Cooking squirrel on a December afternoon

I didn't get up before dawn this morning to wander around in the woods hunting rabbits (chokfi) and squirrels (fani). The men from Hopewell Baptist Church did. By noon they'd gotten four squirrels (to the best of my knowledge). The men passed on their catch to the women of the church to dress and cook.

I arrived in time to watch Mrs. Isaac working on the last squirrel, taking the skin off with a knife.

The squirrels were then prepared with salt and put into a small black pot next to the fire to cook. I was glad to be near the fire because it was a chilly afternoon! The lady in charge, Lola, made sure there was enough wood on the fire and kept raking the coals forward under the pot. She used a large slotted spoon to skim the ashes from the top of the water.


We talked around the fire for a good long while as the food cooked. Henry told me about how things used to be when he was young. It used to take a long time to prepare meals - collecting wood, waiting for the fire to be just right, waiting for the meat to cook. Things are so immediate now. He was surprised to learn I'm from Pennsylvania. (Yes, I am cold in Mississippi but I'm glad I don't have to shovel snow.)


We enjoyed a meal of meat, biscuits, pork n' beans, pineapple upside down cake, greens and (strong) coffee. I smell like campfire smoke now, the chill hasn't quite left my toes. And I am happy.