People become quite illogical when they try to decide what can be eaten and what cannot be eaten. If you lived in the Mediterranean, for instance, you would consider octopus a GREat delicacy.You would not be able to understand why some people find it repulsive. On the other hand, your stomach would turn at the idea of frying potatoes in animal fat--the normally accepted practice in many northern countries. The sad truth is that most of us have been brought up to eat certain foods and we stick to them all our lives.

    No creature has received more praise and abuse than the common garden snail. Cooked in wine, snails are a GREat luxury in various parts of the world. There are countless people who, ever since their early years, have learned to associate snails with food. My friend, Robert, lives in a country where snails are despised. As his flat is in a large town, he has no garden of his own. For years he has been asking me to collect snails from my garden and take them to him. The idea never appealed to me very much, but one day, after a heavy shower, I happened to be walking in my garden when I noticed a huge number of snails taking a stroll on some of my prize plants. Acting on a sudden impulse, I collected several dozen, put them in a paper bag, and took them to Robert. Robert was delighted to see me and equally pleased with my little gift. I left the bag in the hall and Robert and I went into the living-room where we talked for a couple of hours. I had forgotten all about the snails when Robert suddenly said that I must stay to dinner. Snails would, of course, be the main dish. I did not fancy the idea and I reluctantly followed Robert out of the room. To our dismay, we saw that there were snails everywhere: they had escaped from the paper bag and had taken complete possession of the hall! I have never been able to look at a snail since then.  

    在決定什么能吃而什么不能吃的時候，人們往往變得不合情理。比如，如果你住在地中海地區，你會把章魚視作美味佳肴，同時不能理解為什么有人一見章魚就惡心。另一方面，你一想到動物油炸土豆就會反胃，但這在北方許多國家卻是一種普通的烹飪方法。不無遺憾的是，我們中的大部分人，生來就只吃某幾種食品，而且一輩子都這樣。

    沒有一種生物所受到的贊美和厭惡會超過花園里常見的蝸牛了。蝸牛加酒燒煮后，便成了世界上許多地方的一道珍奇的名菜。有不計其數的人們從小就知道蝸牛可做菜。但我的朋友羅伯特卻住在一個厭惡蝸牛的國家中。他住在大城市里的一所公寓里，沒有自己的花園。多年來，他一直讓我把我園子里的蝸牛收集起來給他捎去。一開始，他的這一想法沒有引起我多大興趣。后來有一天，一場大雨后，我在花園里漫無目的地散步，突然注意到許許多多蝸牛在我的一些心愛的花木上慢悠悠地蠕動著。我一時沖動，逮了幾十只，裝進一只紙袋里，帶著去找羅伯特。羅伯特見到我很高興，對我的薄禮也感到滿意。我把紙袋放在門廳里，與羅伯特一起進了起居室，在那里聊了好幾個鐘頭。我把蝸牛的事已忘得一干二凈，羅伯特突然提出一定要我留下來吃晚飯，這才提醒了我。蝸牛當然是道主菜。我并不喜歡這個主意，所以我勉強跟著羅伯特走出了起居室。使我們驚愕的是門廳里到處爬滿了蝸牛：它們從紙袋里逃了出來，爬得滿廳都是！從那以后，我再也不能看一眼蝸牛了。