Rensselaer Republican, Volume 25, Number 51, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 August 1893 — SNAKES FOR FOOD. [ARTICLE]

SNAKES FOR FOOD.

Only Prejudice Excludes Them from the Rill of Fare. American Field. " “Why don't people eat snakes?” “Because it. Is not stylish.” - The above question and answer are really all tliat are necessary at this date. The question is suggested because, at the present day, there is great demand for two other classes of reptiles, namely, frogs and turtles —for food —and yet we never hear of snakes being offered on the market. The answer follows, for the reason that fashion dictates everything, from pur birth to our death, and as yet snakes-are interdicted as food, to Americans, at least. Frenchmen are generally credited with “knowing a good thing,” and they practiced frog-eating for centuries before other countries acknowledged the delicacy of frogs’ legs. At last the custom reached the United States and was quite generally adopted, and the term “frogeaters” was no longer considered opprobrious. Somewhat over a century ago there was a revolt on a Virginia plantation because the slaves were principally fed on diamond-backed terrapins, which could be secured at an expense of $1 a cartload. Now these terrapins bring from S4O to S6O a dozen. Snake flesh is white and tender, and I doubt not is as good as any other cold-blooded animal. There is no earthly reason tp doubt it, and it would be unreasonable to dispute it. Prejudice alone prevents onr trying fried snakes and the same prejudice keeps many persons from eating nicely cooked eels, because they so closely resemble snakes. Let us compare snakes and eels, and we shall find that snakes, and, in fact, all reptiles, including our favorite green turtle and delicate frog, are immeasurably above the eels and all other fishes in the scale of animal life. But allowing that mammals, reptiles and clear down to degenerate fishes are all good because they are vertebrates, why do we not limit ourselves to this sub-kingdom instead of dropping to the lower, and serving up crabs, lobsters and shrimps? But not content with this drop we take another plunge, and going away, away below the insects, we reach the clam and oyster, which we cat entire, and often in a raw state. In certain parts of Europe snakes are eaten by the lower class of people. They are sold prepared at the markets as hedge-eels, and are in considerable demand in Southern France. In many parts of the uncivilized world the flesh of serpents is eaten, end we have it on the authority of well-known travelers and and explorers that, although not tempting the dish is in no wise unpalatable. It may be a long time before the fashion generally adopts snakes as food, but it should be borne in mind that we descend lower in the scale when we feed on fish, and immeasurably lower in our cultivated taste for oysters.