Does Anyone In Grand Junction Serve Fried Mice?

Fried mice might not be on your dinner table tonight, but it could be. I'm just wondering if anyone in the Grand Valley is serving deep-fried rodents.

Honestly, I've never given any thought to the idea of eating mice until now, and I must confess, it does sound somewhat intriguing.

It all started when my brother and I were talking about a recent cat scratching experience I had. Jokingly, he said he won't be concerned unless I "start grilling mice." He then proceeded to send me a link to a story about eating fried mice. It's been all downhill ever since.

In some countries of the world, like China, eating rodents is not uncommon, and it's not because there's nothing better to eat. In China, they consider freshly caught mice to be a great source of protein. That's great, but what does it taste like?

Well, according to Treehugger.com, the owner of a butcher shop in China says free-range mice caught in the countryside are clean, healthy, and considered to be a special treat. One customer said he's been eating mice for about 10 years and has had no problem. You can fry them, roast them, or boil them and they come out "sweet and tasty."

Think about a nice mouse fillet with some mashed potatoes and gravy or you could order some specially cured mouse bacon. Apparently, you prepare it pretty much like any other meat, the only difference is the mouse-sized portions you are dealing with.

Some of the meals at one Chinese restaurant include Rat with Chestnut and Duck, Lemon Deep-Fried Rat, and Sauteed Rat Slices with Vermicelli. If you aren't hungry for rat, the restaurant offers dishes with silkworm, raccoon, and snake.

Of course, the Grand Valley has no shortage of rodents, so if you wanted to open up a road-kill food truck you'd have plenty of meat options. I can see it now at the next Foodtruck Friday event in Grand Junction- people lining up for a sliced roast mouse sandwich or a groundhog burger with cheese.

What do you think? Would you be willing to give fried mice a try if you had the chance? They say everything is better deep-fried, and, honestly, that has pretty much been my experience in life. It's hard to go wrong with deep-fried, but, the key with mice is to not tell me what I'm eating until it's already down the hatch. I don't suppose I'll be eating fried mice any time soon, but the next time I'm in China I'll definitely give it a try.

Oh, wait. Maybe he said fried "rice."