Famous Death Row Last Meals
PHOTOS: 7 Foods You'll Be Eating In The Future
Photo: Getty Images
"We do have fish, but we don't have shad," Grifton Shad Festival secretary Janet Haseley says cheerfully. "We used to have herring, but now we fry commercially raised catfish."
Shad do make a cameo appearance at the 40-year-old festival, which returns to Pitt County this month: In addition to dozens of events punning on shad's name – including Shad-O and a 5K "Spring Shad Run" – the event schedule features a frozen shad toss. "We freeze shad for tossing, and, afterward, we bury them for fertilizer," Haseley says. "Some of the animal people were kind of upset about it, but we think that's a pretty responsible way to do it."
Shad pass by Grifton in March, near the start of their 2,000-plus mile journey to Nova Scotia, where they're feted at late-summer festivals. In an essay devoted to the deliciousness of shad, Ari Weinzweig of Zingerman's speculates the intense seasonality of the shad harvest may have hindered the fish's fortunes.
"This is still this thing that is only seasonal," he quotes a friend as saying. "You have to wait til the spring and get the shad and the new lamb." Weinzweig concedes some eaters are put off by shad's three rows of pin bones: A common preparation involves baking the fish until its bones melt.
But most shad fans swear by smoking, the method favored by Native Americans and the Wakefield (Va.) Ruritan Club, which annually hosts a legendary shad planking, scheduled to coincide with shad's return to the James River.
Haseley, who remembers when a county extension agent first proposed a shad festival, says organizers never contemplated serving shad, which she characterizes as "more fun to catch than eat." Townspeople only consented to hosting an event in shad's honor after the mayor reminded them "they don't eat mules at the mule festival," she says. "I've never eaten shad," she adds.
PHOTO: Dog Guards Dead Victim's Body After Oklahoma Tornado Disaster
Live from Microsoft's New Generation Xbox event!
Demi Looks FANTASTIC In A Bikini
Xbox Reveal liveblog on Joystiq
Dozens Killed in Oklahoma Tornado; Death Toll to Rise
Who Won 'DWTS'?
Justin Bieber Booed, Gets Standing Ovation at Billboard Music Awards
2013 Billboard Music Awards Best and Worst Dressed
PHOTOS: This Is The Best Response To Abercrombie CEO Mike Jeffries We've Seen Yet
Watch: Kansas Meteorologist Seeks Shelter From Tornado
Xbox One architecture panel liveblog!
Wolf Blitzer's Embarrassing Moment With Tornado Survivor
Two Pilots Fired After Brazilian Pop Star Takes Captain's Seat Mid-Flight
Rescuers Continue Search For Tornado Survivors
Selena Gomez Leaving Justin Bieber's House: Booty Call Rumors Swirl
Man Reportedly Beheaded In Brutal Assault In London Neighborhood
The World's Most Powerful Women
PHOTOS: Christie Brinkley Gets Back Into A Swimsuit At 59 Years Old
Mother Dies With Infant During Oklahoma Tornado
U.S. Acknowledges Four American Citizens Killed In Drone Strikes
NY Times Eviscerates Obama White House
Help For Heroes Killing
PHOTOS: Tornado Aftermath Leaves Trail Of Destruction
15 Incredible Cat Photobombs
White Father Allegedly Suspected Of Kidnapping Biracial Daughters
Singer Sues McDonald's, Claims Chicken Sandwich Incident Ruined Her Voice
Grossed Out Student Finds "Worm" In His McMuffin
CBS Reporter's Grave Allegations
Tornadoes Strike Oklahoma
Mila Kunis And Ashton Kutcher Put Their Romance On Display
Guess Who?
4-09-2010 @12:48PM Kevin Kadow said... What does shad taste like? As long as we are on the subject, what does mule taste like?
Maybe they should try eating mules at the mule festival; if nothing else they'll get more press coverage, and possibly a larger turnout.
Reply
4-09-2010 @5:58PM MikeTheCanibal said... Mule tastes a lot like ass.
4-09-2010 @5:10PM SLS said... I JUST WENT ON AND ON ABOUT IT AND THE COMMENT DID NOT SHOW UP.....IT IS AN OILY FISH...DOES HAVE LOTS OF BONES...BUT IT CAN BE DEBONED IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING....THE ROE IS GREAT SCRAMBLED WITH EGGS....SO IT ISA MILD FLAVORED FISH...
I LOVE IT AND WAIT EVER YEAR FOR SHAD SEASON WHICH IS LATE FEB, MARCH, APRIL...
I ALSO SMOKE IT ...GREAT DONE THAT WAY TOO...
Reply
4-09-2010 @5:14PM SLS said... ALSO HAVE SOME GREAT WAYS TO FIX IT.....AND WHEN I SAID I SMOKE IT..I DID NOT MEAN IN A PIPE OR BLUNT..
Reply
4-09-2010 @9:43PM gs said... shad has traditionally been caught by anglers more for their roe (eggs) than meat
Reply
4-09-2010 @10:34PM pete said... Had mule swedish meat balls once. Tasted like beef/buffalo, but more gamy and tougher.
Also gave the worst smelling gas I've ever had, and you could actually see the toxic green cloud. Only time in my life I was afraid to light a match in the bathroom!
