How to Boil and Eat an Artichoke

So, it was just brought to my attention that not everyone in the whole world knows how to eat an artichoke UNLESS it come from the store in a jar.. No. no. no. Fresh artichokes are so dang good, so much different than jarred hearts.
I have been eating fresh artichokes for as long as I can remember. They are quite the socail dish in my family. We always gathered around the table with 2-5 fresh artichokes and sit and chat, and eat them up. We would also consume probably half a cube of butter in this event. So many good memories there.
There are tons of ways to eat this delicate veg, but my all time favorite is steamed/boiled and this is how I do it:

wash your artichoke and then place it in a medium-large pot and cover it in water, (it will float a little so no worries) and place the lid on. Then the waiting game starts. You have to boil that sucker for around 45 minutes to an hour! You know it is done when the leaves pull off the artichoke with no effort. I've got tough fingers so I just reach in there and yank, tongs are really good for a something like this though, if you're a wimp.
When it is soft enough that the leaves fall off I pull it out and hold it upside down so the water drains out and then I place it in a bowl and either wait for it to cool, or push the leaves open so it cools faster (it is super dang hot, so be careful!). Now, I eat them plain. I used to eat them dipped in butter. Ghee, and olive oil are both good too if you REALLY want to dip in in something!

Grab a leaf and bite it about half way up and drag your teeth down to scrape off the "meat", do this until all the leaves are cleaned off and your belly is full, when you get to the heart it will be covered in little, thick, prickly hairs. Pull those suckers off, and eat that tasty heart that is hidden underneath it. I also eat the stem that is attached, if it's a little too tough I open it up and just eat the marrow inside.