Ooooh, Ranger Rick…Rascal…dinner? Yup, folks are catching, cooking and eating raccoon, stuffing, stewing, and barbecuing the critters. Hunters advertise in newspapers and by word of mouth; at $3- $7 a carcass, it’s tasty and cheap eats. And just so you know you’re getting game and not Fido or Fluffy, hunters are required by law to keep one paw intact.

Um, they are really cute, I don’t think I could go there. But if you’re curious about game recipes, including raccoon, armadillo, woodchuck and the ubitiquous possum (which seriously, non-Angelenos have described to me as "the biggest, ugliest rats I have ever seen"–lolwut?! those are America’s marsupials!), check out this site from North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension. And keep in mind you can always substitute chicken.  Or tofurkey.