What's so Funny About a Moose?

As a person who like to bake and cook new things, I am always on the lookout for new recipes. I subscribe to some of the best magazines like Gourmet, Bon Appetite, Cooking Light, and those magazines that might not be totally about cooking, but may have an abundance of recipes (like Paula Deen’s magazine). So imagine my delight at a whole article in a recent edition of the New York Times dedicated to preparing moose! Yes, moose.

You know had to be coming since the inception of Sarah Palin, the Governor of Alaska, as a potential VP. There have been many moose jokes, moose punch lines, and even political concerns over plain old moose meat, which apparently when cooked certain ways, may not be so plain after all. Moose meat is found in most Alaskan refrigerators and is thought of as a staple, as hamburger meat is in other areas of our country. And most Alaskans are used to their favorite meat being the butt of jokes.

The interesting thing I found as read about moose meat is that if a moose is killed on the road, and found in time, which most are, the meat is NOT wasted, but quickly given to food shelters, local churches, and other organizations which feed the hungry. NOW that is nothing to joke about. I think of all the deer meat laying wasted on the side of the roads here in NJ that might offer something to those poor we feed through local organizations here. Maybe I need to write a letter to my local officials.

I might be alone, but I find nothing funny about moose meat. I am quite sure I cannot find it in my local stores, and I have yet to see any in the local woods, so my chances of eating it is not going to happen unless I take a trip to Alaska, which is not really out of the question. So until I do, I will read through the recipes, smack my lips, and wonder if I could substitute beef for moose. Besides, how cute is he?