Reply
4-09-2010 @11:13PM Eileen H said... I have had shad a the annual Shad Festival in Lambertville, NJ every April. Different organizations sponsor the types of dishes cooked with shad. They usually have a great grilled shad fish sandwich on a bun with tartar sauce which is very good. It is a moist fish which does well on the grill with some breading or rub for outside texture. They also make a shad chowder which is good too. Since the festival is held in April the amount they catch depends on the weather also. I never really see it in the supermarkets though. So get it while you can. Yum!
Reply
4-09-2010 @11:53PM KITZER said... I HAVE BEEN PICKLING 'BONY FISH' FOR YEARS. IN THE PROCESS, THE BONES DO ALMOST MELT AWAY! MUCH LIKE PICKLED HERRING.!!
Reply
4-10-2010 @12:32AM Mary said... Fish Tossing is Lame. The best one is tape an egg on a person's butt and tyr]]ry to break the egg with a dead fish. This was a right of passage at some sorieties at the U. of Tennessee in the sixties. WAS much mor fun if it had rained that morning or was raining. Two gilrls sliding around in mudd trying to break an egg on the butt of another girl. It is more amusing than The Life and Times of Tiger Woods.. UT really knew how to haze with humor and fun. No one was hurt or did not enjoy these crazy stunts.. Hint for schools that receive graffatti on their buildings . Hve the Sheriff found up a bunch of boys frrm one school and make them go clean off the grafettiti . It shoudl cost little if anythying. Sherfff just rounds up girls and guys and gives them tooth brushes to get it off. It is usually the group that knows who did it and some of them while they were not quiltyl are rounded to work the task.. All of this can be taken care wihout the parents gettting in the middle of it unless they have their own toothprush ot help and are wiling to oversee the progress otherwise the parents stay out of it and th parents are cool abouout it all and noen of tha MY Little Tommy woudl nto do such a thinkg Crap attituteds the parehts just stay off of it. These ar the tinesf hours of our of youth that are the things of the right of passage that ayou get yelled out and you cleam up paiht , but it it not on you rrecord. It gets done and it cost the couhty nothig that you mighttnot have been invooved,but I bet that you knew who did it You may extract your pohnd of flesh from the guys that you know did it. Just clean it up with a smile and beat that oposing teram in what ever ball it was to be that weekend.
It seems that the schools in this area that have new out of state principals and Superintendents have a feeling that they need to pay someone to was the graffatti off of the building when in this area of 'tv ..jsut call the Sheriff to get it done. If i was handled that was in the sexties ..why not now? If he is a good sheriff that you are calling, he will know what to do and it it not finding a painter. The Sheriff just told them that they looked quilty or if not , you know who was involvedd\ so go get you some old clothes and call your parents. Parents in my town expected it twice a year. Now getting the hay wagon off of the top of the High School was a Hoot.. that was my brother with a qood senes of humor. His class was the last class to Washingon Dl C. due to the meanness that they got into. Small Town in Campbell Co., TN. We did not even have a movie theather.. WE got inot a lot of foolishness..never that it hurt anyone.. WE kept busy riging bikes, exploring the woods and creeks and skiing.. It was an era tht you haf to be home fro supper when the street lights stated coemin gone, but we jjahd no streetlights. Wh had to comev home at 6 for supper and all satdown with out the TV on or the Phone on. WE found out about each persons day . Thanked our Mother for a great meal and Began cleaning the kitchen. Listened to the news on TV as a family. I go to stay up late if there was a Charlie Chan mystery playing. It was a ritual of mine and my Dad;s. Even if it was a school night. Luck with our memories...Do take them with you. I am 61 and makes my head expode when I hear that the kids are bored in my neighborhood. I break out my kind squit gun and some constuction plastic and tell them to go put on ther suits. I also rermind them at their age I had 3 TV Channels. I do not wish to hear of your boredom. No imagination like Jake, the Turd in the Punch bowl On Two and a Half Men.. These kids need to be worlking and shaked on a minute by minute basis. Worthless battch of kids. Too many toys and not enough talking to from the parents. Ther eis no reason for unwatned babies. There is everything out there availavle to these kids and they are toooooooooooooooooooooooooo lazy to buy a condom. That tells one right off that they will be lazy parents. The they have 72 hours to gt the Plan B pill and they are toooooooooooooooolazy to use it too. I would have it if we had a war. Most of these people seem to live in New Orleans anyway. Pity that a 20 year ild kid rom England drove on of th ebuses out of O.R. So many \peoplelivning o the government that they coudl nt even move their muts themselfves. That is the reason that the American people have lost interest. I sent money to a goddaughter so that she could go to the Dallar Dome and hlep thos people from N. O, arriving in Dallas.. Her church group was our of Nashville.. AS the people from New Orleans ws getting f the bus. The volunteers was handing them sandwiches and bottle wate. It ws being shoved back at the volunteers. We WANT cokes and Big Mcs.. They asked these healthy teenage goys to help the elderly set up their beds. They told the volunteers that they did not have to and were not going to do it These were probably the guys that raped the woman in the bathroom. It is hard to gt one's hert into too muc giving to animals tha are not as good asd my sum, Logo. He is an 11 yer old Yorkie that has more since thne my husband. and certainly anyone in N. O. My poor goddaughter came back home dragging fro disappointment in people and the Thugs that live in New. Orleans. They have a worse probelm in N. Orleans than destroyed houses and inter structure.. They have some young men there with very dark hearts It is a sad world that we live in these days and it scares tge hellout of me.
Reply
4-10-2010 @12:51AM poot said... Put down the bottle.
4-10-2010 @6:19AM Roberta said... Mary, what the hell are you talking about?