I've hit a landmark of west-coast living that I put on the same level as learning how to surf. Last week I ate my first rattlesnake! It happened like this:
Garden Manager Ellen's son Cody, who roams the ranch fixing fences, irrigation pipes, and cows, occasionally runs across a rattlesnake. Often he kills it, and on one notable occasion he skinned one for a hat-band (turning down my suggestion of making gloves
- you know, with little rattles at the fingertips?). The natural progression was to grill one up for dinner, which happened last week.
The photo shows clearly what happened: Cody relished it and Ellen, on the right, was disturbed, disgusted, and naseaus. Everyone at the table, in fact, fit into one of those two categories. Happily (for those of us in the former) Cody was willing to share!
Inevitably someone must ask "Does it taste like chicken?" To which I must answer "Probably it
tastes like gutted chicken neck grilled with seafood spices." Specifically, a chicken whose neck was genetically modified to contain lots of very strong salmon bones. Tough, but novel.
I am told it is a lot better in stew, though somehow I had always pictured them cut in sushi-style rolls and frittered. Shows what I know. (That's me in the photo on left, sampling my piece).
Ok, now to a subject I have wanted to broach for a while. Hear me out before you mock. There are many among us who say "I am a vegetarian, though I eat fish" or even "I am a vegetarian" when it turns out that white meat in general doesn't count as meat to them. And saying "I am mostly vegetarian" is not objectionable. But I am betting that I could not get away with saying "I am mostly vegan." Never mind that I hardly ever eat meat, or that I consume merely a little butter or honey regularly. I'll let Nikki respond however she likes to that one.
I don't specifically want or need to be vegan (especially given the opportunistic tendencies demonstrated above), it is simply a hypothesis of mine that vegetarians are a little more inclusive with their designation. 'Cause I can still be a mostly vegetarian and eat a little rattlesnake if it crosses my path. Free-range, grass-fed, and everything.
Having enjoyed the novelty of rattlesnake, what other dangerous delights might be next? Here's a hint from our front door (picture it deep-fried, if it helps):
- you know, with little rattles at the fingertips?). The natural progression was to grill one up for dinner, which happened last week.The photo shows clearly what happened: Cody relished it and Ellen, on the right, was disturbed, disgusted, and naseaus. Everyone at the table, in fact, fit into one of those two categories. Happily (for those of us in the former) Cody was willing to share!
Inevitably someone must ask "Does it taste like chicken?" To which I must answer "Probably it
tastes like gutted chicken neck grilled with seafood spices." Specifically, a chicken whose neck was genetically modified to contain lots of very strong salmon bones. Tough, but novel.I am told it is a lot better in stew, though somehow I had always pictured them cut in sushi-style rolls and frittered. Shows what I know. (That's me in the photo on left, sampling my piece).
Ok, now to a subject I have wanted to broach for a while. Hear me out before you mock. There are many among us who say "I am a vegetarian, though I eat fish" or even "I am a vegetarian" when it turns out that white meat in general doesn't count as meat to them. And saying "I am mostly vegetarian" is not objectionable. But I am betting that I could not get away with saying "I am mostly vegan." Never mind that I hardly ever eat meat, or that I consume merely a little butter or honey regularly. I'll let Nikki respond however she likes to that one.
I don't specifically want or need to be vegan (especially given the opportunistic tendencies demonstrated above), it is simply a hypothesis of mine that vegetarians are a little more inclusive with their designation. 'Cause I can still be a mostly vegetarian and eat a little rattlesnake if it crosses my path. Free-range, grass-fed, and everything.
Having enjoyed the novelty of rattlesnake, what other dangerous delights might be next? Here's a hint from our front door (picture it deep-fried, if it helps):
Dear Dan a grouse-killing, rattlesnake-eating mostly-vegetarian friend,
ReplyDeleteI have found that chopsticks work quite well at catching the dear little arachnids. Fingers too, but the chopsticks can get into those harder to reach places better than fingers.
From a turkey-killing, grouse-cooking all vegetarian friend.
I see the veggi-vegan-ism like sexuality. It's not an either or, but a spectrum or preference that some may wander up and down in their life time based on their understanding and circumstances.
ReplyDeleteIt's all living stuff, plants, microbes, snakes, chickens, we kill most of it when we consume it. I think knowing why we eat what we eat and being thankful for all that sacrificed to bring it to us is more important than sticking to a title.
