Today my kids found a snake at the park. Roughly the size of a large worm, the reptile was hanging out in between the cracks of the sidewalk.
"SNAKE!" screamed my son at the top of his lungs.
Suddenly, the snake had 10,000 visitors.
"Don't touch it," I told the herd of school-aged children who had gathered to inspect the animal.
One boy sat down on the pavement and turned his arm into a ramp. "Climb up my arm," he whispered encouragingly to the snake.
Another boy offered the snake a leaf to eat.
Good ideas spread fast. Within seconds, huge clumps of grass were being dumped on top of the snake.
"The snake looks hungry," a little girl concluded.
"Just leave it alone!" I told the group.
My son asked if he could pet the snake, or preferably put it into the plastic Tupperware container that was inside his lunch box.
"The snake is staying here," I told him. "You can look, but you can't touch."
"We could take it to the zoo," my daughter proposed. "I could hold it in my lap while you drive."
"Or we could just leave it where it is," I replied.
"I know someone who once ate a snake," volunteered another boy.
My kids' eyes widened with surprise and wonder before shifting back to the snake. Pandora's Box had just been opened.
"I wonder what a snake would taste like," my son mused.
"We're going to go home now," I announced.
"Like chicken," the boy with the friend who ate a snake replied authoritatively.
I thanked the boy for his knowledge and pushed my kids in the direction of the car.
"The next time we go to eat," my son said pensively, "I'm going to order snake."
The crazy thing is that there are some restaurants in central Florida that just might actually serve it.
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I do NOT like snakes...big or small. I am not and never will be a fan. And as much as I like to eat I can guarantee you snake is not ever going to be a food I will order.
Let us know how he likes it!
Tastes like chicken (sorta) but the meat is flaky, similar to cooked fish. I have also had it fried in an appetizer. It was okay.
eehhhh, I'd pass. But if the kids want to try it, it's no big deal really.
Like chicken = awesome!
I'm not a fan of snakes, but boy, when my boys were younger......they could not get enough of them. If you ever have the opportunity to order snake from a menu, go for it- and you'll have a new blog post!
HAHA! AND there ARE restaurants in Florida that offer up some of that 'chicken' delicacy! I'd watch out for the 'Mom and Pops' toward North Central if I were you!!
I didn't know you also live in Central FL!
I'm a vegetarian so I don't really notice which places would have snake and which wouldn't. But I'd probably end up getting a salad anyway. Ew.
Welcome to Florida...where we have more than our shore of anything slinky, slimy and slithery.
Be sure to check your pool skimmer basket before jumping in, they love to hang out there!
EVERYTHING tastes like chicken apparently. :)
Amazing how few kids, especially boys, have little to no fear of snakes. Can't say as though I've ever eaten snake myself though.
Surely you could find snake on a menu somewhere ;)
We have had gator in Fl...interesting.
I love reading your blog. It makes me laugh.
I've had alligator ... which tasted like chicken, but chewy. Somehow I think that snake might be the same deal.
I'm pretty sure Crocodile Dundee verified this claim.
Your kid obviously knows his stuff. No one messes with the Dundee.
omg, gross. I would've booked it to the car as soon as they yelled the word snake. I cannot stand those creatures and would encourage others to go ahead and keep eating them, hopefully they will all go extinct.
Speaking of FL creatures, gator is actually quite tasty. I'd give it a whirl if you like seafood.
That was so funny! You have got the interaction between kids and wildlife down to a tee! Why did they put grass on it?!!
AS A NEW RESIDENT OF CENTRAL FLORIDA- THE WEST COAST, I COULD SEE SNAKE ON A MENU....AS I TOOK MY OLDER SON TO SCHOOL THIS MORNING, WE WERE GREETED BY A SNAKE THE SIZE OF A COCKTAIL STRAW WITH TESTOSTERONE THE SIZE OF MY BUTT CHEEKS. (WE CAME FROM NYC), I FEEL YOUR PAIN SISER!!!
There's an aligator park in Orlando that is very cool and they serve gator and I think snake. Your kids could get their wish!
Cracking up! Don't you just love the amazing range of reactions to the snake - from trying to feed it, to considering sampling it?
My son is so well-trained that he screams, "Gotta get Aunt Ju!" ever time he sees something reptilian. My sister is certifiable... us girls know better than to touch those things! :)
Thanks for the laughs.
I have eaten fried rattlesnake and it did taste like chicken. It was in Phoenix, though so I know that won't help you in Florida.
I grew up in Florida, and I will tell you right now that this is not the last snake you will see. If we didn't see one a week, it was a strange week. And lizards. But you've already talked about that one. ;) Anyway, yes indeed there are restaurants there that serve snake. It's actually not too bad to be honest. Like I said, I grew up there. So as a child much like your children, I thought ordering alligator burgers and fried snake would be very very cool. It usually was. For the first 3 seconds. Then it was just anticlimactic, and I wished I'd just ordered chicken strips like my sister. Good luck with that one.
In Phx, AZ fried rattlesnake is served as an over-priced appetizer at some restaurants. I think it is meant for tourists. I tried it once as a teen and was terribly disappointed - there was an excessive amount of breading on each piece so I couldn't even taste the snake, plus there was a definite flavor of frostbite (which may have been the most disappointing as I realized the rattlesnake was not freshly caught from the desert). The dang snakes probably weren't even from AZ but some weird snake farm in Mexico.
OMGosh...I am terrified of snakes.......I'm even terrified of worms. I've had squirrel which did taste like chicken, but I rather doubt snake tastes like chicken....I have no intention of finding out.
The commenters on this blog are awesome.
My husband and I went to a Rattlesnake Rodeo when we lived in Southern Alabama and bought some deep-fried rattlesnake. It did, indeed, taste like chicken. It was better than I expected.
My son saw the picture of the snake and insisted I read your story to him. He thought it was a fantastic story and now plans to order snake the next time we eat at a restaurant.
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