# A Meal for Captain Aubrey and friends **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 17, 2011, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-meal-for-captain-aubrey-and-friends/567913 "2011-01-17T06:08:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-meal-for-captain-aubrey-and-friends/567913/21 "2011-01-18T19:24:14Z")
How about some tasty millers? The authors of _Lobscouse and Spotted Dog_ wrote that rats were actually quite tasty. They obtained theirs from a nearby lab: nice clean lab-raised rats, delivered all gutted and cleaned. I don’t see why they wouldn’t taste good. Rabbits taste fine, and they’re rodents too. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-meal-for-captain-aubrey-and-friends/567913/22 "2011-01-18T19:34:13Z")
> [@teela\_brown](#): > > How about some tasty millers? > > The authors of _Lobscouse and Spotted Dog_ wrote that rats were actually quite tasty. They obtained theirs from a nearby lab: nice clean lab-raised rats, delivered all gutted and cleaned. I don’t see why they wouldn’t taste good. Rabbits taste fine, and they’re rodents too. What stuff. Millers are for starving mids, not honored guests of the Captain. Besides, **kevlaw** doesn’t want to have to feed all his diners a bolus afterwards to retrieve the bones. And rabbits are of the family Lagomorpha, not Rodentia. Next you’ll be referring to sloths as vampires. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-meal-for-captain-aubrey-and-friends/567913/23 "2011-01-18T19:40:12Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Next you’ll be referring to sloths as vampires. Jack: And then Stephen told me, “Jack, you have debunked my sloth!” ---
**Author:** ![JCorre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3da27b/32.png) [@JCorre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JCorre)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-meal-for-captain-aubrey-and-friends/567913/24 "2011-01-18T20:10:36Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Jack: And then Stephen told me, “Jack, you have debunked my sloth!” I’ll have to nitpick you here. The line is “…you have DEBAUCHED my sloth!” Great line. Also to the OP. Here’s a resource that might help. > **[Amazon.com: Lobscouse and Spotted Dog: Which It's a Gastronomic Companion to the...](https://www.amazon.com/Lobscouse-Spotted-Dog-Gastronomic-Companion/dp/0393320944)** > > Amazon.com: Lobscouse and Spotted Dog: Which It's a Gastronomic Companion to the Aubrey/Maturin Novels: 9780393320947: Anne Chotzinoff Grossman, Lisa Grossman Thomas, Patrick O'Brian: Books ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-meal-for-captain-aubrey-and-friends/567913/25 "2011-01-18T20:27:40Z")
> [@JCorre](#): > > I’ll have to nitpick you here. The line is “…you have DEBAUCHED my sloth!” Great line. Jack mixes his metaphors. A pun on debauched and debunking Jack’s believing the sloth to be a vampire bat. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kevlaw](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kevlaw/32/2281_2.png) [@kevlaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevlaw)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-meal-for-captain-aubrey-and-friends/567913/26 "2011-01-18T21:56:00Z")
> [@JCorre](#): > > [Amazon.com: Lobscouse and Spotted Dog: Which It's a Gastronomic Companion to the Aubrey/Maturin Novels: 9780393320947: Anne Chotzinoff Grossman, Lisa Grossman Thomas, Patrick O'Brian: Books](http://www.amazon.com/Lobscouse-Spotted-Dog-Gastronomic-Companion/dp/0393320944/) I have that book. All my recipes came from there. I put my menu online at [The Captain’s Table | Ragged Clown](http://www.raggedclown.com/2011/01/17/the-captains-table/). ---
**Author:** ![kevlaw](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kevlaw/32/2281_2.png) [@kevlaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevlaw)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-meal-for-captain-aubrey-and-friends/567913/27 "2011-01-18T21:57:12Z")
> [@kevlaw](#): > > Ooh! That’s a good one. I actually have some parsnips in the fridge. I practiced eating buttered parnsips yesterday. Delicious! They are definitely on the menu. ---
**Author:** ![kevlaw](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kevlaw/32/2281_2.png) [@kevlaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevlaw)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-meal-for-captain-aubrey-and-friends/567913/28 "2011-01-18T21:59:40Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > What stuff. Millers are for starving mids, not honored guests of the Captain. Besides, **kevlaw** doesn’t want to have to feed all his diners a bolus afterwards to retrieve the bones. > > And rabbits are of the family Lagomorpha, not Rodentia. Next you’ll be referring to sloths as vampires. A former midshipman myself, I might try millers one day. Sadly, I have some in my attic. My menu is already over full though. Maybe next time, I’ll do a fo’c’sle-themed dinner and throw in some lobscouse too. ---
**Author:** ![Encinitas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Encinitas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Encinitas)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-meal-for-captain-aubrey-and-friends/567913/29 "2011-01-18T22:00:43Z")
Don’t forget the rashers of bacon and several pots of steaming coffee. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-meal-for-captain-aubrey-and-friends/567913/30 "2011-01-18T22:46:43Z")
