When the beetles (APPECTROGASTRA FLAVIPILIS) into which these stolid
grubs and fidgetty nymphs develop, are chopped out of decayed wood, they
have the odour of truffles, and emit two distinct squeaky notes from the
throat and the abdominal segments respectively. Each maintains a duet
with itself until the hot embers impose silence and convert them into
dainty nutty morsels. Roast scrub fowl eggs would be no novelty, and
baked crayfish ("too-lac"), bluey-white and leathery--"such stuff as
dreams are made on"--might lend a decorative effect. Raw echinus
("kier-bang"), saline and tonic, would clear the palate for succeeding
delicacies.
The tough sweet yam ("pun-dinoo"), the heart of the Alexandra palm
("koobin-karra"), the hard rhizome of BOWENIA SPECTABILIS ("moo-nah")
after being allowed weeks to decompose, the core of the tree fern
("kalo-joo"), the long root-stock of CURCULIGO ENSIFOLIA ("harpee")
crisp and slightly bitter, the broad beans of the white mangrove
("kum-moo-roo"), would stand as vegetables.
Sweets would be the weakest part of the menu. One pudding might
certainly be included, VERMICELLI (shredded bean-tree
nuts--"tinda-burra") with honey and orange-coloured balsamic custard,
scraped from the outside of the drupes of the PANDANUS ODORATISSIMUS
("pim-nar").
Pages:
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397
398
399
400
401
402
403