New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-09-03
CURIOUS FOODS.
Tastes Certainly Differ III the
World OUer.

,,onp civilized nations the variety of tastes
..-acts but little attention. The vegetarians
,ns the rnea. eaters each have their followers
,6 n recent school advocates less food ana
<suer meals, while there are countless fads for
the delectaron OF the hungry.
THAT civilized man has missed some OF the
MOS. toothso.ne dainties goes without saying
-. n ia evident that prejudice enters very
IT, ,rto this Thus. in California, the best
-. - 90 said is the sculpin. but in the East
80. @sh goes begging on account OF It's disagree
.h,e appearance. In Arizona Indian chlidreh
he seen catching ants and eauhs 'ieiii'
., Mexico the honey ant is eagerly So"e
80 hv the natives. who eat the wen Fouilueo'
-,rtl,ke abdomen. In South America INC
= ,,zard the iguana. is a cehcacy' mol "
-, ~ the larger snakes which III TASTE are
. chicken The ordinary ratteshaAe' l. 10
hhe ,.o-x, good eating If one can overcome the
Unborn pretudlce. ~. r-,.,esa
-.o-icans are inclined TO regard the Chiflese
ra+ caters and denounce the animal
90 O. the same time consuming IONS
% -. the most loathsome OF all anlrnals-
The rat is careful of its toilet cream
..o,. constantly; but the hog is the o4iis
I,a1 ~ SO called intelligence thaI re'e
90 ora prefers it to cleanliness inc ooi-i- .e
-, owing TO its peculiar ana 49,.
ill never be popular as food yet ''S
g. &c no; only good, but delicious accoi
,o,,s connoisseurs who have eaten - s
THAT insects do not enter more lli'0 ~
,-lias Of nations is due TO preJuui0o -,
tonners are eaten by some -, Ia
800 nm they make a meal that Is S0iu "
'io ,1I,.,,;,,c o,,d agreeable. Many white
van has pressed through a country 80
h,,,sa1f nearly starving as large game "1' ~
- ,.a when worms and various iHs
-. at hand During the flights OF i"0 -,
.r sometimes collect them IN Days
and cook them for meal 1x;,,+,- &c
-,ra most singular food, in all Pro'0
.,a 1ar,-a Of a fly common in certain p' =, =.
3 California and known as ephy"i"' 80
root &c found in such vast quai'O'io
,toro California that il is Washe" uP
No :. ,-ar- 1rtndrows and can be collected by
shoie ~ - ,,,o+er of Mono is very singular
ox,,;rgl, very heavy and smooth IKE Oh 81
seenii+1el' resists ordinary wind and re-
- =. ,,oo,,,a ruffied When the larvae beglh
% onnaar the Indians gather from lar am
e.r and scrape them up, place the "orliiiihe
creatures on cloths and racks IN the sun a
dry them when they are beaten up anu husheN
looking then like rice The Indians can 'ile io'N
koo-chab- bee and many bushels are colIec oeo
Of This time; that the Larvae are NUTRITIOUS l."
shown bv the condition of the Indians. WHO Soo1I
ecu, far ON the rich diet. Many birds are at
ct ed
the singular food
On Lake TeXcoco in Mexico, curious ny 10
found which also is eaten by the natives anu
known as ahual; the eggs of the insect, Whlch
.-a denosited or sedges, are also collected ahc
es,en for food On Lake Chalco a certain sedse
70 cultivated on which the eggs OF q species OF
hv are deposited. Bundles are made OF these
and nlaced in Lake TeXcoco for the purpose
and when covered, the sedge is beaten over
nieces of cloth and the eggs secured 1hese are
collected and ground into a meal, also callea
shuatl and are in great demand on last uaS o.
when fish is required. the insects or eggs not
being considered flesh, as they come from 'he
,.+er The food is made into small cakes and
tastes not unlike caviare. Not only the eggs
but the larvae, themselves a disagreeable look
ing worm are used as food under the name OF
puxi.
The civilized man. perhaps turns from such
food with disgust but it is well TO remember
that epicures in many countries. and especially
in England and America, are particularly iona
of cheese when inhabited by the larvae Of a very
common fly. In the United States the large octo-
pus or squid, common the Pacific Coast,
offends the American palate, but the Italian.
Frenchman or Portuguese eats IL with aVfd1ty
and considers 1t delicacy. The meat is clear
and white. like chicken, and has the favor of
crab
The question of national tastes is an interest
ing one, and the contrast between those of China
and America is remarkable. The objects dis
played in the Chinese quarter dainties are
often repugnant TO Americans. We find the
Chinaman selling eggs of unknown age,
especially duck eggs containing ducklings ready
to be Matched. Shark hns-a tough, disagree
able food-are in demand, while deer horns IN
the velvet and lizards Of various kinds eaten
The nest of the swallow, with its embedded
secretion of the mouth glands OF the bird is
nearly worth it's weight in gold. Trepang, the
tough impossible holothurian. is eaten, and its
collection is an important industry along the
Malay coast, valued al at least 100000 per
annuna.
In France the sea anemone is used food;
stuffed like peppers and boiled 1t calls to mind
crab or cravfish The echinus Of various species
IS also used cooked in the shell. like an egg,
and eaten with q spoon In nearly all the old
countries of Europe of the type of Spain and
Italy the poor are poor that everything in
the nature Of food is utilized. Absolutely moth
ing is yssted and meat is rare. The writer re-
calls the surprise of Italian fisherman who
landed in California after q trip around the
Horn. and amazed. not al the country, pu'
countrvTnen eating meat twice. perhaps three
times a day. when he rarely had IT once
month He saw hundreds Of pounds of fish
wasted and discarded merely because the people
did not care for It, when in Italy even the heads
would h. boiled and eaten. He saw big tunnies
lowed out to sea and thrown away because they
were tough when In his own land every scrap
OF this fish was saved. America was inoeeo the
land Of plenty to the poor Of other nations
Certain Indians consider earthworHs
DAINTY They are dried and rolled together into
a peculiar -four In Bahama and some OF the
Florida keys the conch is eaten-by Tar the
toughest food known; more nhe iI bnsten and
nounSe6 before II can be masdcated or even