Text 6502, 82 rader
Skriven 2008-05-04 12:27:51 av Glen Jamieson
     Kommentar till en text av Michael Loo
Ärende: MOSTLY PLEASANT 254 80504
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 -=> Quoting Michael Loo to Glen Jamieson <=-

 GJ> A skink is not an amphibian, but a smooth, shiny lizard with
 GJ> overlapping scales

 ML> In my minds eye, I saw shiny, which to me means amphibian.
 ML> And also I think that somewhere where I have lived the term
 ML> is used for an amphibial newtlike thing.

The most amphibial other reptile of lizardly shape that I know of is
the axolotl, which if gradually deprived of water loses its feathery
external gills and turns into a type of salamander.  It has the
interesting ability to reproduce in both formats.
 
 GJ> They have frangible tails which can be separated from
 GJ> the body, to divert a hunter's attention while the owner escapes, to
 GJ> grow another, lower quality tail.
 ML> 
 ML> So why don't we have skink farms, where we harvest tails
 ML> off live lizards and leave them to grow new ones? Or we
 ML> could genetically engineer skink genes into cattle, so
 ML> we could have an endless supply of rump roasts ...

Skinks and other tail-shedding lizards discard their tails by
voluntarily breaking the vertebrae at a thinned-down central section.
The replacement tails do not have proper, jointed vertebrae, but only a
sort of gristly spine down the middle, and a dull, lifeless looking
skin.  I think that the next time the skink has to shed tail for
self-protection he has to move up to the next vertebrae.   Obviously
this indicates a limited number of tails which could be harvested.

Applying that ability to cattle would be more likely to result in a
multitude of ox tails, rather than rumps, so it would be more
productive to use animals which have larger tails, such as kangaroos.
Trouble is that as they use their tails for balance and energy storage
when hopping they fall on their faces if they don't have tails.

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05
 
      Title: KANGAROO TAIL STEW (In pressure cooker)
 Categories: Australian, Meat, Asian
      Yield: 4 Servings
 
      1    Large kangaroo tail
    300 g  Carrots, sliced
      3    Sticks of celery, cut up
      3    Medium onions, sliced
      1 tb Butter
      2 ts Ground black pepper
      2 ts Ground nutmeg
      7    Whole cloves, or 1 ts ground
           Salt to taste
      3 tb Soy sauce
 
  Separate the joints of the 'roo tail. Brown the butter on a medium
  heat in pressure cooker. Quickly fry the tail in the butter until the
  pieces are lightly browned.
  
  Add the onions and carrots, and gently fry for 2 minutes, then add
  celery, pepper, cloves, nutmeg, salt. Fry on the same heat for
  another 10 minutes. Add soya sauce and turn heat to high for 2
  minutes, stirring.
  
  Add water to cover, stir and put lid on pressure cooker. When steam
  starts to come out, reduce heat and start timing. After 25 minutes
  take off stove and cool down and remove lid.
  
  If you want to thicken the stew, you can mix cornflour or coconut
  cream powder with hot water and stir into stew. Simmer for another 10
  minutes without the lid, while stirring.
  
  Serve with rice.
  
  Devised by Glen Jamieson, based on an Indonesian recipe for ox tail.
 
MMMMM
 

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 * Origin: Braintap BBS Adelaide Australia (3:800/449)