The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-09-05
HAD A SNAKE DINNER
TIE MAJORS STORY or A SPREAD
WITH RATHER AS THE LEADER.

rhe Snake Tasted Like the Fried Breast Of
aTender Spring Chicken, but the Movies
Held His Portion Down with Frequent
Drafts OF Generous Wine.
Clouds of tobacco smoke filled the corner
of the little up town cafe where they were
telling snake stories and the yarns that
were told were decidedly thrilling OF
course they were all true. The southern
man In the party, Major x, for some
years past successful lawyer In this city,
bad been tetting about the DEVILS swamp,
down south, and its extraordinary number
and variety of reptiles Suddenly he asked,
"Did you ever eat rattlesnakef
"Oh, you needn't laugh, " he said. "I've
eaten 1t, and 1t was good too. This is the
way II came about; At Bay st. Louis, the
place, you know, where the pugilists have
tp the last few years trained for their prize
fights in the south, there used to live an
old Erenchman named Plerrot He came
from the country back of Lyons, France,
where they cat snails frogs and, It seems,
snakes as we'll Pie-rot was q famous
hunter, and, though the deer and turkey
bad been driven away from the neighbor-
hood, he was the most successful hunter of
quail, squirrel, rabbit, woodcook and jack
snipe, with which the country back Of the
bay abounded
''I had heard that Pierrot was feeder
ON snakes and asked him about It. He ad-
mitted that he ate rattlesnake whenever he
could get It, and invited me to dine with
him the next time he secured prize.
"It was about week after that, in the
middle of June, that old Plerrot informed
me that he had captured a live rattler He
hSd pinned the snake down with a forked
stick and extracted its fangs by jerking
them out with silk handkerchief, which
Ghe reptile had struck at. The snake was
knpt In wooden box, and l was taken
around to see it. 1t was sleek, chubby
looking fellow with eight rattlcs. We
were to have the dinner next day at Bur-
Ezzflni's. Ciraocio Burratini came origi-
ually from somewhere near Naples and
was as fond of snakes and snails as old
Pferrot was A fourth member of the din
uar party was D1arscilles man named
Bayonne, who had fed on escargots, sea
spiders and things like that pretty much
all his life. He was q good cook besides
go the preparation Of the dinner was left
Co him.
"Burratini kept saloon on the line of
che Shell road, which skirts the Mississippi
sound, with wide galleries running round
che house. A giant live oak tree, hanging
with Spanish moss, kept the spot In con-
tinual shade, and from the front yards of
Che houses near by foated the odors of ac-
zciss, cape jasmines and oleanders. 1t was
I'm this lovely Andalusian spot, with the
sea breeZes floating In fresh from the gulf,
chat we sat on the seaward veranda to eat
our feast
"We had other things besides rattlesnake
OF course, but snake was served at each
course after the shrimp and soup. Shrimp,
You know, the small river variety, is one
OF Che best appetizers land or water fur
nfShes for the delectation of an educated
palate Well, we had shrimp rich onion
soup and then q court bouillon of Spanish
x1ackerel.
s'Don't know what court bouillon isS
The fish ks smothered In sherry with
sauce Of finely chopped onions and garlic,
parsley and SPICE and it's royal dish, /
tssh you. No, it's not a bouillabaisse, but
" you don't like highly spiced food
wouldn't advise you to try 1t.
"After the court bouillon there was flllet
or rattlesnake The slices were first dipped
In che beaten yolks of eggs, thinly sprin-
klsel with finely ground oornmeal and fried
court bouillon was not wholly of Spanish
mSIcNerel. Snake was one of the compo-
Eents, and that Is how L first got my taste
az rattlesnake was not told, however,
C1a1s snake was mixed with the fish.
There was lot of wine, of course, a
esood, well bodied French claret, and by
Ghe time the flllet of snake was served,
N'as pretty we'll fortified for the gastronom-
Rn ordeal. 1t looked nice and tempting,
Cur could see snakes as plainly as any
aid topper ever did after an unfed debauoh.
n generous wine, though, Is great allie
Walton of that sort of abhorrence, and 1
eaehfed the snake.
''TasteP AS we'll as can remenlibe It
Szs1cd like the fried breast of spring chick
60. but If hadn't kept my goblet filled,
DON'T know how 1t would have tasted. I
kEow that l bolted the morsels and then
i0Ahantly washed them down with wine to
ksap the thing from wriggling.
After that we had stewed snake with
Nlnshrooms, with polenta as a side dish
The polenta was added in Difference to
BuEratini, as most Italians Of his class
@hauk a meal Is incomplete without that
xuost filling but rather vaouous of boiled
ISrtts The snake was used up by this time,
and we finished our repast with a feast of
SKEEargots, or rather sea snails.
The snails the oystermen bring up with
eAeSr tongs from the sounds and bayous
6Stbutary to the gulf are almost as palata-
niH as the escargots imported from the
ssUuth Of France. Yes saw snakes next
day, but l attributed the delusion to the
wine. New York World
Exchange No Robbery In This Case.