The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1907-10-31
Curious Foods and
Their Physiological Effect
By GEORGE ETHELBERT WALSH.

lsning. IL Is said that the Cinnamon
prefer stale eggs to fresh for physlo-
logical reasons described by some OF
their wisest savants. Likewise they
eat shark fms. which possess great
nutritive value. and are recommend
ed as q preventive of scurvy and
bowel disorders. The birds nest soup
OF the same race Is a healthfui diet.
1t Is made by the secretion OF the
mouth glands of birds. and contains
mineral elements which are essential
to good health. The nests of these
birds are very highly priced. and the
coup is only for the wealthy. They
are becoming almost as rare as gen.
uine terrapin and canvas-back ducks
in this country, and substitutes are
now palmed of on the novice who
is anxious to taste the national dish.
Lizards are eaten as feerly in China
as frogs legs in this country.
The Japanese make the most won.
derful use OF seaweeds OF any nation
in the world. Besides converting Il
into thin paper and weaving 1t into
mats and rugs, they eat great quaint.
ties, and Its wholesome nature is tes
titled by many. The seaweed con,
tains saline qualities which keep the
system in good condition in hoi
weather. On the coast of Francs
seaweed and anemones are alst
eagerly consumed. The anemone II
stuffed like peppers and boiled Tt
the novice 1t tastes much like cral
meat, and is both wholesome and ap
petizing Fish and sea productl
which in this country are thrown
away as waste are eaten in greaj
quantities by the poor of Italy and
Spain, and we have not yet been abll
to show that what we call choice flsl
is any better than the common food
of the fishermen of Europe.
Curious Foods of Our Land.
But It is not necessary to go acros,
the ocean or to the far Orient to find
curious foods of diet. We have thu
clay eaters of Georgia and other part
of the South; the Indians of the Flor
ida keys, who dry and roll eartl
worms into dainty flour for food; thu
conch eaters of the Bahama islands,
the ant-eating Indians of Arizona
and the honey-ant eaters of Mexico
In the West we have certains tribei
of Indians which grind up grasshop
pers into meal and eat them will
great relish. Near Lake Mono, Cal
ifornia, there Is abundant fly knowr
scientifically as Ephydra. The fly Il
so numerous at certain seasons of the
year that the larvae are washed uI
in great windrows on the shores oi
the lake. The Indians gather these
larvae, which are worm-like crea,
| lures, and, after drying them in the
| sun, beat and reduce them to food
that looks a good deal like rice. The
food Is called koo-chah-bee, and II
very fattening and nourishing. Al
the harvest season the waters of the
lake are covered by an oily substance
which is supposed to come from the
insects. Many birds besides the In.
dians gorge themselves on this cur
ious food.
Down in Mexico on Lake Texcocc
'hOAO 40 ohObhOA ny huOWn db duudN
which is eagerly eaten by the natives
and at Lake Chalco sedges are culti'
waited for the insects to lay their eggs
on. When the eggs are deposited
on the sedge grass, they are gathered
in quantities and ground into a meal
The small cakes made of these eggs
are delicious despite their queer
origin.
In the selection OF all these queer
foods 1t is not entirely the lack OF
better foods that has decided the ma
tives in their choice. There is a
physiological factor which should not
be forgotten. The queer foods are
in nearly all cases wholesome, nour,
ishing or tonic in erect. They mar
not be exactly remedial foods, as VIZ
classify many OF our fruits and veg
etables, but they are adapted to GER
tain physiological needs of the human
race in those climates.-From the
American Home Monthly.