The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1883-06-20
Rats as Food.

Why do we not more frequently fol-
low the snakes example, and eat the
rodents that so despitefully use usp 1
don't suppose that many people would
care about adding the denizeHs of our
city sewers to their menu; but what ra-
tional objection can there be to good,
wholesome, barn-fed ratsp They know
what is good for themselves, depend
upon it, and do not feed on offal and
nastiness when better things are to be
had We eat ducks, and pigs, and
crabs, and all sorts of fish, in compari-
son with which the rats are bright and
blameless patterns of dietetie morality.
have tasted such, caught with snares
down in a Kentish hop-garden-every
one of them, no doubt, IN its well-nOur-
ished maturity representing the mate
rials of a great many lOaves of bread
and cake, and pie-crusts, with some
neighbOring farmer or miller as its
creditor for no small sum in the aggre-
gate; the flesh was as white as that of
chicken; and the flavOr-wel, l am
afraid the highest praise l can award
is that they had no flavor, and were,
| therefore, unObjectionable. But, then,
had to cook them myself; no servant
would touch them; and, as my knowledge
of the culinary art did not even include
at that period those rough details with
which my subsequent wanderings have
/ perforce brought me acquainted the
process consisted simply of tlaying, de-
! capitation, curtnilment, excavation, and
twirling them in front of the CRATE by
means of a bent pin and piece of
cord. Dressed with as much care as is
bestowed on a snipe or woodcOck, am
persuaded that they would be by no
means an unworthy adjunct to the
! table. In China they are exposed for
sale everywhere, split open, dried,
pressed, and powdered with a finely
ground white bark, looking like had
| docks as they hang in long strings over
and mutton from all quarters of the
globe, timed oysters from America,
timed OK tongues from the Plate,
timed kangaroo from Australia; why
don't our Celestial friends send us their
prepared rats, as they do their over
rated birds NEST soup, in tinsP
Rev. b. Vernon, in his early Recol-
lections Of Jamaica" tells us that the
black slaves were in the habit Of roast
inc and eating all the rats they could
] He Il
such practice must have been eXcep-
tional or limited to a particular district,
since negroes in these climates live
principally upon fruits and vegetables,
and if pressed by want of snimal food,
would find it, one would think, without
resorting to vermin, in the birds, fish,
molluscs, crustaceans and edible rep
tiles with which such regions abound.
But it. seems. extraordinary that pre-
iudice against this eveT-present supply
of fresh meat should exist at sea, even
among crews. who are rOtting with
scurvy bred of salt provisions, while the
rats are quietly fattoning on their peas
and biscuit.
Several Arctic voyagers have given us
4 an account of the benefit derived from
I their consumption. DR.. Kane taught
his men TO shoot them with blunt ar,
I rows, then boil them, mince them up
E roll the meat into balls with melted tai
= low, and keep them frozen until they
3 were required. But although he him
r self attributes his comparative i'm
d munity from scurvy to theirus in mos
I. of these instances their value as foo,
u seems only to have been recognized
s when the crews were In imminen
danger Of starvation, or suggested b.
:, the amusement of hunting the htl
a poaohers during the long night,--AI
lhe Year Round