Date: 8/4/26 9:42 am From: Rachel Lawson via Tweeters <tweeters...> Subject: Re: [Tweeters] TASTING TABLE: This Small Bird Was Once A Dinner Staple, But Is Now Illegal To Eat In The US
I lost all respect for the late chef and TV personality Anthony Bourdain after, in one of his books, he wrote about a top secret, very selective, no-names-named chefs' dinner he gladly attended in New York. The point of the event was that one of the chefs smuggled in Ortolan Buntings, which were then cooked and eaten in traditional fashion with napkins over heads to capture the aromas. The whole dinner was illegal and unethical.
Rachel Lawson
<rwlawson5593...>
Now in Arnside, England
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From: Tweeters <tweeters-bounces...> on behalf of HAL MICHAEL via Tweeters <tweeters...>
Sent: Tuesday, August 4, 2026 3:40 PM
To: Dan Reiff <dan.owl.reiff...>; Dan Reiff via Tweeters <tweeters...>; Tweeters <tweeters...>
Subject: Re: [Tweeters] TASTING TABLE: This Small Bird Was Once A Dinner Staple, But Is Now Illegal To Eat In The US
I've heard stories from the early 50s that had small passerines being consumed for specific "festival meals" in some ethnic enclaves in Northern California. I read that in parts of Europe this still continues, just well under the radar.
Hal Michael
Olympia WA
360-459-4005
360-791-7702 (C)
<ucd880...>
On 08/03/2026 9:07 PM PDT Dan Reiff via Tweeters <tweeters...> wrote:
I wonder if that was how the restaurant chain got its name!:
This Small Bird Was Once A Dinner Staple, But Is Now Illegal To Eat In The US
Although federal conservation laws banned eating this small bird more than a century ago, it used to be a pretty popular protein in America.
