Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1885-02-27
THE CHAT OF AN EPICURE.
TALK WITH A MAN WHO HAS EATEN
EVERYTHING.
Strange and 8utIandish Dishes sea
Eggs for TwO-A Kitten Pie-A
nR

Strange and 0uIIandish Dishes Sea
Eggs for TwO-A Kitten Pie-A
Feast of Sea Worms. o.
az can give you sea-eggs to-day, sir"
said a waiter to my friend as we seated
ourselves in an uptown cafe, writes a
New York correspondent of the Phia-
delphia Times.
"GOOd, was the reply, "and let it be
for two."
"Land eggs are well enough for me-"
| suggested, knowing the somewhat re-
markable taste of my cOmrade
''If you have never eaten sea-eggs, he
protested, ''you should not allow another
day TO pass over your head; it's posi-
tive sin to neglect the offerings of nature.
All, here they are, and the waiter placed
upon the table a silver dish mounted
upon spirit-lamp that, uncovered, dis.
played four oval sea-eggs, or echini, de-
prived of their spines and polished
white, the oval balls upon which the
spines worked shining like silver, and at
the top of the five eye-plates, with the
little madreporic sieve, had been re-
moved, forming small chimney, like
the crater of volcano, out of which rose
mysterious fumes of the sea-egg.
" Where did you contract this habit9"
| asked, as he took one of the eggs in his
left hand and disembowele6 it with a
gold-plated spoon
Contract it2" was the reply; "why,
love for such things is inborn in the soul
~ -nrrr nf 10 -
an inheritance from the Greeks and Ro-
mans-our ancestors. 1t was their
choicest dish. The species most in de-
mand are the sea melon of Corsica or
Echinus melo. In Naples they much
esteem Echinus lividus, while at the
French ports many eat the esculentus
and granulasus. In point of fact" said
my friend, "while we have advanced in
the arts and sciences we have retrograded
in 'gastronomy' The majority of peo-
pie will reject dish because the origi-
nal animal is disagreeable. Now, this
is manifestly foolish. If you follow it
out, why not reject the baked potato
that grows in the ground and is often
served surrounded with goodly amount
OF the original earth and bone dust that
contributed to its growth"
"Now, take snakes. Some of the
large boas that l have eaten in South
America are simply delicious, and their
flesh is always in demand. 1t is clear,
white and firm, just like that of a tur-
key, and why should you object simply
because it is snake? You esteem the
turtle, that is as much a reptile, and yet
the snake is to be neglected, and, in
deed, some 60 so far as to refuse eels be-
cause they resemble snakes. The lamp
rey eel is one of the finest edible fishes
we have, yet only on the Connecticut and
in few towns are they eaten. In olden
times thousands of dollars were paid for
them by the epicures of the day. To
show you that l am right /
Served dish of potted
striped snakes at dinner last summer
and every man at the table wanted to
know how it was done. One fellow
offered my cook $50, but it's a state
secret so far. But let me tell you that
boned snake and frog, pressed with
alternate layers of hare, and served cold
with guava, will surprise you. | take
the ground that all things that taste well
and are good for us should be eaten.
There is nothing more delicious than q
caviare of the great mygale's eggs of
South America, and indeed the natives
informed me that the species were not
bad themselves, and why should they be
when they are so closely related to the
crabs9 They have curious way of catch
ing big spiders on the Amazon. They
are huge fellows, sometimes six inches
across, with great hairy bodies and legs,
and, like some crabs, they live in holes
in the sand, and often dart out and bite
the feet of horses or mules as they are
passing along, and if it don't kill the
animal the hoof comes off. So when
the natives want the spiders they jar the
ground near the nest, then drop piece
of wood or stone in, suspended from a
string; this is seized in rage by the
spider, that is jerked out and killed be-
fore it knows where it is. suppose l
have tried fifty kinds of insects as food,
and some are delicious.
"In Mexico have eaten the honey
ant, one that gorges itself until its abdo-
men looks like an amber globe, so dis.
tended is it with honey. They are served
in this way for dessert and are very fine.
In the Northwest have been entertained
by the Indians with dried earth worms,
not at all bad when you acquire the taste
for them. The Indians of some tribes
collect thousands and dry them for winter
use, and in many countries worms are es-
teemed. In some of the Pacific islands a
sea worm is eaten, and when it first appears
is collected and sent to the king with
much ceremony, and great feasts are held
during the time. In some parts of Africa
sort of May fly is collected and made
into very nice bread. At certain sea-
sons they appear in such vast numbers
that they are swept up by the bushel,
and when flying the air is completely
filled with them, so that it seems to be
showing.
''Did you ever eat dragon fy2 MOI
Then you have missed treat. In the
south of Africa they are caught on lime
twigs that are held aloft by the natives.
Great fellows, six inches long, are sold al
the markets as luxury, and when
cooked in white wine are very fine in.
deed. The common grasshopper, or To-
Gust, as some call him, is eaten in North
Africa, and locusts and wild honey are,
I believe, recommended in the Bible.
Some people insist that flies indirectly
give flavor to cheese, but draw the