Invite a marsupial to Thanksgiving
By Ray Linville
Four years ago on an obviously very undemanding day, the N.C. state legislature decided that we needed an official marsupial. In case you don’t remember middle school science class, a marsupial is a mammal whose babies are born incompletely developed.
The mother carries them initially in a pouch on her belly where they suckle. If asked for an example of a marsupial, you’d probably identify the kangaroo. But kangaroos live in Australia, not here. Isn’t there a better marsupial that relates to our area?
Do you remember the old Pogo comic strip drawn by Walt Kelly? Although it was discontinued years ago, it still resonates in our regional culture. Kelly was a master of social and political satire, and he crafted Pogo to express acerbic ideas and dispense uncommon wisdom such as, “We have met the enemy and he is us.”
Occasionally you can still find Pogo artifacts and mementos in antique shops and novelty stores. Then you remember that Pogo is not your typical mammal. He’s an opossum, or as most locals say — possum — the only marsupial in our area, actually in all of North America.
Because a possum has 50 teeth, “grinning like a possum” has been a term used for generations. “Playing possum,” another regional expression, refers to how the animal faces danger by pretending to be asleep, sometimes for up to four hours.
When Europeans and Africans arrived on our shores five centuries ago, they considered the possum such a strange creature. Captain John Smith was typical in his bewilderment. A year after being in Jamestown, he described the possum as having a head like a swine, a tail like a rat, and the “bigness” of a cat.
Because possums are nocturnal, you probably haven’t seen one recently (except for Pogo replicas). However, when you’re working in your garden or walking through the woods, you can appreciate their diligence: a single possum can eat 4,000 ticks a week. Think about that when Lyme disease is discussed in the news.
If you have seen a possum recently, it was probably on the side of a highway, what we call roadkill. In fact, isn’t that the usual image of a possum? Roadkill?
But earlier generations wouldn’t have confused the tasty possum for roadkill. In fact, Grandma probably had a recipe for “Sweet Taters and Possum Meat.” When the Rhythm Rockers recorded a song with that title, maybe they were thinking about their favorite Thanksgiving meal by their grandmothers.
Although your family may not have served possum this fall (at least not yet), let your imagination run wild and think about previous generations. What do you think was put in a pot as game meat and flavored stews? If rabbit and squirrel were added to Brunswick stew, why not possum?
Fortunately today the federal government dictates what must be in Brunswick stew — at least two meats and one has to be poultry. Of course, nothing specifies what to include as the second meat (or exclude). Maybe next time, you should ask.
Even the White House has served possum. No joke. You have to go back more than 100 years to find the president who was the biggest fan of possum meat: the 27th, William Howard Taft.
Taft was treated to a banquet with 100 fat possums (served with sweet potatoes, naturally) before his inauguration. At his first White House Thanksgiving, he served a 26-pound possum. Perhaps that explains why he was a one-term president.
Do you want to serve a novel dish to your family or guests? Perhaps the N.C. General Assembly is right — we not only need an official state marsupial, it needs to be on our table this Thanksgiving. PS
Ray Linville writes about Southern food, history and culture.
