Dining on Snails.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 215, 13 August 1887, Page 3

Dining on Snails.

Jay Gould Juts set New Yorkers to eating snails. 'Nearly every afternoon since his return from his Far Western trip the great financier has stopped at the ollieo of a transatlantic steamer company, stayed a few seconds in the agent's sanctum, and emerged with a brown, paper parcel, which he carried home with the air of possessing something very prefious. These packages contained each about a quart of snails, of the species eaten in some parts of Fiance, and specially imported by some of the steamsnip men as a favour to friends. Mr Gould got his appetite for snails in New Me>.ico, however, and " got it bad," as one close observer declares. He has the things cooked under stringent orders to boil them first in their shell?, then submerge them in a hi'o-hly-flavoured sauce, and finally roast them. They are served in tho shells, which by this time arc thoroughly browned. Whan eaten they are piled hot on a plate after tho mannerof roas ted clamsandtheeater extracts them by holdinga shellin his left hand, while with a fork in his right ho gets the curious morccl out. Tho taste is pleasant, if one isn't squeamish, and a liking is easily acquired for the. " escargots," as they are called in the restaurants, where they have been this week suddenly introduced. Some are brought from France, but the bulk are gathered by boys in the outlying districts. Mr Gould has hitherto been famous for a plain diet, and so his mania for snails is all the more a Wall-street wonder.

In a recent action for damages against the owner of a clog said to hav§ been mad, the witnesses were.mqstly rural labomers, and the learned gentleman of the law had no little difficulty in eliciting evidence from thorn. One witness, in, particular, annoyed counsel for the defendant by his obtuseness. "Did you consider the dog rabid ?" at length asked the learned lawyer abi'uptly. " Rabbit," echoed the rustic, "he wia nae rabbit. He wis jist a clean daft doug, ye gowk I" " ' A sentimental writer asks, " Did you ever watch a dear baby waking in the morning?" Many times. It generally occurs about five o'clock, and enables the father to get up a splendid appetito for breakfast.