Chapter 34
Very Important Truffles Alert
Just in case any of you are in the truffles market, you might want to take a look at your portfolio. A filler in today's Star-Telegram stated the extremely hot weather in France will impact the production of what the French consider a delicacy. I for one, just don't know about this little fungus. Yes, it is a fungus and if you look at it, it resembles something a tumblebug (dung beetle) might have rolled up and stored under an oak tree. I don't know what they smell or taste like but the French put great store in them.
The French use specially trained hogs to sniff out and dig around the base of the host tree. Soon the hogs become addicted to them and the owner has to be extremely cautious as the hog could eat a couple hundred bucks worth before they could stop him. A recent National Geographic film featured a woman in France who raises Truffle Hogs. They are very expensive as they have to be fed a steady diet of truffles before they will seek them out. I wonder if they have detoxification centers for hogs too old to hunt anymore? Seems to me they should think about that as it appears to be cruel and unusual punishment to leave a hog hooked on truffles
On a brighter note, the weather in France almost assures a bumper grape crop which translates in to expensive wine. I don't know why people put such great store in French wine when you can get just as drunk on good Texas or California vino. To me, nothing like a bowl full of good seedless grapes, to heck with the fermentation process.
