The Red and Black

Issue date: 2/1/02 Section: News

Amanda Lovett, a freshman bio-chemistry major, cringes in reaction to eating fried escargot in her Edible Invertebrates freshman seminar on Thursday afternoon. (Megan Lovett • The Red & Black) [Click to enlarge]

Before signing up for classes, University students should always know what they are required to study -- or in this case, to eat.

Students in Mark Farmer's and William Fitt's freshman seminar, "Edible Invertebrates," meet once a week to learn about -- and eat -- organisms from jellyfish to lobster.

"I had an invertebrate biology teacher in college who served Maine lobsters with butter instead of smelly crayfish in formaldehyde," said Mark Farmer, associate professor of cellular biology. "The anatomy was the same, and we enjoyed the class a lot more."

According to the course description, invertebrates are animals without backbones who make up the majority of animals on the planet.

"Each week, we chat a little about the biology of the organism of the day," said William Fitt, associate professor of ecology.  

This week, after discussing the organism du jour, snails, the class ventured into the Food Preparation Laboratory's kitchen to cook a sample of the invertebrate.

ESCARGOT RECIPE -Brochettes of escargots -Small wooden pikes (skewers) -Parsley, garlic, shallots and breadcrumbs -Salt, pepper and oil --Chop the garlic, the parsley and the shallots, and mix with the breadcrumbs. --Drain the escargot without drying them, and put them on the pikes. --Roll skewers in the mixture above. --Fry the breaded escargot in oil. --Fry until each one is golden and serve hot! Source: (escargot.free.fr/eng/cooking.htm)

Before preparing the snails for frying, Fitt gave the class a short lesson on snail anatomy.

The snails were then breaded and fried in olive oil until they turned golden brown.

"The traditional way to cook them is in a garlic sauce in the shell," Farmer said.

"Everyone wants to come for the shrimp and lobster classes but most are not that interested in the worm and insect lectures," Farmer said. "Most people think it is a neat idea."

Farmer said the seminar will likely be offered again in future semesters.

"I decided to take the class because it sounded interesting and it was something different," said Amanda Lovett, a freshman from Duluth.

Next week the class will sample the next invertebrate on the list -- clams.

"I wanted to eat the chocolate covered grasshoppers," said Kent Posey, a freshman from Vidalia who ate a snail raw.

When asked what he would tell his friends about the class, Kevin Nietzer, a freshman from Alpharetta said, "I'd tell them I ate a lot of crazy invertebrates that I never would have eaten before."

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