Brain is Food, but what isn't?

I had the opportunity to try beaver, but passed. Beaver tail sounds terrible only in that it seems you would be eating mostly connective tissue. I have had plenty of roadkill myself (assorted birds, small mammals and keep in mind that I have hit six deer with my car). Why waste perfectly good meat...I aways say.I have also tried testicles (from bulls) and at a Christmas Party a few years back, we had boiled muskrat (it wasn't bad, I must admit).

Hmmm, descriptions. Well let's see, as for the testicles...they were sliced and then fried I believe. The texture, as I remember was like something from a lesser cut of meat, say a shoulder roast or similar cuts. Not too chewy by any means, but since they were sliced rather thin (1/4 - 1/3 inch or so), that may have been the reason. Flavor wise...ummm...that's a bit tougher. I knew what they were and therefore had a prejudiced attitude and assumed that I was not going to like the taste. That turned out not to be that case however, but again, that may have been due to what they where fried in and with (which I do not know).Maybe this helps . when I first saw them, I thought that they were sliced and breaded mushrooms. We actually told a couple people that that’s what they were. These individuals only seemed revolted AFTER they ate them and we informed them what they truly were. In other words, while they were still under the notion that they had just eaten a mushroom, they were ok with it. All-in-all, I would not describe the flavor as “bad” and I certainly would not avoid eating them again. That is to say, while I won't necessarily go looking for them, I won’t avoid them either.Boiled muskrat is most similar in taste to squirrel. I like squirrel, which has a velvety smooth texture and a soft, non-gaming flavor (as opposed to rabbit, which always seemed to smell terrible when I cleaned them (kind of like a stale sock)) and always had a more pungent taste. But I digress...back to the muskrat. I imagine that the primary reason it was not tough and chewy was that it had been boiled in salt water for a relatively long period of time (here's an interesting side note...on a bet, my boss (at that time) drank quite a bit of the water in which this rodent had been boiling for a couple hours. But keep in mind that this was also the same guy that once drank an full pitcher of beer into which we had added salt, pepper, ketchup, mustard, and the contents of an ashtray, minus only the actual butts)). They are a bit fatty (not too surprising), and wild game fat is not as tasty as domesticated animals. Actually, it's quite bad. We added no spices, herbs, or anything other than salt to the water cuz we really wanted to get a true taste of the meat. I really have nothing to compare it to, other than its similarity to the squirrel, as I’ve already mentioned.In summary, if given a choice between Bull testicles and muskrat . I’d choose the testicles . but just barely.Remember though, we’re a wild game kinda family (my wife and I). In addition to the already mentioned stuff, I’ve also had wild pheasant, dove, quail, grouse, woodcock, duck, goose, and turkey. Plus, I’ve had moose, elk, caribou, bear, alligator, pronghorn, and boar. Wild . not the stuff you get in restaurants (well, except for the alligator . kinda, but it was not a restaurant one either. It was a “school” gator that we needed to put down).ABE: I've also had (and enjoyed) chocolate covered bees, grasshoppers, and ants.This message has been edited by FliesOnly, 12-22-2005 02:12 PM

Yes FliesOnlys’ my name, but my diet it can vary
As schrafinator has said, I’ll eat all but the hairyI’ve head-cheese too, and have encountered a fluke
If I see either again, I’ll most likely pukeWhile eggs can be good, I know not of élan
As for dogs and a snake, they’re not part of my plan.I’ve had Rocky and Fluffy, and even Bulwinkle
I’ll finish this later, but first I must tinkle.I’m back from the can, I feel much better now
And I agree with omnivorous, I much prefer cow.Actually that’s not true, I was just looking for a rhyme
It is food that was wild I prefer most of the time.ABE: I added that last line just to clarify my position This message has been edited by FliesOnly, 12-23-2005 10:33 AM

Well I recently had fresh venison tenderloin for dinner. My wife got another deer (with her bow) on Dec 30th. Ya know . it's a weird thing. We both love venison and we both love to hunt, but we both feel bad when we walk up on our kill. I guess that is a good thing though. The day either of us start acting like most of the people you see on TV hunting programs is the day I think I'd stop hunting. Many of you may not understand, but my wife actually apologizes and thanks the animal she has just killed. Guilt is maybe not the correct word, but it's as close as I can come to describing how we both feel when we are successful at taking a wild animal. We don't do it for trophies, we don't do it for the superior feeling some people get, we do it because we want the food.Anyway, fresh tenderloin and a glass of good beer...WOW!

