Ortolans

You may or may not be aware that I am a connoisseur of all gastronomical delights.

Yes, it's true.

Anyway I recently discovered this great recipe for the Ortolan. An Ortolan is a small type of bird, much like a finch and apparently eating it in the way shown below was one of the most truly decadent things you can do. I'm not sure if people do it anymore. The following excerpt is sourced from the Wikipedia article on the Ortolan:

You catch the ortolan with a net spread up in the forest canopy. Take it alive. Take it home. Poke out its eyes and put it in a small cage. Force-feed it oats and millet and figs until it has swollen to four times its normal size. Drown it in brandy. Roast it whole, in an oven at high heat, for six to eight minutes. Bring it to the table. Place a cloth—a napkin will do—over your head to hide your cruelty from the sight of God. Put the whole bird into your mouth, with only the beak protruding from your lips. Bite. Put the beak on your plate and begin chewing, gently. You will taste three things: First, the sweetness of the flesh and fat. This is God. Then, the bitterness of the guts will begin to overwhelm you. This is the suffering of Jesus. Finally, as your teeth break the small, delicate bones and they begin to lacerate your gums, you will taste the salt of your own blood, mingling with the richness of the fat and the bitterness of the organs. This is the Holy Spirit, the mystery of the Trinity—three united as one. It is cruel. And beautiful. According to Claude Souvenir chewing the ortolan takes approximately 15 minutes.

Mmmmmmm, my mouth is watering just thinking about it. I reckon it's time McDonalds brought in the McOrtolan. Better yet let's get our kids out catching, force-feeding and then slowly digesting their own ortolans, I reckon they might learn a few things about the preciousness of life.

By the way, I am kidding, I do not recommend doing this.