That Horrible Swamp
I just can't stop thinking about the last episode of Naked and Afraid where the pair had to survive for 21 days in a snake infested Louisiana swamp. I just can't get the images of all those damn water moccasins swimming through the water and hiding under brush out of my head. It gives me the crawling-creeps! So, soooo many snakes. Brrrrrrr......
Snakes are bad enough, but those highly venomous water moccasins? It's enough to do permanent psychological damage. Even worse, they actually *ate* one. So gross. They ate a big fat nutria, too. (Nutrias are big rodents which look a little like a beaver but with a rat tail.) It's all enough to give me PTSD and I didn't even have to endure it--just watching the show was bad enough.
Anyway, this was supposed to be a post about my interest in survival programs. I've always fancied myself to be a clever sort and I've often wondered how well I'd fair on one of these survival type programs. The Naked and Afraid program is way too extreme for my tastes. It's completely insane, actually. But a program like one of those PBS shows where they had a bunch of peeps spend a few months living like pioneers of that one in the UK where the peeps lived in a Bronze Age type setting I wouldn't mind trying.
I've even thought of having a show of my own creation where instead of it being like Survivor where the peeps are deceitful and back-stab each other, I'd have a show where you have teams compete with the criteria of success being how well the teams worked together, how well they built shelters, hunted/provided food, etc. I'm sure there would still be fussing and grousing as humans are so good at doing, so there would be some drama in that.
I had planned on writing this post last night, but I got a *little* distracted with looking up things which pertained to survival techniques for Florida. We have a unique environment here. Most of the things that were mentioned I already knew. There are lots of things to eat if you know where to look and what is edible. Cattails, for instance, are very good as a survival food. Hearts-of-palm from the cabbage palm is good, too, but probably too much work to get to and not really worth it. And if you are near the coast, there is the ubiquitous coconut. There are some little tricks to know when it comes to those. Any good native like myself should know them. ;P And there are critters everywhere that one could eat in a pinch. It's just that most of them I would not want to eat!
So let's give a big Hurrah! for modern technology and food production! Because as much fun as it is talking about survival techniques and situations, it really sucks to be stuck in one! And BTW, just theoretically speaking...if I was on Naked and Afraid, I'd want a Spetsnaz type machete as my survival item. Just sayin'.
Snakes are bad enough, but those highly venomous water moccasins? It's enough to do permanent psychological damage. Even worse, they actually *ate* one. So gross. They ate a big fat nutria, too. (Nutrias are big rodents which look a little like a beaver but with a rat tail.) It's all enough to give me PTSD and I didn't even have to endure it--just watching the show was bad enough.
Anyway, this was supposed to be a post about my interest in survival programs. I've always fancied myself to be a clever sort and I've often wondered how well I'd fair on one of these survival type programs. The Naked and Afraid program is way too extreme for my tastes. It's completely insane, actually. But a program like one of those PBS shows where they had a bunch of peeps spend a few months living like pioneers of that one in the UK where the peeps lived in a Bronze Age type setting I wouldn't mind trying.
I've even thought of having a show of my own creation where instead of it being like Survivor where the peeps are deceitful and back-stab each other, I'd have a show where you have teams compete with the criteria of success being how well the teams worked together, how well they built shelters, hunted/provided food, etc. I'm sure there would still be fussing and grousing as humans are so good at doing, so there would be some drama in that.
I had planned on writing this post last night, but I got a *little* distracted with looking up things which pertained to survival techniques for Florida. We have a unique environment here. Most of the things that were mentioned I already knew. There are lots of things to eat if you know where to look and what is edible. Cattails, for instance, are very good as a survival food. Hearts-of-palm from the cabbage palm is good, too, but probably too much work to get to and not really worth it. And if you are near the coast, there is the ubiquitous coconut. There are some little tricks to know when it comes to those. Any good native like myself should know them. ;P And there are critters everywhere that one could eat in a pinch. It's just that most of them I would not want to eat!
So let's give a big Hurrah! for modern technology and food production! Because as much fun as it is talking about survival techniques and situations, it really sucks to be stuck in one! And BTW, just theoretically speaking...if I was on Naked and Afraid, I'd want a Spetsnaz type machete as my survival item. Just sayin'.
posted by Xul at 2:06 PM
11 Comments:
Even worse, they actually *ate* one.
I heard somewhere that they taste like chicken. :)
So let's give a big Hurrah! for modern technology and food production!
Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!
I'd want a Spetsnaz type machete as my survival item.
Well, those things are very multipurpose. I'd want a satellite phone (to call the chopper that will airlift me the hell out of there). :)
I heard somewhere that they taste like chicken. :)
I tasted alligator fritters before. That's the closest I've come to eating snake. I couldn't tell you what the actual meat tasted like--the chef made it very spicy. I was offered rattlesnake chili as well which I flat-out refused.
I'd want a satellite phone (to call the chopper that will airlift me the hell out of there). :)
LOL I take it you are not in the least bit interested in being put in a survival situation? ;P
BTW, for your next cooking endeavor, you could always make a yummy French recipe. Or something chocolate. Chocolate is always good. :D
I was offered rattlesnake chili as well which I flat-out refused.
