Another time, another place

After Thanksgiving I decided to take a fun day and drive a bit to another part of the city that has some wonderful antique malls.  I still need a few things for the house, so I told myself I was working (sort of), but really it was a pre-Christmas-hecticness day off.  

(That is, it was a day off minus the extra 20 miles I drove to pick up a video game chair for my son that I was buying from someone on craigslist.  Though the chair was part of his payment for helping me paint at the House of Goodwill, so it was definitely worth it!)

Anyway, as I was wandering around the usual antiques and random old stuff I saw a cookbook that I could not NOT pick up.

I love reading cookbooks and perusing recipes for fun.  As I was glancing through this one, I couldn't help but wonder about a lot of things (?)

Obviously, I HAD to see what was inside.

Question #1 - Does this lady actually know that her picture made it on the cover of this cookbook?  Did she approve it?  If so, I would like to meet her.  (I think.)

Inside, along with a lot of "normal" recipes (perhaps a tad heavy on the canned ingredients and processed foods), were a few that made me pause.  For example:

I'm really not sure what to say, really.  I can't help but wonder how old Pardie Tickette lived to be?  But I suppose this is no worse than Hostess cupcakes, or Little Debbies, which we all would eat and not think was odd at all.

Question #2 - Is this for real?  I mean, was the whole cookbook done as a joke, or was it meant to be serious, with a few recipes thrown in for entertainment value?  I know there must be someone somewhere STILL eating fried squirrel, but I'm pretty sure the people who do are probably not the same ones who buy cookbooks.

Question #3 - What the heck is a cooter?  (Actually, I think I figured this one out by the context clues.)

But - Question #4 - Is THIS a real recipe?  Do people who whack apart cooters with hatchets really add thyme and crushed garlic when cooking them?  And what I really want to know now is - Question #5 - what am I setting aside the liver, tripe and eggs for?  The recipe does not say to throw them out.  Is "cooter liver" a delicacy?

(Somehow I imagine if I was a talented French chef I would answer, "of course.")

I just assume that this recipe would not make it to publication in today's politically correct world, and would be about as appealing as the (former) Mississippi state flag.  

Which begs Question #6 - would this cookbook even be published today?  I'm still not sure how serious/funny it was meant to be, but no doubt there is a group somewhere who would want to protest it.

Speaking of which, if anyone finds this post offensive, I would just like to apologize as it's not intended to be condescending in any way - I think it's obvious by this book's cover that it wasn't meant to be taken 100% seriously.

I'm just an ignorant suburban woman who's grateful she's never HAD to soften up an old, tough squirrel in a pressure cooker.

But if my husband ever puts an unapproved photo of me on the cover of anything I may just have to purchase a shotgun after all.

My sophistication does have its limits.