Conference turris::cooks

         Limited harvesting of gators is allowed.  Some are even raised on 
    farms.

    	That's true. Gator dishes are becoming more common in the South. I
    had a gator bisque in Houston a while back. It was...interesting...and
    with large chunks of gator meat...I've never seen the stuff up North
    though...although I've never looked in one of those specialty places
    which carries things like llama loins, camel humps, etc. There are a
    few such places around Boston.

    Savenor's does indeed carry exotic meats.  This note piqued my
    curiousity so I phoned up the place.  I wrote fast and all I could
    catch were the following types of meat he recieved yesterday:
    
    Alligator, Moose, Elk, Lion, Antelope, Red Deer, Rattlesnake, Bobwhite
    Quail, Buffalo
    
    He spewed forth a list much longer but asked several times "what kind
    do you want" implying there is nothing they don't carry.  He also gave
    me the sales pitch about how Julia Childs has shopped there for 30
    years and how she autographed the sidewalk, and still shops there.  He
    also says all the meat in her TV shows was bought there and they sell
    her autographed cook books etc.
    
    Sound interesting!  I wonder how much per lb. these exotic meats are?
    I may have to take a trip down there to check it out.  There address is
    92 Kirkland St., Somerville, MA.  Phone: 617-547-1765, Hours: Mon-Sat
    8 a.m.-8:30 p.m., Sun 9-6:30, closed Easter Sun.
    
    If anyone has been there or goes please report back.
    
    Tim

    I've been there several times (my ex boyfriend used to live down
    the street) and it's a small market and it SMELLS FUNNY in there.
    Somehow I can't get into the idea of a meat market that smells
    funny, especially when they are known for having "exotic meats."  
    Linc and I used to make jokes and call it "Savage-ors" and wanted to
    picket it one day with little signs saying "Meat Should Be Kept in 
    the Thing that it Crept In."  After seeing the variety of carefully
    freezer-wrapped bits of beasties I thought their motto might be, 
    "If you can kill it, we've got it in the freezer."  But then, my
    opinion is not to be trusted, being a former vegetarian, resident of
    that hippie heaven Ithaca, New York, and having addle-headed
    sentimental affections for animals in general (the kind of person that
    wildlife conservationists call "bunny-huggers").  
    
    If Julia says their meat is good, it's probably pretty darned good.
    
    Peigi

    I went to Savenors in Cambridge.  It is a great place.  The have
    every sort of meat you could dream of.  Camel, tiger, etc.  I got
    an aligator tail steak(frozen) and cooked it 2 weeks ago.  It was
    awful, not at all the same texture of meat we had at the restaurant
    in Florida.  The restaurant called it 'cracked alligator tail' which
    was a tender moist white meat.  What I bought at Savenors was a
    fatty dark meat which took on a rubber-like texture when cooked.
    I'd love to know what the difference was.  Could have been a different
    cut or a different type of gator.  Guess I'll have to go back to
    Florida to try this again.
    
    Thanks for the help, finding Savenors was worth it
    Michelle

Copied without persmission from Cooking Light Magazine Jul/Aug:

              Man eating Alligator

Going Gator Alligiator is showing up on the menu.  Its succulent meat
has a flavor that has been described as a cross between veal and
chicken.  Alligator meat can be found in restaurants as far north as
Boston.  But of course, the most likely place to find an alligator
steak, stew, or stir-fry is southern states -- Texas, Flordia, and
especially Louisiana.

No longer an endangered species, the alligators now mean big business
in the bayou district.  "Alligator farming is a large part of our
seafood industry," explains Chris Walters of the Louisiana Seafood
Promotion Board.  Walters says meat from the jaw and tail is the most
tender.  But tought cuts from the leg and body can be tenderized and
cooked just like the less tender cuts of beef, she adds.  In fact,
alligator meat can be substituted for beef, chicken, or seafood in
just about any dish.

Nutritionally speaking, alligator wins accolades, too.  A 3.5-ounce
portion of alligator has about 100 calories, with only 1.5 grams of
fat.  Compare this to 3.5-ounce poriton of skinless, roasted chicken
at 172 calories and 4.5 grams of fat, and lean beef with 202 calories
and 9.2 grams of fat.

Unfortunately, most restaurants that serve alligator fry it.  But
people are discovering that alligator is healthier and just as tasty
when it's broiled, roasted, or stewed.  For recipes and information
about purchasing alligator meat by mail, call the Louisiana Seafood
Promotion and Marketing Board at 1-800-222-4017.

(Sorry for the typos I was in a hurry.)

    I BROUGHT BACK SOME ALLIGATOR SOUP FROM LOUISIANA THIS PAST CHRISTMAS.
    WILL DEFROST AND COOK IT THIS WEEKEND AND LET EVERYONE KNOW HOW IT IS.
    
    IT IS EASY TO ORDER ALLIGATOR IN MOST RESTAURANTS IN LOUISIANA, BUT
    IT CAN NOT BE FOUND IN GROCERY STORES.  I GOT MY SOUP FROM PREJEAN'S
    IN CARENCRO, LOUISIANA.  I'LL GIVE YOU THE PHONE NUMBER ONCE I TRY
    THE SOUP.
    
    THE RESTAURANT TOLD ME THAT ALLIGATOR MEAT IS A BIG IMPORT IN TAIWAN,
    AND THEY ARE WILLING TO TOP DOLLAR FOR IT.  I COULD HAVE BROUGHT 5 LBS. 
    BACK FOR $35.00.  I TOOK THE SOUP INSTEAD.