people submit their 500-word essays about the other white meat.

The site features a growing collection of thoughtful, pig-centric pieces. Gilad Muth, who grew up eating beef salami in his kosher home, remembers when he learned at the high school lunch table that most salami is actually made from pork. "I tried to reason with myself that there was no way that [my friend] David was right, but his 'Italian defense' ('Trust me, I'm Italian') was foolproof," he writes.

In another essay, Jackie Lilinshtein, who doesn't eat pork for religious reasons, recalls living with a Spanish family as a student. When Lilinshtein's host mother served her a bowl of soup Lilinshtein asked, "Senora, is this made out of pork?" The host said yes, and that Lilinshtein could just eat around the pork, but once Lilinshtein explained that wasn't an option, she said, "I know you don't eat pork; I didn't realize you don't drink pork either."

In today's world of bacon-of-the-month clubs and nose-to-tail eating, Pork Memoirs offers another take.