Behind the Headlines

By Stephanie Ariganello; stephaniea@monroenews.com

Browsing through the paper this weekend, I was drawn to the classified ad that simply read: “MUSKRAT MEATS Call Bill at …” How could anyone pass that up? (I’m fond of packages of nuts that label their innards as meats, like walnut meats or almond meats. I think that was in play here.) I was so taken by it, I didn’t even realize it was under the wanted to buy heading rather than the for sale heading.

So I called, wondering about these mysterious muskrat meats. Were they available? Where did they come from? Bill, the man seeking the meats, clarified. He wanted some muskrats for bear hunting. He usually uses beavers to draw bears close, but beavers have become scarce – harder to find and more expensive. So he figured muskrats were a none-to-distant relative and they would probably work, too. Hence the ad, seeking the meats.

He said they used to be available at Monroe Frozen Foods, and he could satiate his need for muskrat whenever he needed to. While this batch he wants for hunting, he said they used to trap them at the creek near his home and his mom would cook them up in creamed corn for big family dinners. But he’s having a hard time locating any muskrat. Bill said he keeps hearing about all the muskrat dinners and has been wondering if they’ve cornered the market. So his question is: where does one acquire muskrat around here?

Apparently he’s not the only one. About 20 minutes before I phoned him, he said he got another call asking how much he was charging.

This seems like a uniquely Monroe thing. What do you think?