Garden Snails for Breakfast!

[MargaretR]

If you are starving, you will eat anything.

Early in his career my son spent several weeks in China and was amazed at the strange things they ate.

He rationalised it by adding that the population is enormous and food resources are limited - hence they eat anything that provides nourishment.

He related an incident in a university canteen where the two men on the adjacent table were served with dishes with lids. They lifted the lids and rapidly put the contents in their mouths because whatever it was they were eating was still alive and wriggling.
They then crunched, and spit out what looked like the legs of something.

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by MargaretR

If you are starving, you will eat anything.

Early in his career my son spent several weeks in China and was amazed at the strange things they ate.

He rationalised it by adding that the population is enormous and food resources are limited - hence they eat anything that provides nourishment.

He related an incident in a university canteen where the two men on the adjacent table were served with dishes with lids. They lifted the lids and rapidly put the contents in their mouths because whatever it was they were eating was still alive and wriggling.
They then crunched, and spit out what looked like the legs of something.

Bloody hell Margaret I've just had mi tea

[kestrelx]

Originally Posted by MargaretR

In order to be sure that garden snails are fit to eat you have to be sure that their guts are free of nasty stuff - which involves feeding them in a controlled environment for several days before - which sort of defeats the object of 'free food'

That's true but I suppose all meat has to be carefully looked after to get it to the stage where it can be eaten - pigs, hens, cows and so on.

It was on This Morning last Saturday this chef was cooking up garden snails with Philip Scohfield and Holly Willoughby - she was very perturbed by it. But Phil said they were really tasty - I'm going to try it once - but last time I ate an eel I caught I was nearly sick - I couldn't get the smell of it's guts out my head and the way it's head was puffing up and down when I cut if off - squeamish!

[kestrelx]

Originally Posted by jaysay

Bloody hell Margaret I've just had mi tea

What was that? Raw liver

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by kestrelx

What was that? Raw liver

Na a Porterhouse Steak, when asked how I liked it I just said take the horns of and wipe its arse

[kestrelx]

Ha ha ha - just call me desperate dan! Man! Seriously when I buy liver I eat a bit of it raw as it's supposed to have lots of iron in it and it tastes quite good raw but only in small amounts!

[kestrelx]

Originally Posted by Retlaw

Folk must be dammed hard up for sumat to eaght if thur ten to chompin on slugs an snails, ad suuner ev dry bread an water.
Retlaw

Thing with snails is that most of the meat you eat is actually their entrails I think - lot of work - you have to keep em alive in a container for 7 days, wash them at least once a day and clean them out every day before putting them in the fridge which makes them go in their shells. Then you kill them by dropping them in boiling water - boil for up to 1 hour to prepare them to eat! Lot of effort for not much return really.

[SPUGGIE J]

Originally Posted by kestrelx

Thing with snails is that most of the meat you eat is actually their entrails I think - lot of work - you have to keep em alive in a container for 7 days, wash them at least once a day and clean them out every day before putting them in the fridge which makes them go in their shells. Then you kill them by dropping them in boiling water - boil for up to 1 hour to prepare them to eat! Lot of effort for not much return really.

Well in that case to eat them you have to be addicted to them like the funny folk over the channel.

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by kestrelx

Ha ha ha - just call me desperate dan! Man! Seriously when I buy liver I eat a bit of it raw as it's supposed to have lots of iron in it and it tastes quite good raw but only in small amounts!

kest(Hannibal Lecter)relx

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by kestrelx

Thing with snails is that most of the meat you eat is actually their entrails I think - lot of work - you have to keep em alive in a container for 7 days, wash them at least once a day and clean them out every day before putting them in the fridge which makes them go in their shells. Then you kill them by dropping them in boiling water - boil for up to 1 hour to prepare them to eat! Lot of effort for not much return really.

Sounds like you've had plenty of practice

[kestrelx]

Originally Posted by jaysay

Sounds like you've had plenty of practice

ha ha - I was going to try it, after seeing it on "This Morning"and had some snails for a few days in a container, it just seemed too much work purifying them, to make it worth while for a small meal - so I chucked them in the bin. I've never eaten a snail in my life, I think they are a bit like whelks or similar fare?

As for Liver - give me a nice Chianti to wash it down with!

[kestrelx]

Originally Posted by SPUGGIE J

Well in that case to eat them you have to be addicted to them like the funny folk over the channel.

No Spuggie I've never eaten a dirty snail in all my life! I suppose you can buy them in jars in some delicatessens somewhere in this country.

[SPUGGIE J]

Originally Posted by kestrelx

No Spuggie I've never eaten a dirty snail in all my life! I suppose you can buy them in jars in some delicatessens somewhere in this country.

Pass never been looking for them. Mussels welks cockels winkles are as far as I would go.

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by SPUGGIE J

Pass never been looking for them. Mussels welks cockels winkles are as far as I would go.

I draw a line after shrimps and cockles, and now I can't even have them either

[kestrelx]

Originally Posted by jaysay

I draw a line after shrimps and cockles, and now I can't even have them either

Why is that Jaysay? Bowel problems