Subject: Searching for foods Americans often consider unpalatable....

From: [email-masked] (John Roedel)
Date: 11 Jan 1995 08:01:59 GMT

In an effort to expand my culinary horizons and make my food budget dollars
work harder, I'm searching for recipes and events that will help me make
better use of the many food sources close at hand, namely gnats, slugs,
snails, flies, worms (especially red wigglers), spiders, and moths.

I'm very serious. I remember hearing about a book specifically devoted to
this subject, as well as a relevant event. I believe the event was held
annually at UC Berkeley.

If anyone out there knows about this book or this event, I would be very
glad to hear from you. I would be grateful for all attempts to steer me
towards better enjoyment of the oft neglected cornucopias of the land.

Much thanks,

John Roedel

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From: Tom Weller <[email-masked]>
Date: 13 Jan 1995 00:56:24 GMT

The book was _Unmentionable Cuisine_ by Calvin W. Schwabe,
University Press of Virginia, 1979. Don't know if it's still in
print. The event was held for some years running at a restaurant
here in Berkeley, CA. It's no longer in business.
  If you're looking for good insect eats, try Oaxaca in Mexico.
When I was there I had a swell grasshopper taco. These are the same
folks that put worms in their tequila, and they generally exploit a
lot of insect resources in their cooking traditions.

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From: [email-masked] (Anne Elizabeth Callery)
Date: 12 Jan 1995 21:00:14 -0800

Wendy Chadwick ([email-masked]) wrote:
: My daughter's class has been reading Little House on the Prarie and they 
: are having a dress up day.  They are going to eat lunch together in the 
: classroom and the teacher is asking for donations of food commonly eaten 
: during that time for the class to try. She has suggested cornbread or 
: apple slices. Boring....  I would like to try something different.  
: Anyone have any suggestions or suggestions on where to look for recipes?
: They will be doing this next Thursday.

"Farmer Boy" has a lot of info about everything the Wilder family
ate on the farm.  I remember there were many descriptions of the
huge meals.  Unfortunately, I don't have the books anymore, but 
one snack food I remember was popcorn in milk.  In the story, 
Almanzo was fascinated by the way the popcorn would absorb so 
much milk.

Anne Callery
[email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Herbs WA)
Date: 13 Jan 1995 04:38:11 -0500

Speaking of eating insects . . . if you wander the back street of Seoul,
Korea you will discover vendor's carts piled high with grey things which
turn out to be silk worm pupa, steamed.

They are sold much as one might purchase a bag of hot chestnuts from a
vendor's cart in New York City.

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From: [email-masked] (Harumi Anne Kuno)
Date: 13 Jan 1995 05:54:17 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>,
Wendy Chadwick  <[email-masked]> wrote:
>My daughter's class has been reading Little House on the Prarie and they 
>are having a dress up day.  They are going to eat lunch together in the 
>classroom and the teacher is asking for donations of food commonly eaten 
>during that time for the class to try. She has suggested cornbread or 
>apple slices. Boring....  I would like to try something different.  
>Anyone have any suggestions or suggestions on where to look for recipes?
>They will be doing this next Thursday.

It's been quite a while since I've read that book, and I only have two books
("Farmer Boy" and "By the Shores of Silver Lake") from the series 
(picked them up cheaply from Border's sidewalk sale).

If you leaf through the book, I think you'll find many descriptions of food.
When I was a little kid, I liked the books because she gave such description
of the processes by which things were made (chairs, hats, shoes, etc.)
You could really follow those descriptions, and they would work (in 3rd grade
I was able to make a little straw hat out of pine needles following the book).
She also includes details of the food.

I know both "Little House on the Prarie" and "Farmer Boy" had many many 
descriptions of food.  For example, there was a whole section
on maple syrup in "Little House" (heat the syrup to boiling, pour on snow;
make into little cakes, etc.).  And "Farmer Boy" spends an enormous
amount of time on different kinds of food (many sweets-- e.g., pumpkin, 
mince, vinegar pie, pound cake, etc.)

In "By the Shores of Silver Lake", Mrs. Ingalls teachs a missionary
bachelor how to cook (only describes salt pork on p. 221):

   	   "Do you know how to cook, Brother Stuart?" Ma asked, and he said he 
	expected to learn by experience.  He had brought supplies;  beans,
	flour, salt, tea, and salf pork. 
	    "The meat is easy," said Ma.  "Cut the slices thin, and set them
	to parboil in cold water.  When the water boils, pour it off.  Then
	roll the slices in flour and fry them brown.  When they are crisp,
	take them out onto a platter, and pour some of the fat off.  Save it
	to use for butter.  Then brown some flour in the fat left in the 
	frying pan, pour in some milk, and keep stirring it as it boils until
	the gravy is just right."

Later (on p. 196) Ma instructs a young newly-wed on how to make biscuits 
with sourdough instead of sour milk:

	   "You start it," said Ma, "by putting some flour and warm water 
	in a jar and letting it stand till it sours."
	   "Then when you use it, always leave a little," said Laura.  "And
	put in the scraps of biscuit dough, like this, and more warm water."
	Laura put in the warm water, "and cover it," she put the clean cloth
	and the plate on the jar, "and just set it in a warm place," she set
	it in its place on the shelf by the stove.  "And it's always ready 
	to use, whenever you want it."