> [@Lust4Life](#): > > What a brilliant idea ! > > You could wear period costume and also douse the electric lights and eat by lamp/candle light. > > And how about having the music loved by Jack and Steven playing in the background. You can get CDs like [Musical Evenings with the Captain](http://www.amazon.com/Musical-Evenings-Captain-Antonio-Locatelli/dp/B00000083U/) that would probably be perfect for this. I haven’t listened to that one, but I love my copy of [Roast Beef of Old England](http://www.amazon.com/Roast-England-Traditional-Sailor-Songs/dp/B00004UDET/), which would also make great background music. ---
**Author:** ![kevlaw](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kevlaw/32/2281_2.png) [@kevlaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevlaw)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-meal-for-captain-aubrey-and-friends/567913/31 "2011-01-18T23:14:13Z")
> [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](#): > > You can get CDs like [Musical Evenings with the Captain](http://www.amazon.com/Musical-Evenings-Captain-Antonio-Locatelli/dp/B00000083U/) that would probably be perfect for this. I haven’t listened to that one, but I love my copy of [Roast Beef of Old England](http://www.amazon.com/Roast-England-Traditional-Sailor-Songs/dp/B00004UDET/), which would also make great background music. My iPhone is already loaded up! ---
**Author:** ![kevlaw](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kevlaw/32/2281_2.png) [@kevlaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevlaw)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-meal-for-captain-aubrey-and-friends/567913/32 "2011-01-18T23:24:06Z")
> [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](#): > > You can get CDs like [Musical Evenings with the Captain](http://www.amazon.com/Musical-Evenings-Captain-Antonio-Locatelli/dp/B00000083U/) that would probably be perfect for this. I haven’t listened to that one, but I love my copy of [Roast Beef of Old England](http://www.amazon.com/Roast-England-Traditional-Sailor-Songs/dp/B00004UDET/), which would also make great background music. Now that I have actually followed the link… …excellent! I dint realize they were Aubrey-themed at first. Luckily i have a rhapsody subscription so those albums are now on my iPhone too! ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-meal-for-captain-aubrey-and-friends/567913/33 "2011-01-18T23:57:16Z")
> [@kevlaw](#): > > I put my menu online at [The Captain’s Table | Ragged Clown](http://www.raggedclown.com/2011/01/17/the-captains-table/). You astonish me. What a wonderful meal you have planned. Please, please take pictures of your dishes and post them as well. ---
**Author:** ![kevlaw](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kevlaw/32/2281_2.png) [@kevlaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevlaw)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2011, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-meal-for-captain-aubrey-and-friends/567913/34 "2011-01-22T01:19:18Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Perfect! Probably just what Killick did to get some suet for the Captain’s cook. > Just refer to it as _sebi confectio discolor_ when you bring it to the table. Nothing like some Latin to plug her capers. I just reread the part of the book where stephen says this. Hilarious! ---
**Author:** ![kevlaw](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kevlaw/32/2281_2.png) [@kevlaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevlaw)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-meal-for-captain-aubrey-and-friends/567913/35 "2011-01-23T19:07:30Z")
Debrief: Spotted dog turned out magnificent and i will definitely make it again. I might not grate the suet by hand next time. If you’ve ever wondered how much it would hurt to grate your knuckle, i can confirm that it hurts a great deal. I followed the recipe for custard sauce in the L&SD book. I will never get it from a can ever again. It was heavenly. Strasbourg pie was ok. I used duck liver pate. It wasn’t bad, but i don’t need to eat that again anytime soon. Syllabub was a big hit. I think that will become a party staple. Its fun and tasty as were my red and green striped marchepane weevils. We managed to get through an impressive number of bottles of claret in addition to a bottle of port and a bottle of madeira. My head hurts and i was not able to get up for soccer this morning. We will certainly have a repeat performance, perhaps with millers next time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-meal-for-captain-aubrey-and-friends/567913.md?page=1)