If Only Marie Antoinette Had Said, "Let Them Eat Rats!"*
Perhaps the whole unpleasantness of the French Revolution might have been avoided. In any case, Vijay Prakash, the Welfare Secretary in the Indian state of Bihar, according to the BBC, has made just this suggestion:
An official in the Indian state of Bihar has come up with a new idea to encourage low caste poor people to cope with food shortages—rat meat.
The Principal Secretary of the state's Welfare Department, Vijay Prakash, said that he was advancing his proposal after "much survey and ground work".
The Secretary noted:
"Rats have almost no bones and are quite rich in nutrition. People at large don't know this cuisine fact but gradually they are catching up."
Having dined on other rodents–guinea pigs and grey squirrels–I doubt his claim about bonelessness, but what especially caught my attention was the Secretary's assertion:
… that rat meat is not only a delicacy but a protein-enriched food, widely popular in Thailand and France.
France? Perhaps with a meuniere sauce?
Whole interesting solution to the food crisis here.
Kudos to H&R commenter emmajane.
*I know, I know, I used this trope on the Prince Charles post earlier today, but it just seemed so appropriate here.