They also seemed to eat alot of oatmeal and cornmeal mush.
The kids might prefer a berry pie or fried chicken.

	good luck,
	Harumi

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From: [email-masked] (Sumi Lee)
Date: Fri, 13 Jan 1995 15:19:32 GMT

Anne Elizabeth Callery ([email-masked]) wrote:
: Wendy Chadwick ([email-masked]) wrote:
: : My daughter's class has been reading Little House on the Prarie and they 
: : are having a dress up day.  They are going to eat lunch together in the 
: : classroom and the teacher is asking for donations of food commonly eaten 
: : during that time for the class to try. She has suggested cornbread or 

Your local library or bookstore should have a copy of the Little House 
Cookbok by Barbara M. Walker. I recommend buying it because it's actually 
a lot of fun. You will find that almost all the foods mentioned in the 
Little House book. Hopefully you'll find something that will work well at 
a potluck. I think it'd be worth whatever time and effort you put in.

Sumi

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From: [email-masked] (Matthew Hill)
Date: Fri, 13 Jan 1995 14:04:57 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>,
Wendy Chadwick  <[email-masked]> wrote:
>Thanks
>Wendy Chadwick
>[email-masked]

How about Pa's dessert in one of the books, sliced tomatos with
sugar and cream? 
Matthew Hill ([email-masked])

---

From: [email-masked] (Harumi Anne Kuno)
Date: 13 Jan 1995 13:08:32 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>,
Harumi Anne Kuno <[email-masked]> (I) wrote:
>
>. . . For example, there was a whole section
>make into little cakes, etc.).  

Sorry.  I meant here "Little House in the Big Woods" not "Little House on
the Prarie."

	apologies,
	Harumi

---

From: [email-masked] (Lon Huber)
Date: 12 Jan 1995 18:19:54 -0800

The book you're thinking of is _Unmentionable Cuisine,_ and it is a
cookbook as well as a study of the food taboos of various cultures. 
Sorry, I can't recall the author's name, but I do remember that he was at
UC Davis. I found it at the SF Public Library in the mid-80s, so perhaps
they can be of help. 

After reading the book, I tried to interest my friends in an Unmentionable
Dinner Party, but to no avail. I did collect snails from our backyard, 
and, after feeding them cornmeal and spinach for a few days, cooked them 
up in some olive oil and garlic. They were delicious! Gamier than 
restaurant escargot, and much better for it.

There _was_ a restaurant in Berkeley where an annual feast was
held using recipes from the book, but I don't have any more information 
about it.

========================================
[email-masked] / Lon Huber / Go, Buzz, Go!
========================================

John Roedel ([email-masked]) wrote:
: In an effort to expand my culinary horizons and make my food budget dollars
: work harder, I'm searching for recipes and events that will help me make
: better use of the many food sources close at hand, namely gnats, slugs,
: snails, flies, worms (especially red wigglers), spiders, and moths.

: I'm very serious. I remember hearing about a book specifically devoted to
: this subject, as well as a relevant event. I believe the event was held
: annually at UC Berkeley.

: If anyone out there knows about this book or this event, I would be very
: glad to hear from you. I would be grateful for all attempts to steer me
: towards better enjoyment of the oft neglected cornucopias of the land.

: Much thanks,

: John Roedel

---

From: Wendy Chadwick <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 12 Jan 1995 20:00:41 -0600 (CST)

Thanks
Wendy Chadwick
[email-masked]

---

From: [email-masked] (Jody C. Patilla)
Date: 13 Jan 1995 12:38:03 -0500

In article <[email-masked]>,
Anne Elizabeth Callery <[email-masked]> wrote:
>Unfortunately, I don't have the books anymore, but 

	My father-in-law is the scion of good square-headed Norwegian
farmers from Minnesota and he recalls popcorn in milk with sugar as
a treat (mostly for breakfast) from his childhood. Of course, he also
fondly remembers lutefisk and lefse so we have not been well-motivated
to run out and try this delicacy.

-- 

jcpatilla					[email-masked]
Otter, otter, otter! Floating on the sea!
Eating fish and urchins, happier than thee....

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From: [email-masked] (Jane Beckman)
Date: 17 Jan 95 01:10:53 GMT

They also dined on tinned sardines, during the long winter.  I
would suggest blackbird pie, in a moment of whimsey, but it's
rather hard to get blackbirds any more.  (They shot them in
the cornfield in the book.)
--
  Jilara the Exile   [[email-masked]]
That's how freedom will end: not with a bang, but with a rustle of file
folders.  If you love any of your rights, defend all of them!
-Joe Chew, on the net

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From: [email-masked] (Jill Reed)
Date: 17 Jan 95 15:42:35 CST

Look in the books.  I remember her discussing patty pan squash, maple 
sugar candy, cheese and many others...

Jill Reed

: Thanks
: Wendy Chadwick
: [email-masked]

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From: Wendy Chadwick <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 18 Jan 1995 23:52:10 -0600 (CST)

Thank you to everyone who responded to my question about Little House 
foods.  I found the cookbook and it is great.  We made Ginger Water and 
Molasses on Snow candy.
 Lydia will take them to school tomarrow.
Wendy Chadwick
[email-masked]