Besides making me hungry, all this talk about what's the best and worst tasting African game reminded me of a couple of my favorite passages from African Game Trails:

"Here . . . we were in a wild, uninhabited country, and for meat we depended entirely on our rifles; nor was there any difficulty in obtaining all we needed. . . . On one of these hunts, on which he shot a couple of buck, Kermit also killed a monitor lizard, and a crocodile ten feet long; it was a female, and contained fifty-two eggs, which, when scrambled, we ate and found good."

* * *

"The night was clear, the stars shone brightly, and in the west the young moon hung just above the line of tall tree tops. Fires were speedily kindled and the men sat around them, feasting and singing in a strange minor tone until late in the night. . . . I toasted slices of elephant's heart on a pronged stick before the fire, and found it delicious, for I was hungry, and the night was cold."

--Theodore Roosevelt, African Game Trails, 1910

I've never had crocodile eggs, scrambled or any other style; nor have I ever eaten sliced elephant's heart toasted over an open fire--but TR sure makes them sound tasty, and on his recommendation, I'll try them if I ever get the chance.

Among TR's many other talents, he was an excellent writer, but a lot of people seem to forget that about him.

God broke the mould after he made Teddy. Or, to put it another way, if there are any men like him still left among us, they sure as hell don't run for public office.

Given our screwed up politics, and the seeming need for politicians to be "politically correct" at all times, TR would probably be unelectable today anyway--which is more the shame.

Hear, hear!! Even with some of his prejudices, he was a true sportsman and he truly loved the outdoors. Conservation for future hunting for generations coming up behind him and us would've never gotten started without his push.

I didn't try elephant heart, however I found elephant meat to be tough but tasty. The trackers "grilled" some meat cubes (alternated with chunks of fat) on stick for us, while the locals butchered the elephant.





Regards,

Terry

T--Great pictures. Was that trunk meat by any chance? I've heard it's one of the best cuts. Roosevelt and others have reported that it makes a good soup. Someday . . .

MR,

The trunk meat and several pounds of the other meat went to the local chief. We dropped it off at his hut on the way back to camp. It's my understanding that the chief always gets the trunk.

Regards,

Terry

One of my most prized possesions is a set of First edition Volume 1 and 2 of TR's African Game trails as well as Outdoor pastimes of an American Hunter. It is always a great pleasure to open such a fine old volume and read such great stories.

I am just now reading African Game Trails - what a story. I could almost taste the elephant trunk and the "tough waterbuck" and the other gourmets meals TR ate. I am envious.

I urge you to read the book as well.