Oh, Rats!

[easysurfer]

I saw on the evening news last night three people were stranded on a desert island for about 30 days and survived.

The news broadcast pretty much causally mentioned, to survive they lived on coconuts, rats and meat from conch shells. Oh, when found the survivors were considered in good health.

What?? Rats? If it's was me, I'd pass on the rats.

I do think though being stranded on a desert island, one may do pretty desperate things in order to survive.

 

[braumeister]

I read an article recently about rats being a fairly normal menu item in Vietnamese restaurants. But they were clear that the favored item was field rats harvested in the countryside -- nobody was willing to eat city rats.

 

[harley]

I'd eat rats if I was stranded like that. Basically squirrels without a fuzzy tail. They'd be eating vegetation and small insect/critters. Not human trash like city rats.

 

[Nemo2]

Once I'd fully digested the remnants of the other two (temporary) survivors I'd move on to rat stew.

 

[MRG]

Never knowingly tried rat, nut I'd chow down on them.

 

[Mr. Tightwad]

Killed two rats in my house about two months ago.

Neither were consumed.

 

[Badger]

I'd eat rats if I was stranded like that. Basically squirrels without a fuzzy tail. They'd be eating vegetation and small insect/critters. Not human trash like city rats.

Now there is an opportunity. Free range rats.



Cheers!

 

[Dtail]

Once I'd fully digested the remnants of the other two (temporary) survivors I'd move on to rat stew.

Did you play rugby for Uruguay?

 

[Nemo2]

Went straight there from the Donner Party.

 

[Dtail]

Went straight there from the Donner Party.

Okay I admit I had to look that one up.

 

[RobbieB]

Demolition Man

"You mean I'm eating a rat burger?"

"Do you see any cows down here"

 

[W2R]

My Cajun friends catch and eat nutria for dinner and love it. Not me. That's a step above eating rats, though.

Eating rats is about as appealing as eating balut. I don't want either one. I assume we are talking about wharf rats.

But, if I was hungry enough, who knows. Probably I'd filet those rats and grill the meat until it was charred and black. Then I'd make "rat alfredo" out of them.

 

[Dtail]

Demolition Man

"You mean I'm eating a rat burger?"

"Do you see any cows down here"

I know you would find some way to get some Alaskan claws shipped in.

 

[foxfirev5]

Had plenty of squirrels in my younger days. No wonder I moved on from the hills of Pennsylvania.

 

[RobbieB]

Starve to death or eat rats?

Rat burger please, well done thanks!

 

[MichaelB]

And here I thought the thread was about recipes ....

 

[harley]

 

[Alectoris]

You would be surprised at what you would eat when you are truly hungry. Fortunately (or maybe unfortunately) in our first world country we generally don't have that problem.

"Weird" food from different countries and our own:

Chapulines eaten by our friends in Mexico (they are actually good).

Mopane worms in Zimbabwe

Hakari in Iceland

And in the states, chitlins. The Mexican version, tripas, I find wonderful served crispy in a taco.

Rocky Mountain oysters.

Given the limited information on what those folks had on hand, my menu would be:

Conch and coconut stew. Beat the bejesus out of the conch with a coconut husk, place in container with coconut meat and milk. Add a sparse bit of seawater for flavoring and cook it down.

Same but with rat instead of conch, or a combination rat/conch.

When SHTF, coconut water/meat, raw pounded conch, rat tartare.

 

[Nemo2]

And Witchetty Grubs in Oz:

 

[braumeister]

You would be surprised at what you would eat when you are truly hungry.

I believe the answer to that is "just about anything". I learned that decades ago in US Air Force survival training. But for most people it seems to be simply a matter of what your culture accepts.

 

[RobbieB]

I would agree. Most people (no one here) aren't starving.

I'll bet that most starving people on a deserted island will eventually eat rat. Especially after seeing the roasted critter and their fellows munching.

 

[flyingaway]

I am relieved that they ate rats, not each other.

 

[Jerry1]

My father in law (rip) would eat anything. I saw him eat squirrel. He grew up in Appalachia and was very poor. I think, as has been said, when you’re really hungry, you eat what’s available.

 

[CardsFan]

DW tells the story of her very Italian grandpa. She was young (early teens?) and helping him make "gravy" (pasta sauce). When she stirred the pot she said to him, "Nonno, what are these bones?" His answer was "never you mind, never you mind". She didn't eat any sauce that day.

 

[RetireeRobert]

What I wonder about, they were on a "desert island", how did the rats get there? And if the rats migrated from elsewhere, who knows whether they were "city" rats or field rats.

They had coconuts and conch meat, wasn't that enough?