"I learned that just cause you walk in a bar and absolutely everybody is wearing hunting cammos doesn’t mean you ain’t gonna have a really good time. I may not have grown up in hunting/fishing culture (far from it) but I sure as hell am never ever going to sneer at it again. Any boneheads who make cracks about eating squirrel are telling us a lot more about themselves and how remote they are from any kind of hard times–or any understanding of those who have been through hard times–than making any useful observation."
I've been very amused at this "trend" of hunting and rural lifestyle as the new cool. I happily wear my camo outfits now that camo is "in." Used to be, we of the rural persuasion were pretty much mocked.
So, you can imagine, I laughed out loud when I saw the YouTube video of "The Wild Within's" Steven Rinella out gathering raccoon roadkill for dinner and serving it up to hip, young urbanites. Because long before the hipsters, I had my fill of raccoon, and squirrel, rabbit, quail, pheasant, venison and, well, even possum. Which tastes nasty.
I've never, not once, been ashamed of growing up in a rural area. There are few other places in this country where you will find so many hard-working, decent people. I learned a lot about being independent and respecting nature from my youth. My best friends that I have had for over 30 years are those who grew up with me. So, thanks, Bourdain, for giving us a bit of respect even if there's a heavy play on the stereotypes.
Here's a little celebration of my "ruralness:"
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