I certainly am not accusing you of a falsehood, but I find this difficult to believe. While it is true that some things can cross from mother to child, I fail to see how food prefernces can be one of those things. Did this study suggest how this may occur? Could it not be better explaned more form a genetic relatedness standpoint? Now this one I can believe.

Buffalo (Bison?) is something I have never had. Most are now "farm raised" so their similarity to beef is not too surprising. Yes, I believe that many cultures do similar sorts of things. I just didn't want to give the impression that we pretend to act as they do. It's just something that comes from a proper hunting and fishing background, I believe. You have taken another animals life and a little remorse is not a bad thing to have at all. Quite the contrary...a joyful, jump up and down, high-five your friends, sort of response is actually quite disturbing to me (and my wife).Not to stray too far off topic (but hey, find me any thread that doesn't wander on occasion), but we look at hunting differently than many others. Like I said, we absolutely do not trophy hunt. We are also pretty much against hunting as a control mechanism for both "game" animals and predators. We hunt for food. We are totally opposed to predator control and I have been in more than one discussion with many a TV Hunting Program Host and their endorsement of using hunting as a mechanism to control predator numbers. Cougar, Bear, Coyote, and on and on. In reality, most of them simply do want the competition for “their” game animals. Seriously . .do we really need to control Polar Bear or Grizzly bear numbers? Are they so common that we need to “cull” their numbers? Bull shit. Some dude just want to show how big and bad he is by killing such a magnificent animal . from a long-ass ways away . with a very very large gun, and with the aid of airplanes, guides, snowmobiles, etc.I listened to one host talk all about the fun and skill of being a successful hunter, and how he was brought up to "eat what he kills" when it comes to hunting, and he then went on to do segments about crow hunting and coyote hunting. He did mention that many people eat crows, but in this particular segment, they were simply shooting them. He even had the gall to suggest that crow hunting can be used as a way to hone ones shooting skills. Basically, he used crow hunting as a surrogate for skeet or clay pigeon shooting. What an asshole!And the segment on coyote hunting was no better. He mentioned the skill required and how difficult it is and the satisfaction one gets from the success of such a hunt. How did they "do it”, you wonder? Well with an electronic "wounded rabbit" call, a high powered rifle mounted on a tripod, complete camouflage clothing and the benefit of being able to hide behind some shrubs. They called the coyote in and shot it at about 200 yards. And then did absolutely nothing with the animal. They simply killed it and let it laid there to rot. I was pissed, to say the least. Skill . what skill? We (the host and I) got in to a bit of an e-mail discussion, the details of which I won't get into.It’s this sort of stuff that I think gives hunting a bad name. Hell, just watch OLN and see the pathetic hunting and fishing programs they have recently added to their line-up. All this crap about the dangers involved. Bull shit. Go hunt the friggen thing with a handmade primitive style bow or a spear and then talk to me about the dangers (and eat it dammit!). No high powered rifles with 200 zoom scopes, tripods, and the benefit of guides, bait, and camouflage. Anyway, that’s probably enough of my self righteous ranting about hunting. As of now, it's a relatively free country when it comes to hunting (obviously there are rules and ethics . many of which a few completely ignore). I (and my wife) just happen to disagree with how some hunters conduct themselves before, during, and after the kill. I’m not trying to come off as “better” than them . just a bit more respectful when it comes to taking an animals life.