Columbus, TX: Baby Raccoon stomped, killed, cooked and eaten...

[The Backlash Cometh]

...in class. Involved a substitute teacher.

On MSNBC.

[enid602]

1. Columbus

I've been ther; I'm surprised the students bothered to cook it.

[truebrit71]

2. Whaaaaaaaaat????

[madinmaryland]

3. I WAS hungry.

[ironflange]

4. That's Texas chili for you!

They probably couldn't find an armadillo.

[sasquatch]

7. Inferior beanless chili

[ThomCat]

5. Wow.

I can't imagine how any teacher would even think to do that, and think it was appropriate.

[Fire Walk With Me]

6. If'n yuh don't stomp et, et's too rangy ta et.

[Igel]

8. The cookbook we look in for recipes first (unless it's something

"ethnic" like Pakistani or Thai) is "Meta Given's Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking". Like most things labelled "modern", it's ancient or dated (or seconds away from being dated).

Printed in 1953, copyright 1947.

Page 975 starts the "racoon" section, which is mercifully short, following the similarly short sections on "quail, grouse and partridge" and "rabbits", but preceding "squirrel" and "woodchuck" and "turtle". But it has nifty cake recipes--none calling for racoon, squirrel, or woodchuck--as well as sort of more mainstream generic American standards that can be used to space out the vindaloos, goshts, chicken kabsa, and the like.

The racoon section starts:

"Racoon meat is very dark and when the coon's food is abundant (note that 'coon' as a pejorative for "African-American was more highly restricted geographically and socially until after WWII than the consumption of racoon was, and might well only accidentally coincide with 'coon' < 'racoon'), the body is covered with a thick layer of fat that has an exceptionally strong flavor and odor. This fat also extends in layers between the strong bands of muscle. It should always be removed along with the scent glands. Unless these glands are removed, the meat will have a tainted flavor. The scent glands are located under the forelegs and along the spine in the small of the back...." It continues for a while on how to dress the carcass. I *do* hope the substitute knew how to properly prepare racoon. If not ...

The cookbook includes the "American Legion Coon Dinner", calling for one dressed young racoon, onions, celery, a carrot, salt, black and red pepper and water; there's an optional stuffing. Simmer the critter for a while, then stuff it (if desired) and bake.

And there's "'Ding's' Raccoon Pie", taken from a book on "Cooking Wild Game" (with no obvious clue as to who "Ding" might be). "Skin the racoon, remove all scent glands and surplus fat. Cut into pieces as you would a rabbit for stewing" (note the assumption that this helps the reader). Marinade recipe follows, then you stew it with some veggies, and put that concoction into a pie crust.

Oh, gee, yum. And fortunately it only includes those two humdingers. But the critter's not kosher, so the recipes are of no greater use to me than the quite extensive sections on how to cook pig. (But, by the same token, also of no greater annoyance or repugnance.) Like the book on making Russian kvas, with its "potato juice" and apricot drink with egg yolk recipes, always good for a hee-haw.