Inferencing · Level 3

Ellesmere Island is a large, thinly populated island in the remote north of Canada, very close to the North Pole. The sea around the island is almost always thick with ice.

At dawn almost the entire population of the little Greek village gathers on the stone wharf to welcome the small, open boats back from their work. While some pack the catch into crates for delivery to surrounding villages, others spread nets in the sun, making repairs where necessary.

In the winter months of 1870-71, the city of Paris was under siege by the Prussian Army. The blockade was so complete and effective that food supplies dwindled rapidly and the citizens, through desperation, were forced to find creative ways of feeding themselves using alternative supplies from within the city.

Horses were customarily eaten in France, but now even the most expensive, thoroughbred horses appeared on the menu. Cats and dogs, formerly household pets, also became sustenance for their owners.

As these more obvious sources of meat neared depletion, the Parisians had to become increasingly adventurous in their eating habits in order to survive the harsh winter. The goldfish from the city's parks, sparrows, and rodents all became targets for butchers, cooks and the hungry populace.

A rat market was established in central Paris, with large rats hanging from hooks at the market stalls alongside the carcasses of cats and dogs. The city's inhabitants soon were creating new recipes using rats with whatever ingredients they could lay hold of, and arguing over which were the more successful and flavoursome.

By December 1870, the officials at the Paris Zoo, reluctantly agreed to make their starving animals available for human consumption.

It is recorded that Mr De Boos, a butcher of that time, offered for sale the meat of buffalo, zebra and yak. He even, purchased two elephants which sold at a high price, with the trunks being considered a particu1ar delicacy. The hippopotamus, although available for anyone who could afford it, was apparently considered to be inedible.