Besides, I know people who eat boogers, where does that fit in?
Ah, thanks! Do you find it hard to avoid pulling off a leg or two? I understand those are the very best parts...
ReplyDeleteYou're still on the to-call-when-we-have-reception list, so don't give up on us :)
Hope you are doing alright in the mean time!
Oooooh, Knoll, are you ever going to get some comments on that one! But, to quote the movie Dune, "I see the truth in it."
ReplyDeleteBoogers, now that's a question. Even vegans aren't against eating microbes, so there's a lot of wiggle room even there...
And if you do eat a deep fried b-w have some Pepcid-AD on hand cause your tummy will be VERY unhappy with you for a few days. (This knowledge is from personal experience.)
ReplyDeleteSeb and I were having a food talk during a hike a couple weeks ago. He said he considers himself a vegan, even though he eats a cheese pizza maybe once every other month. So I suppose he’s “mostly vegan.” I don't get too hung up on these things. I appreciate anyone who considers where their food source came from. And I’m sorry, but anything from a factory farm is just sick!
ReplyDeleteBut I have friends who like to make a big deal about being “conscientious carnivores” because they look for free range meats. Yet they have zero concern when we go out to eat as to where that food came from and unless the restaurant makes a point of advertising it’s from a local farm; I’m willing to bet it’s not. (I’m also willing to bet I’m not eating organic produce if they don’t advertise it—I’m not letting myself off the hook, either.)
I’ve been given a hard time for calling myself a vegan; that it’s a “label” or “food personality disorder.” What I like about the label is it invites conversations. It says: I’ve looked into our food system and I’m not happy with what I see. Even my friends who are omnivores and curious about food sources tend to fall back into old patterns of eating because they have no reason not to, really, omnivore means they’ll eat anything (in their minds). Even rattlesnake. (Ha, ha—at least he never knew the stench of a feedlot, misery in transport, and final stunning at slaughterhouse.)
FYI
ReplyDeleteOrganic, No-Till Mini-Farming
No technique yet devised by mankind has been anywhere near as effective at halting soil erosion
and making food production truly sustainable as No-till (Baker)
1. Willing to make changes [in the mind; in the field]
2. Financial: Little funds are needed. No tractor, no equipment, no fertilizers, no chemicals.
3. Restore the soil to its natural health. Contaminations: inorganic pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, fertilizers
4. Maintain healthy soil: Healthy soil produces healthy plants, to have healthy people.
5. Feed the soil; not the crop: Inorganics feed the plants and poisons the soil. Organics feed the soil which feeds the plants.
6. Increase soil organic matter every year
7. Soil always covered.
8. Use mulch/green manure/cover crops.
9. Little or no external inputs. Not necessary to buy anything, from anybody. Certain things are recommended [seed?]
10. Manage for highest profit per acre [not the highest yield per acre].
11. Leave all crop residues on top of the soil
12. No-till - no digging, no plowing, no cultivating: Saves fuel, labor, no weeds, no erosion, high yields, highest profits. Nature will till the soil using roots and worms.
13. Permanent beds with permanent paths
14. Hand tools, power-hand tools and pedal-power.
15. All year production: DIY hoophouses, high tunnels, shade cloth, row covers, stakes, etc.
16. Organic fertilizers [16-18 probably not needed after the soil is healthy]
17. Organic disease control
18. Organic herbicides & pesticides
19. Biological pest control.
20. Organic matter [Free? Delivered free? When economically feasible, transport to the mini-farm. Use as mulch]
21. Compost [Do not make; requires too much time and labor except for special use. Pile surplus OM to use later as mulch.
22. Vermiculture [Worms will be in the beds]
23. Muscovies and Guineas should be on every minifarm
24. Maintain crop diversity
25. Crop rotation
26. Inter-cropping
27. Feed the soil through the mulch.
28. Drip irrigation [Purchase or DIY drip lines]
29. Orchards, vineyards, etc
30. Labor: students interested in mini-farming [Future Organic Farmers of America is in planning stage for high schools and youth gardening groups. One TX chapter is already formed.]
31. Organic certification [Selling locally? Not needed]
32. Transportation–bicycle and bicycle trailer [DIY] with various units for harvesting, selling, cargo and/or a small pickup/trailer.
33. Protect nature and the environment
34. Imitate nature. Most farmers fight nature. ¡Nature always wins!
Ken H