Why I'm not having spaghetti for lunch
Actually, after this guest post from Bucky, I may not be eating lunch at all today. If you're wondering how the video fits in, his e-mail said this: "Ok, with this, the metaphor I'm trying to construct should be more clear, I think."
Uh, no. Urg. Here's Bucky. EL
According to Wikipedia, earthworms (phylum: Annelida) are mammals that, genetically speaking, are closely related to the Canadian goose.
Ha ha ha. I crack myself up. Wikipedia says no such thing, of course. I was just seeing if Prof. McIntyre was paying attention.
I have a theory that when guys get together in a bar, if there’s nothing on the big screen television in which they have a betting interest, there are four things that can happen. Three of them are bad. ...
The lone, good possible outcome is that they can pool their collective knowledge about a subject and, thereby, each increases his individual ability to cope with the world around him.
Last Saturday afternoon, in a beer-fueled discussion about what we would eat if we got lost in the wilderness, my friend Paco — who once went through intense military survival training — told us that there are some plants that are poisonous to eat but there are no poisonous animals, so long as you stay away from the fish group. I trust Paco; he once made it all the way to the showcase on The Price Is Right.
JMT (which is what we call our friend, John Martin Thomas) observed, “Then you could always survive by eating worms, right?”
I said, “GACK!”
JMT said he heard that earthworms taste like dirt, so you need to wash them really well. But if you do, then they will taste like worms. This, apparently, constitutes a big improvement in JMT’s mind.
I said that if you put worms in marinara sauce, they would probably be easy to eat. The sauce would mask the taste and, in a tactile sense, I don’t think there would be that much difference between eating worms and eating spaghetti, would there?
Paco said, “So the next time we go up to Hanging Lake, I guess you will be packing along a big jar of Newman’s Own? Just in case we encounter the worst-case scenario?”
I believe we are now ready for fishing season to begin. How ‘bout you?
Last Saturday afternoon, in a beer-fueled discussion about what we would eat if we got lost in the wilderness, my friend Paco — who once went through intense military survival training — told us that there are some plants that are poisonous to eat but there are no poisonous animals, so long as you stay away from the fish group. I trust Paco; he once made it all the way to the showcase on The Price Is Right.
JMT (which is what we call our friend, John Martin Thomas) observed, “Then you could always survive by eating worms, right?”
I said, “GACK!”
JMT said he heard that earthworms taste like dirt, so you need to wash them really well. But if you do, then they will taste like worms. This, apparently, constitutes a big improvement in JMT’s mind.
I said that if you put worms in marinara sauce, they would probably be easy to eat. The sauce would mask the taste and, in a tactile sense, I don’t think there would be that much difference between eating worms and eating spaghetti, would there?
Paco said, “So the next time we go up to Hanging Lake, I guess you will be packing along a big jar of Newman’s Own? Just in case we encounter the worst-case scenario?”
I believe we are now ready for fishing season to begin. How ‘bout you?
Comments
Waiting. With baited breath.
Posted by: Laura Lee | February 20, 2009 12:01 PM
Point to Laura Lee.
Posted by: Hal Laurent, VoR | February 20, 2009 12:19 PM
Bucky, you must look up the classic children's book _How to Eat Fried Worms_. Your local library should own it.
Posted by: Lissa | February 20, 2009 12:21 PM
Think I'll save the worms for the worst-case scenario and use artificial flies.
Posted by: Anonymous | February 20, 2009 12:38 PM
and, breath like bait, Laura Lee
Posted by: Joyce W. | February 20, 2009 1:09 PM
Man, great minds do think alike, aor what? I was thinking about edible insects this week.
I've often been cajoled into eating unusual food with the following argument: "In some countries, they're considered delicacies!"
I'm not sure that works for me anymore, now that I know what a panoply of atrocities find approbation in other countries. However, I do wonder, what is it that determines whether an unusual dish is haute cuisine or merely ... worms?
I've sampled the work of some very good chefs and I know that I have entered another plane of reality when I enjoy their creations, but what is it that sends me there? Is it the chef's superior understanding of the palate vis a vis the chemistry of food? Or is it a combination of things: high quality of ingredients, ambience, secret spice packets, better utensils.....?
Sounds like a Deep Thought Friday to me. EL
Posted by: jl | February 20, 2009 1:53 PM
Point to Laura Lee, indeed. I love this cross-blog pollination.
Lissa - Mrs. Bucky volunteers in a library here. I'll have her bring home a copy and if there are any real culinary hints, I'll pass them on.
jl - ...I know what a panoply of atrocities find approbation... You took the words right out of my freakin' mouth, my friend.
Anonymous - Paco? Is that you?
Posted by: Bucky | February 20, 2009 2:18 PM
So Bucky- About these worms. They're USDA Prime, right?
Posted by: Laura Lee | February 20, 2009 2:29 PM
Laura Lee, I'm glad you quit being a lurker.
Posted by: Bucky | February 20, 2009 2:56 PM
Not sure, Laura Lee. I think they are wet aged, though.
Posted by: Lissa | February 20, 2009 3:46 PM
Bucky, I've pondered the worm question. It's been holed up in my brain like a Barry Manilow song: eating worms? But then Italians, once again, came to my rescue. Vermicelli, the near beer of annelida, is the solution that's been waiting for me. Still, the more I think about it, why not eat a few earthworms, too? Eventually, they'll get what's left of me. Unless I'm flambeed. "Ha! Dinner is served you little bastards! Hope ya like ashes. Hahahahahahaha."
Posted by: jl | February 21, 2009 9:26 AM
jl, now I've got Barry Manilow going through my head. He's singing, "The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out..."
My day is shot and it's only 8:00 here.
Posted by: Bucky | February 21, 2009 10:08 AM
Bucky,
Does this help?
f-r-e-e-creditre-port.com-baybee
Posted by: PCB Rob | February 21, 2009 4:08 PM