Meh, I think I would have given it a shot. Whenever I eat in a restaurant (which isn't very often) I always pick one thing from the menu that I've never eaten before. Just to keep things *interesting*. Were those alligator fritters the weirdest thing you've ever eaten BTW?
I take it you are not in the least bit interested in being put in a survival situation? ;P
Nope. :)
a yummy French recipe. Or something chocolate.
I'll definitely consider those options. :)
Were those alligator fritters the weirdest thing you've ever eaten BTW?
Probably. Although weirdness is wholly subjective. I've eaten some Japanese foods that would be considered weird by some--eel, abalone, octopus, squid, seaweed, etc.
Ya know, eel is basically a snake. I don't know why land snakes skeeve me out so bad.
Don't you have Indonesian restaurants where you live? Surely they have some weird things to eat. I've heard that they eat snakes and dogs back home. ;P
I made something incredibly normal last night--fried fish, frietjes, and mixed veggies. :)
Don't you have Indonesian restaurants where you live?
I think so. Chinese Indian, apparently. Nothing particularly Indonesian.
frietjes
Home fried are the best. Did you cut them thick or thin?
Did you cut them thick or thin?
Sorta medium. They weren't thin like McD's nor were they thick like steak fries. I cook them on a lower heat for a bit longer so they come out nice and crispy. :)
In other news, the nasty bastard who shits in my yard has shit in my yard once again--right in the front between the mango and fan palm.
This has led to a severe pruning of the mango tree and the fan palm getting cut down entirely. Now there is way less cover for this nasty bastard.
I'd like to put up some security cameras so I can catch all the assholes who trespass in my yard. >:(
Now there is way less cover for this nasty bastard.
I hope it helps. This is kind of an insane thing. An act of hatred most likely (if it's a human being). Kinda scary.
In other news, I hope it's never summer again after this one. The heat is almost unbearable. Going outside it's like I'm putting on an extra blanket, inside it's only slightly cooler. I can't remember the last time it was this warm.
(if it's a human being)
It's a bipedal hominid of some description, I can't vouch for its humanity. Certainly not anything from a civilized society. It always leaves shit covered diaper wipes on the ground after wiping its ass. This is probably the 5th time so it's definitely deliberate. I'd like to catch the thing in the act and teach it a lesson.
I hope it's never summer again after this one.
Wasn't today supposed to be a real scorcher, like 95F/35C ? I thought it had cooled down a bit--like temps in the 70F/20C range? If so, it's really all over the place temp wise.
Well, I hope it doesn't last much longer for your sake.
Yesterday when I was out cutting down the palm, I was initially out there for 2 hours until I started feeling a bit light headed. It was hot and very humid and I was sweating like crazy. It wasn't until I came in the house that I realized just *how much* I had been sweating. My t-shirt was completely soaked through front and back, my sport bra and underpants were completed soaked even up to the waist band, and my pants were soaked through--looked like I had peed myself. I had to take everything off and dry myself with a towel, then sit in front of the fan. A/C + fan is a glorious thing!
I took a break for maybe 1.5 hours--by then my pants were dry, I had to get fresh underpants and t-shirt--then went back out for another 1.5 hours until t started getting dark and I was forced to quit.
I still have the big trunk of the palm left to cut down--it had 2 smaller palms growing out from the bottom. I'll probably have to break out the gas chainsaw for that. I don't want to burn out the motor on my little electric chainsaw. I think it's going to be a tricky procedure. :/
Okay then...drink plenty of cold water and don't get heat stroke! Maybe you could get a plastic tub and fill it with water and ice cubes and sit in that for a while. ;P ;D
I was initially out there for 2 hours
I get the impression that he heat doesn't drain you of your energy as it does with me. You've got some marvellous stamina.
I think it's going to be a tricky procedure. :/
Well, as long as you're careful.
drink plenty of cold water
Yeah, I'm doing that. I've switched from tap water to bottled water though. It's cooler and I think it has more minerals and stuff.
Maybe you could get a plastic tub and fill it with water
Boy, that takes me back. We used to have this inflatable dinghy that we filled with water as a kid. We didn't have a real pool so we made do. The water was only centimetres deep but it was fun.
I get the impression that he heat doesn't drain you of your energy as it does with me. You've got some marvellous stamina.
Not really. I *really* hate heat and humidity. I usually only last for an hour and a half max. 2 hours was pushing it for me.
It's cooler and I think it has more minerals and stuff.
I was forced to break out the Gatorade yesterday. After 2 days of such strenuous work and sweating profusely, I needed it.
New post up will 'splain. ;P
We used to have this inflatable dinghy that we filled with water as a kid.
Wow, that is even more ghetto than what *I* had! ;P
When I was very little, I had one of those tiny plastic pools that was just a little over a meter in diameter. It only held maybe 6 inches of water.
When I was maybe 6 or 7 y/o, my parents got one of those "above ground" kiddie pools. It came as a kit. You had to put down white sand as a base, then it had a thin metal "wall" and a plastic liner. It was maybe 30 inches deep and 6 feet in diameter.
I thought it was a *real* pool until I started bragging to kids at school, then I learned that there were peeps who had real in-ground swimming pools. :/
So...is it still hot over there?
Post a Comment
<< Home