While you're waiting for your Bitcoin to recover, here's a fascinating article on Clarance Birdseye

Born in 1886, a college dropout, adventurer, he invented flash-freezing after watching Eskimos freezing their fish on Labrador ice.

Birdseye, among many other quirks, possessed a voracious appetite for harvesting and eating anything that walked, waddled, chirped, crawled, swam or slithered. 

In his years of exploring Labrador, Canada, or working for the U.S. government in the American West, he trapped and cooked mice, chipmunks, porcupine, otter and rattlesnake, to name just a few of his unusual edibles.

"I arrived by dog team at the North West River," he wrote in one notably enthusiastic account of his carnivorous Canadian diet. 

"And after thawing out, sat down to one of the most scrumptious meals I ever ate. The pièce de résistance was lynx meat, which had been soaked for a month in sherry, pan-stewed and served in a brown gravy.’"

It’s a very interesting article, based on a biography by Mark Kurlansky, who, in addition to writing on peas, has produced other works that offer good reading on subjects that I, at least, had never given much thought to: cod, salt, and oysters.

But if you don’t have the time or inclination to read books anymore, don’t miss the “Meet the American Who …” series by this author, Kerry Byrne, in Fox News, of all places. I’ve been following along as they appear, and each one is a great read. click here. Here’s just sampling of what he’s written:

LIFESTYLE 3 days ago

Meet the American who cooked up frozen foods: adventurer and innovator Clarence Birdseye

Prolific inventor Clarence Birdseye, a native of Brooklyn, found inspiration to pioneer frozen food for American consumers in the remote icy wilderness of Labrador, Canada,

LIFESTYLE September 24

Meet the American who popularized Chinese food in the US: immigrant chef Joyce Chen

Joyce Chen escaped from Beijing in 1949 ahead of the communist takeover of China. She carved out an unexpected career in the United States by popularizing Chinese food.

LIFESTYLE September 16

Meet the American who designed the modern sneaker and co-founded Nike: Oregon track coach Bill Bowerman

Legendary track coach and part-time shoe designer Bill Bowerman built a University of Oregon dynasty, served in World War II, popularized jogging in the 1970s and co-founded Nike.

LIFESTYLE September 9

Meet the American who shaped modern football: Walter Camp, pigskin pioneer

Walter Camp earned the title "father of football" for his role in shaping the game that dominates America's sports landscape today. He was a player and coach at Yale.

LIFESTYLE September 2

Meet the American who founded the Grand Ole Opry: 'Remarkable visionary' George D. Hay

Nashville broadcaster George D. Hay created the Grand Ole Opry in 1927, popularizing the performances of small-town musicians who rose from the hills and hollers of America's heartland.

LIFESTYLE August 26

Meet the American who wrote 'Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ': Union general Lew Wallace

Meet Union General Lewis Wallace, who wrote the redemption story "Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ" while pursuing his own redemption story after he was unfairly blamed for a Civil War battlefield loss.

LIFESTYLE August 19

Meet the American who founded pickleball, the fastest growing sport in the nation

Meet the American who created pickleball with friends — a sport that is becoming vastly popular in America. Joel Pritchard of Washington state invented the game in 1965 to entertain his kids.

LIFESTYLE August 12

Meet the American who created the nation's first sports bar in St. Louis: World War II veteran Jimmy Palermo

Palermo's Tavern is considered the first sports bar in America. It was located outside St. Louis' Major League Baseball arena, boasted local beer, casual food and sports on TV.

LIFESTYLE August 5

Meet the American who founded the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, 'put the brotherhood in motorcycles'

J.C. "Pappy" Hoel founded the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in 1938. It's the world's most successful motorcycle rally, drawing 500,000+ annually to remote South Dakota; it begins today, Aug. 5, 2022.

LIFESTYLE July 29

Meet the American who invented the hard hat, a proud symbol of our nation's working class

Edward W. Bullard invented the hard hat in 1919, then patented it in 1929. It's credited with saving lives on job sites while also becoming a symbol of working-class America.