The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-01-21
SNAIL is in FAVOR
FRENCH DELICACY. RIVALS THE
OYSTER IN POPULARITY AT -
CHICAGO
THOUSANDS ARE IMPORTED


Not Pretty to Look at, for They Are
Served i'm the Shells, but Said by
Those Who Like Them to BE De-
Dressed and stuTed-Trade Is ON
the Increase
Chicago is eating snails-thousands
upon thousands Of them year. What
flve years ago was almost unknown as
an article of food in that city is just now
having run Of popularity that is a rev.
elation, even to the man who introduced
the snail and had confidence that after
the first shudder his customers would set
tie down to realization that the snail
is not so bad as it looks.
The snail season has two months vet
to live as 1t ends with the coming OF
spring. Already this season a Monroe
street restaurant man has imported from
France $4,000 snails, and he estimates that
TINS number will be doubled before the
season Is over if the demand keeps en- in
creasing proportionately
49,
imported delicaties, so 1t may be seen
that Chicago is really accepting the
French morses as something fit TO eat
rive years ago. when this same restau-
rant man was in business in the Masonic
Temple, he conceived the idea of attempts
Ing to popularfze the snail. Himself a
Frenchman, the task did not seem diff
cult, but he soon found that the average
American would not only "a bas' the
SNAIL but more than once would fail to
return to the restaurant where SO aston
lshing thing was sold. Undaunted. how
ever, he pursued in his campaign of
gastronomic education, until now he can
not import snails fast enough to supplv
his trade.
AT first he tried to sell the snails. He
might as we'll have put price on toads.
Then he tried giving them away. and this
met with better success. The average
American likes to get something for noth.
ing, even If 1t Is only a snail, and soon
ne had number of converts.
Inc hrst year he gave away and sold
enough sna1ls to crafty his whim. The
next year there was a real demand for
snallS, ana people paid for what thew ate
Inc next year the demand doubled. and
SO the next. and this year the indica tons
are that he will supply Chicago with
snails 10 the number of 100000. This Is
only one snail to every 20 people in the
city, but the enthusiastic Frenchman az,
serts that within five years the ratio will
be reversed
The edible snail puts it's worst side FORE
most, and that. perhaps, is WHY Chica.
goans We're slow to appreciate its virtues
The snail when served, appears in it's
shell and looks quite the same as II does
when mapping in the vineyards of France
And even the fond mothers Of these
French snatls could hardly call them
comely.
STUFFED IN SHELL.
The shell, however, is only a mockery.
as Tar as the snail-op-the-plate is con-
cerned. The dweller has unceremonious
ly been removed from It's home, cooked.
stuffed and returned to 1T. When it leaves
it again it is on the end of a fork or a
toothpick in the hand of the man who has
learned to like it in spite of it's unprepos-
sessing appearance.
Hundreds of the snails are dressed and
stuffed at a time. Then, as ordered thew
are taken from the ice and placed in an
oven for ten minutes. or until they are
delicate brown. Just what the course,
or treatment is will not be known until
the French cooks become more com
munfcative. Few cooks, even among the
French people,. are familiar with the
niceties of properly preparing snail for
the table, and these guard their secret
jealously.
Eight Sna1lS, or what is known as a
portion" is the order commonly served
The charge for a portion is As cents.
Should the customer desire a dozen snails
the price is go cents, or little more than
the charge for friend oysters.
The man who introduced the snails to
Chicago asserts that one snail contains
more nutriment than four oysters. Unlike
the oyster, the portions of the snail that
are served are composed of solid flesh,
in substance somewhat similar to the
breast of quail. This same enthusiast
can talk for an hour on the flaws Of a
snail, but It must be remembered that
he was born in France and learned to
like them there. Besides, he sells them.
Society, too has taken up the snail. A
Monroe street restaurant man on Christ
mas night induced North side theater
party to try his snails and as a result
received an order for several dozen of
them to be served al dinner next week.
There is something insdious about the
snail, and, although it doesn't look it, it
1t bit of beau. The man who is loud
est in his declarations that he would new
er eat such creepy thing" Is generally
the one to eat the most of them, and
first to forget his prejudice. Women
who would go into Mysteries at the sight
of well-behaved mouse take readily to
this same creepy" snail
The women, the importer says, are less
hostile to the snail than the men. because
they are more curious. The men look at
them, say "ugh! and then consider that
they must live up to their expression of
disgust. When they taste them they are
entrapped, for to eat is to become a con-
vert
CULTIVATED IN FRANCE.
The edible snail is peculiarly a product
of France In the vineyards there 1t is
cultivated and fourishes. In some parts
of the republic the snail industry is quite
as important as the grape growing inter-
ests and woe to the careless man who
in walking through a vineyard should
tread on any of its shelled dwellers.
The snail eats during spring and sum-
mer. and in the cold months its admirers
eat it. During the mild weather the snail
feeds on the grape leaves and satisfies its
appetite for the year. When the cold
weather approaches the snail retires to
its shell and seals the mouth of the house
provided by nature with a paste which 1t
produces from its mouth. Then. locked In
its abode in fancied security, 1t Is gath
cred I'D and bundled off for market.
The snail season, like the oyster season,
is limited to the months in the names of
which the letter "r" appears. In the
warmer months the snail tires of the
humdrun existence 1t Is leading In the
closed shell and begins to think of its