The Indianapolis leader. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1879-1890, 1882-01-07
Queer Dishes.
ICham hers I0nInal I

What marvellous variety of tastes, of likes
and dislikes with regard to special forms of
food, from cannibalism to currant cake, we
find among people physically constituted
alike in every respect. This person eats his
meat burned 20 cinder; that will touch
only what is rawly undone. George Ill
preferred fsh when il was semi putrid; his
successors weakness was for hot plum brad
crumpled up in quart of cream. Lord Bacon
is said TO have lived whole weeks at inter-
walls or nothing but oranges; while the elder
Pit could not endure the sight of fruit and
never suffered any to he brought into the
room VIE he was.
1t seems sn extraordinary thing to speak
of eating skunk. an that, too, in part of
the world where beef and mutton are inf.
nitely more plentiful than bread; Je, i. is a
fact that the Guachos of the Bands Oriental
are in the habit of hunting this creature for
the sake of its hesh--nor is this incompre-
hensibe to any one who is acquainted with
the rue nature of the skunk. The disgust
ing liquid which it elects is contained in a
gland on tine back, md constitutesits weapon
of defence. Certainly, the effiuvium is the
most horrible and enduring that may be
corceiv ed and me and beast will fly from
it; but if it be surprised and killed before
4 tiulc " uSo tuie, duQ VIC Riduu Dc
afterward extirpated with care, the rest of
the body is destitute of all offence. Skunk
skins are largely used by furriers, and beau
tifil skins they are and the animal is caps-
bic of being dome.ticated, as it never emits
the secretion except when in danger or
alarmed l new. ate skunk, but / have
handled tame one without any olfactory
disturbance
SEQ that timed pepper-pot is now to be
obtained in L,ndon, bu. can not fancy that
it would b, much like the real article Pep
per-pot is favorite relish for breakfast out
Wet, and is eaten with rice like curry; in
: ,me of the old families in Demarara it is
male to pe-fe etion. An iron crock is filled
up daily with scraps of m at, fish, almost
anything. and various spices, pappers chill
lies and other condiments added, the essen
tial one bsing cssaripe, q thick, black,
treacly fluid extracted from the cassava
root. The crock itself is brought to the
breakfast table, and the contents served
with wooden spoon. The mixture is black
| and fbrous in appearance, and intensely
hot to the palate; but the sine que non of
excellence in pepper pot is that it shall
never be allowed to become empty. The
quantity it holds is immensely disprOpor-
tomato to that required for dairy consumr-
ton; nevertheless, it is filled up every
morning, AM kept perpetually simmering.
Rats, for instance, l firmly believe, would
be not only wholesome, but very nice if
properly prepared-not common sewer rats,
but such q, ate, barn-fed animals shared
in hop garden. The flesh, though perfect
y white, was dry and tssteless; but then
they were only SKINNED, cleaned and sui
mi,ted to the fire without any of the eject.
erss which make other meats savory. Dr.
Kane, Rear Admiral Beaufort, Captain
Inglt field, and other Arctic explorers speak
highly of rats IS welcome addition to
their supply of food in those dreary lati-
tudes