When it comes to food - a subject that is dear to my heart - I’ve made a few interesting observations. People who have never had wild game are extremely squeamish about the subject and must be handled with as much care as when deboning a squirrel. I suppose if you were never introduced to the earthy goodness of roast duck or had the pleasure of munching on bacon wrapped, Asian spiced, pheasant hors d’oeuvres it might be hard to accept such fare as the delicacies they are. Therefore, I’ve learned to take it slow with “city folk” who fall into that category.

Recently the Sergeant Major and I enjoyed the company of my daughter and her friend who I’ll affectionately refer to as Sweetness. Sweetness is from a far away land (California) and was not exposed to the world of venison stew or quail with grits and gravy so when it came time for breakfast I threw in a southern favorite - venison sausage.

“What the heck,” I said. Everybody, including a gregarious liberal from The Outerlimits would embrace such a rare gastronomical event. And it would have gone that way - if my daughter had been a little more diplomatic.

I sincerely don’t believe our darling Shannon had any intention to mortify Sweetness when she asked if he liked the venison. In fact, her innocent query would have been asked of any visitor. But we don’t get too many westerners ‘round these parts.

When Sweetness stopped munching down on his last bite and asked what is venison she could easily have made up something like “Oh, that’s just a redneck word for lean, organic, no hormones, farm raised turkey sausage.” I guess it’s hard to think quickly when you haven’t had your coffee.

I do hope Sweetness will come back to visit some day...

Occasionally I read the nutritional labels on packaged comestibles before deciding whether or not to ingest the contents. I don’t make this a regular habit because I’d be dead by now - succumbed to anorexia for refusing to eat anything infused with foreign sounding ingredients.

,p>Did you know the deep crimson dye found in many products such as jams, cookies, and juice beverages is extracted from the female cochineal insect?

Forget about the fat, salt and sugar listed on the box, bag or can. Instead we should pay attention to the front label. Case in point, the Sergeant Major and I were searching for canned oyster stew (why he would forgo fresh over canned is beyond me) when I noticed two soups made by a well-known manufacture. Both soups were labeled New England Clam Chowder, however one label proclaimed it’s contents to be “100 percent natural.” Really? Pray tell what is in the other…

Last but not least – what about the stuff you won’t see on the label but may very well end up on the dinner plate? John Stossel, host of Fox Business Network “Stossel,” recently let us in on a few FDA guidelines. According to Stossel’s findings, your food is safe if: a jar of mushrooms contains less than 20 maggots; a box of raisins contains less than 35 fruit-fly eggs; a box of pasta has no more than 450 bug parts. I’ve always taken an adventurous approach to food, having savored the likes of Rocky Mountain oysters and chocolate covered grasshoppers, however that made me cringe. But I’m ok.

It’s all about how you look at food. And in the case of maggots and fruit-flies - a little extra protein never hurt anybody.