Legend of the Easter Hare

For children everywhere, the second or third greatest day of the year nearing. The top day is Christmas...I am virtually positive of this. Birthdays and Easter can be interchanged for 2nd and 3rd place on the calendar. Still, few adults, and zero children understand the beginnings of this holiday that involves a prolific breeding semi-monotreme.

The Easter Bunny, or Easter Hare as it's roots describe it, started visiting German children in the 17th Century. Thankfully, Americans were able to invent a kid-friendly term (bunny). Bunnies don't exist. Except in the Chocolate aisle. Menus from great French restaurants rarely refer to as the dish du jour as a bunny. Why was the Hare selected? Ever heard the phrase "mad as a March hare"? Hare's and rabbits fight every spring over mating rights. Even the lady rabbits refute many advances, with rebuttal often being violent, too. Anyway - the rabbits and hares are pretty prevalent in the spring, which makes them an easy target for westerners to provide them with anthropromorphic qualities. Not sure why American's are so quick to pick an animal and put clothes on it...

So the "Easter bunny" is seen as a sign of fertility in spring...it represents all of the new baby animals that will be born, and the prevalence of a food source for peasant farmers of old. The colored eggs? They represent the flowers. Loose a hidden Easter egg? Bet that it won't smell like flowers. The best way to eat an egg is to fill a plastic one with candy. The "Robin Eggs" - chocolate maltballs - are my favorite Easter candy. If you give me jelly beans, I will attempt to plant them, or atleast just throw them out in the yard. Peeps - the marshmallow animals - make for great s'mores, but terrible otherwise. Egg shaped Reese Cups...they are pretty awesome. Chocolate Easter Bunnies are neat to look at, but does anyone need to eat that much chocolate...and it's proof again that Americans will eat anything covered in chocolate.

As a child, I cared little about Easter egg hunts. Once, my mom grounded me for wearing cowboy boots to an Easter Egg hunt. I cried and cried in the car...she wouldn't let me get out with my boots on...I had to wear my hush puppies if I was gonna hunt. I thought boots were for hunting, even eggs. I was wrong. And the belt came from the right...ten times. I avoided Easter Egg hunts and all the controversies included after the "Whooping of '89"...

Here's a great way to eat a real rabbit...they are high in protein and have helped many a people survive in the wilderness. However, too much protein in a survival situation can lead to protein poisoning, which is lethal.

Confit of Rabbit with Ragout
1 Whole bunny, hare, or rabbit, skinned and cut 4 ways
2 tablespoons of Olive Oil
1 tablespoon (or two) of butter
1/2 Red Onion, chopped
2 Shallots, chopped
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1 Roma tomato, smashed
S & P to taste
3 tablespoons of water

Take a deep skillet and heat the oil and butter. Put the bunny in the hot oil, cover, then put in the oven (400 degrees) for about 25 minutes. When the rabbit is browned, remove it and put the onion and shallot in...deglase the pan with the vinegar. Add the tomato, water and S & P...put the bunny back in to simmer for 5 minutes...serve with spring vegetables!

Enjoy the day...