I do two hours of Water Aerobics every weekday, but on weekends, John and I walk over to the exercise room at the apartment complex. I walk on the treadmill for an hour or so, reading, which is the only good thing about a treadmill. This little snail was crossing the sidewalk early Saturday and looked delicious. I could just see my grandfather picking him up and putting him in the little pen with the other fellows, waiting out the two weeks to make sure they hadn't been poisoned. And then, if he survived, turning him over to my grandma to cook up in that amazing garlic powered butter sauce. Which is just as good without the snails. My grandparents would more often get their snails in cans, along with a whole lot of other gourmet (in those days, I just thought of it as odd) stuff. One of the more intriging things to eat was the canned baby eels. It looked like worms with teeny tiny black eyes and when you ate it on a cracker, tasted a lot like fish sticks. Somehow, sardines just never measured up to the eel.
Just in case I don't get a chance tomorrow (since I'm traveling), I bought two Jamba Juices today, so I'm still on my Lenten track. Monday, I'm planning on Ice Cream.
I've eaten snails this way exactly once in my life. It has never occurred to me that we could do the same with the smaller snails that cross our paths in the midwest.
ReplyDeleteTerri - It's anecdotal, so I can't back it up. but I've been told that people like my great grandfather brought these small snails with them from France, and plenty of our garden pests are descendants of the ones that escaped the butter sauce.
ReplyDeleteHoley cow, 2 hours a day water aerobics? That is some exercise program!
ReplyDeleteWell Debbi, It sounds like a lot, and yet, I am still short and round. It is great social time, though. ;}
ReplyDeleteSadly, water sports don't seem to burn calories as efficiently because of the water supporting the body so much. Good for getting the heart rate up without risking injury to the joints, however.
ReplyDeleteThat makes sense, Shelley. The buoyancy cancels the water resistance. My joints are good now, but when I broke my shoulder ice skating, this was the exercise suggested. Like I say, socially, I'm hooked.
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