The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-02-27
THE CHAT OF AN EPICURE.
TALK WITH A MAN WHO HAS EATEN
EVERYTHING.
Strange and 0utInndish Dishes sea
Eggs Tor Two-A Kitten Eio-A
Feast oG Sea Worms.

Strange and OUtlnndish Dishes sea
Eggs tor TNo-4 Kitten Eio-A
Fcnst oG Sea Worms.
81 can give you sea-eggs to-day, sir"
said waiter to my friend as we seated
ourselves in an uptown cafe, writes
New York correspondent of the Phila-
dclphia Times
Good" was the reply, "and let it be
for two"
Land eggs are well enough for me,
l suggested, knowing the somewhat re-
markablc taste of my comrade.
eff you have never eaten sea-eggs," he
protested, you should not allow another
day to pass over your head; it's q 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 a spirit lamp that, uncovered, dis
played four oval sea-eggs, or echini, de-
privcd 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 q small chimney, like
the crater of a volcano, out of which rose
mysterious fumes of the ea-egg.
" Where did you contract this habit2"
Iasked, as he took one of the eggs in his
left hand and disembowelcd it with a
gold-plated spoon.
Contract it2'' was the reply; "why
love for such things is Unborn in the soul
of every man of taste. The sea-egg is
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 escuentus
and granulasus. In point of fact" said
my friend, "while we have advanced in
the arts and sciences we have retrogradcd
in 'gastronomy' The majority of peo-
pie will cject dish because the origi-
nal animal is dsagrecable. 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 I have eaten in South
America are simply delicious, and their
white and firm, just like that of a tur-
key, and why should you object simply
because it is a snakei You esteem the
turtle, that is as much a reptile, and yet
the snake is to be neglected, and, in
deed, some 90 so far as to refuse cells 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 cpcures of the day. To
show you that l am right |
served dish of ported
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
boncd 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 a
caviare of the great mygales 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
crabsl 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 a 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
have tried fifty kinds of insects as food,
and some are delicious.
I'm Mexico l 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 cs-
teemed. In some of the Pacific islands a
sea worm iseaten, and when it first appears
is collected and sent to the king with
much ceremony, and great fcasts 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 hy2 MOI
Then you have missed a 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 at
the markets as a 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,
/ believe, recommended in the Bible.
Some people insist that flies indirectly
give a flavor to cheese, but | draw the