Last night I dreamt I was on the subway with a bunch of butchers in white coats, and there was a huge sow on a white towel lying on the subway bench. One of the butchers was talking to it, and the whole thing seemed pretty sweet and nice at the time. Strange.

With that in mind, I’ve been meaning to write about Pig 05049, a book by Christien Meindertsma. Christien spent three years tracking all of the products made from a single pig, #05049. From Christien’s website:

“Amongst some of the more unexpected results were: Ammunition, medicine, photo paper, heart valves, brakes, chewing gum, porcelain, cosmetics, cigarettes, conditioner and even bio diesel… After it’s death, Pig number 05049 was shipped in parts throughout the world. Some products remain close to their original form and function while others diverge dramatically.”

The book is beautifully designed (check out the ear tag on the spine), as well as completely eye-opening.

(Check out this fine article about the book at Design Observer.)