ptarmigan, stuffed and ready to bake.Ptarmigan are in the pheasant family, I think. They are yummy! If you're thinking hey, i thought she was a vegetarian! you are not really wrong... I'm just something of a failure. I need a new label since I'm not opposed to meat itself, just the way it's done most of the time.
The ptarmigan were all hanging out over by the water reservoir. One of my students got a total of 16 birds over two lunch hours. Like many arctic animals, ptarmigan seem a little stupid because they rely on being still to avoid predators, rather than flying away and expending copious amounts of energy. I have heard stories about hunters walking up to a sitting ptarmigan and rather than waste shells, just kick them over... now, knowing how arctic gossip is the only thing that moves in winter, I'm skeptical. But often there is a grain of truth in these stories. They gave me a bird because they know how much I love ptarmigan. They are very small - think quail or cornish hen. They are easy to clean and really delicious - a really mild, delicate flavour, not too gamey and very tender. hahah.. I'm definitely a failed vegetarian.
Halloween was an enormous success, organized for the whole school by yours truly. It felt like uncontrolled chaos at the time, but I got good feedback about it after, especially concerning the piñata.Unfortunately, I was so busy that I didn't get to take any pictures all day!! I was dressed as Persephone and had to keep adjusting my peplos (bedsheets) because I didn't really have enough safety pins. danger! danger!
Other than that, it's winter. Hardcore. Frozen solid. Even the fjord is frozen, and that's a month earlier than last year's early freeze-up. It's also 3 pm and dark out. I haven't seen the sun since I was in Iqaluit two weekends ago. Midterms also are upon us, and I am doing everything I can to procrastinate from the pile of marking I need to do. I have six weeks to go before I can see your shining faces. I miss you!
8 comments:
who needs labels anyways. who needs rules?!?! eat meat when you want to, it's not like you signed some vegetarian charter. you're not a failed anything. just be someone who does eats meat rarely, or someone who chooses to abstain from it most of the time. just don't feel guilty about something you're voluntarily doing in the first place.
nah, you misunderstand... i mis-explained. it's not guilt at eating meat that i feel... more like embarrassment at having misrepresented myself because there is no word except maybe "mostly veg" that applies.
i definitely enjoyed that ptarmigan :)
cleo's willing to bear the burden of eating your fowl. she's quite willing to sacrifice for you. the price can be negotiated - some number of belly rubs, chin scratches and snuggles, no doubt.
ptarmigan is a member of the grouse sub-family.... aka partridge... they're the same family (Phasianidae) but a different sub-family Tetraoninae) Complex ain't it.
Believe the stories about how stupid they are...We hunt 3 close relatives down here, and they are the STUPIDEST birds. Tim has some great, 1st hand stories about grouse.. One time a kid he was with while hunting, caught one with his bare hands...alive. Another time, Tim was walking a trail, and the dumb bird ran up to him, shaking his tail at him and dancing it's little courtship routine...
I personally have been driving down the road... and stopped less than 3 feet away from a grouse... if it'd been hunting season I could've opened the door, kicked it and had dinner that night.
Btw, what's in your stuffing?
sorry, I should've said... the locals here call grouse "partridge"... They're not actually the same bird.... another relative tho.
darn, i was hoping that the apparent stupidity was an adaptation. haha... guess not!
still yummy.
no... they're truly the stupidest birds on the planet... The only reason they haven't gone the way of the Dodo is that they breed like rabbits... I read that they can have up to 12 babies in one brood.... and breed up to 6x a year...
you didn't answer my ? about yer stuffing =P
sorry muffin. the stuffing this time was very simple... leeks sauted in olive oil, mixed with dried bread, sage and thyme.
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