Fried rabbits and bunny boilers

Thanks must go to Scott at Real Epicurean, for bringing our attention to this post on Toronto food blog Hungry in Hogtown, about sourcing and cooking rabbit ears El Bulli style. Thanks also to HiH for lending us the picture. Hope that's OK.

The entertaining thing about this is not so much the recipe and narrative (brilliant though it is) but the astonishing comments it elicited (both directly and as a result of the author's response). These range from disbelief that anyone could eat cute fluffy bunnies to hysterical accusations of homosexuality, cannibalism and Nazi tendencies. I kid you not.

Now of course there are people out there with extreme opinions and they are entitled to express them. But you have to worry about people who don't appear even to like eating very much getting so worked up about cooking a part of an animal that would otherwise be wantonly thrown away. No-one's forcing them to read about food are they?

So will I be cooking up some ears? I'm in no mad rush, to be honest. I am wary of dishes that are more about texture than flavour (I had some deep fried cute-baby-cow brains at the Anchor & Hope the other night that fell into this category). I certainly wouldn't rule it out, though, and I think the sourcing part of the equation would be easier here in the UK, where fur-on wild rabbits and game dealers are more in evidence.

Intensively farmed rabbits (the source of some of the vitriol among the comments) are nasty and tasteless (on at least two levels) and I try to avoid eating them. I buy wild rabbit a lot, though - it's a fantastic low-cost treat - and although I don't tend to get involved in the skinning part of the deal I'm sure I could bag a few on each visit for the freezer. Dinner party guests beware...

Comments

[Scott at Realepicurean]

Certainly it's a strange food idea. Not sure if I'd like to try it or not!

[Trig]

Yeah, I saw this posting this morning. Some people would do anything for publicity. I wouldn't have a principled opposition - I just don't fancy "meat" that is largely connective tissue. If I did, I would eat turkey twizzlers or economy sausages, instead.

Thanks for lunch guys - I really enjoyed it. Please convey my regards to your other guests. I'll be posting about my weekend dining with bloggers as soon as I can.