"Members of the local Izaak Walton League of America are going to "Eat Crow" for a time at least and are inviting residents of Ypsilanti to do the same. A letter received by William Raglin, local secretary of the League, requested members to organize Crow hunts and to do everything possible to rid the country of this dread to the farmer.
"After careful experimenting by seasoned hunters, it was discovered that crow is good to eat. A recipe for the successful cooking of the bird was supplied by Mr. Raglin.
"After the birds are dressed they should be rubbed with lard and placed in a braiser or iron skillet with an iron lid. Then a pint of water and celery trimmings should be poured over the skillet full of birds and cooked until three-quarters done. Then a light brown gravy of chicken or beef stock should be poured over the birds and they should be cooked until tender. Serve with any kind of dressing.
"It is emphasized vy those who have had experience in cooking Crows that they must be cooked until they are tender. It is said that when they are done they taste like smothered quail." --August 18, 1936 Ypsilanti Daily Press
I wonder where the expression "eating crow" came from.
ReplyDeleteHere's one suspiciously detailed, possibly BS explanation:
ReplyDeletefrom here:
"EAT CROW: During an armistice toward the end of the War of 1812, an American soldier out hunting [[‘it was the practice of opposing garrisons to go hunting’ (Funk)]] crossed the Niagara River past British lines [[‘in search of larger game’ (Funk)]]. Finding no better game, he shot a crow, but a British officer heard the shot [[‘resolved to punish the intruder and came upon him just as he was reloading his gun’ (Funk)]] and surprised him. The Britisher tricked the Yankee out of the rifle [[‘he gained control of the American’s gun by praising his marksmanship and asking to see his weapon’ (Brewer’s)]] with which he shot so well. He then [[‘told the American he was guilty of trespass’ (Brewer’s)]] turned the gun on the American, demanding that he take a bite out of the crow he had shot as a punishment for violating British territory. The American complied, but when the officer returned his weapon and told him to leave, he covered the Englishman and forced him to eat the rest of the crow. That is the origin of to ‘eat crow, “to be forced to do something extremely disagreeable,” as related in an 1888 issue of the ‘Atlantic Constitution’ [[but the meaning of the expression today, as far as I know, is to be compelled to back down and confess/admit that you were wrong, which is of course distasteful and humiliating, but which is more than just having to do something ‘disagreeable – it involves eating ‘humble pie’ – e.g. “His prediction was completely wrong, and he had to eat crow.”]]. Although ‘to eat crow’ is possibly a much older expression, the saying first appeared in print in 1877 and the story may well be true—nothing better has been suggested [[so Cassell’s suggestion is chopped liver?]]. The concept behind ‘to eat crow’ is that crows are not good eating [[all accounts I’ve seen imply it was eaten raw – is there any uncooked bird that is good eating?], but the flesh of young ones was once esteemed and I have it on the authority of the Remington Arms Co. that even old crows aren’t so bad if you simply “skin the bird, salt and cut it into pieces, parboil till tender and then fry with butter and onions.” I’ll eat crow if someone proves the recipe isn’t authentic. "