The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-08-04
oMNIvoRous COLONEL.
Has Sampled Snakes, Puppies, Horse,
 Live Fish. Bear. Etc.
From What to Eat.

From What to Eat
 A man who professes to have eaten more different kinds of foods in more different elimes than any other man live ing today, or than any other man that ever lived in any other time, is Col New ham Davis of London.
 ''I was dining once with a Japanese family in Tokio." says the Colonel, when queer covered dish was brought to the table The servant removed the cover, disclosing a live fish wriggling and flop ping Inside the dish
 They then proceeded to kill it before my eyes and offer me portion to eat. I did so, too. It was of a peculiar taste, but not unpleasant.
 Next to Japan China offers the great est array or marvellous dishes. Eggs 40 or 5O years old, which have been buried Tor those periods in clay, are held up to be the greatest delicacies in the empire. The longer the egg is inferred the finer it is supposed to be. The Chinese egg that Is sent to the table is almost black and it's flavor reminds one of an overripe\ egg that has been hard boiled and then served.
 T have eaten many disagreeable things in China-merely for the experience, of course. Among these were sea slugs, sort of oyster. and fattened puppy. The most disagreeable. however was a bit of cold pigs liver wrapped around prune. There was no escape for me from eating this, though tried to avoid it. My neigh bor at the table picked up the liver and the prune with his chopsticks and held them before my lips. l could do nothing but open my mouth and allow the com bination to be inserted because 1t Is considered a signal honor in the Celestial kingdom to have fellow guest offer you a dainty morsel in the aforesaid man ner.
 The fattened puppy tasted something like baked sucking pig The puppy is fed on rice and milk for several months before 1t is killed to be eaten, and the flesh Is tender and quite palatable-
 Tn Africa-uhe Transvaal-I have lived on trek cattle, hedgehogs and other things They tasted peculiar
 T have often eaten fried serpent in Africa. This did not appeal to me, how ever. It tasted something like an eel of an inferior oily sort
 "Rumania is the only country where I have tried bear. The meat of the animal from which I had steak was much like the stringy flesh of an OK of ques- tionable age. I believe the best bear meat Is that from a small species which inhabits Cashmere and which feeds most ly on wild fruit.
 Turkish restaurants were more &C., ceptable than person would be led to believe. One of their most noted dishes Is joint of lamb boiled to shreds and the small pieces eaten with the fingers.
 'Horseflesh I have eaten in South Af- rica. to return to that country again. It was al Iadysmth this was served, because there was nothing else. The flesh of the horse is unsatisfactory, as it is sweet and tough Our men at Lady smith became tired of it.
 There Is one wild beast I have not partaken of. and that is Hons flesh have never heard of this being eaten, but I should imagine from the nature of the beast the flesh would be dry and stringy, coupled with a rank taste The lion is Ia scking in fat. I shot several in India, but their bodies were nothing but hard muscle. It Is the same with the buck you kill in India and Africa The anil n.als are destitute of fat.
 "I think Monte Carlo Is the most ex- pensive place in the world to dine One cannot get any kind of respectable meal there for less than S15 or S20. For every glass of old brandy there you will be asked to pay s2.50. In Paris there is some cognac bottled before the battle of Waterloo which commands $5 a thimble- f,,I