Haute Cuisine

There is a potential culinary catastrophe going on in the state of Oregon. I base this on the most recent research I have done regarding budding trends on Oregon's culinary front. Warning! This post isn't going to be about fall floral arrangements, wreath making and repainting that crappy chair stored out in the garage. Although, those are things I hope to accomplish but most likely won't get to until I'm in Heaven :) The latest trend is entitled 'Eradication by Mastication' in which invasive species are now becoming culinary delicacies. Anyone up for some Nutria? How about Bullfrog? For anyone not familiar with them, they are hairy, bristly creatures resembling a beaver or perhaps a very large rat and they range from anywhere between 12 and 40 lbs. According to Oregon's '1859' magazine, they originally hail from South America. Nutria tend to be pretty rampant throughout Oregon areas, primarily hanging out at creeks, lakes and rivers. They are herbivores and feed primarily on the roots and stems of wetland plants. They breed like crazy and I believe are considered feral and tend to play host to many pathogens and parasites In other words, there are a shit load of them. OK, enough of the science talk. Back to eating... Ground Nutria, Nutria kebabs and Bullfrog legs, for example, are growing in popularity and starting to make appearances on Oregon menus. Not just any menu. I am talking fine dining establishments. Oregon is known for it's incredible gastronomic advances that I highly respect and am proud of. We are a state that is standing up and saying, "No" to GMOs and feedlots. We pride ourselves on local, sustainable and organic eating. We are a state that respects our farmers. But for me, all I can think of is "EWWWWW" when I consider eating it. Admittedly, someone had a genius idea of taking something very cheap and readily available and touting it as the hippest new thing around. For many, that is all it takes to become a believer. Just watch, pretty soon the employment ads for Nutria trappers are going to start popping up on Craig's List :) Who knew we could have such haute cuisine in our own backyards?