You are a flaneur of poetry and art. I enjoyed the ramble , which brought back memories of cooking quail on an indoor grill. They’re too boney to justify the trouble.
Thank you, Rona! I guess if "a flâneur is someone who walks around not doing anything in particular but watching people and society," then that could be me. Especially the bit about not doing anything in particular.
I've never eaten quail, as far as I recall, nor their eggs. The eggs are quite widely eaten here in Japan, though.
Are you a vegetarian? I lived in Japan some years, and while eating quail was not a satisfactory experience — indeed, too bony! — their eggs are absolutely delicious. I loved them especially in soup…
I believe I once tried quail in a tiny Philadelphia restaurant (Chinese maybe). I agree with Rona. Mostly bones - and greasy. I have not felt a need to try again. 😅
A well researched piece. I love how you bring in the use of the bird in literature in various cultures. The fact that it's a word for prostitutes is total news to me. Thank you for this Jeffrey!
You did a great job relaying it to your reader. I am not interested in quail one bit. I had to look it up in other languages but your writing got me into this straight away. From a poster to Shakespeare!
The novelist Georgette Heyer, who extensively researched her Regency novels in order to use authentic period language (she successfully sued imitators for plagiarism when they used terms she had found in historical letters that she owned), has her rakish characters use the term 'game pullet' to refer to a high class prostitute or escort of the Regency era. As pullet can refer to a young hen of any game bird, including quail, the euphemism seems to have had a long life.
This had me in chuckles for the whole time! Some things are only found in rabbit holes. (Who knew you could dive down a rabbit hole and find - quail! ) I can feel the fun you had with this.
Thank you, Tara! I'm glad the fun came across. You're right about rabbit holes. Who knows, I might start an occasional series of incomplete cultural histories in the same vein...
Thank you, Deirdre! I'm glad you found it enjoyable. Yes, the poster is great. It's a really nice gallery. They're going to show a different set of works for the second half of the exhibition, including the one of the cat gazing at the landscape in the poster. So I'll be going again.
Mari, I'm so grateful to you for the Peter Schickele reference. I will seek that quartet out! You'll know that he wrote the music for Silent Running, which is one of my favourite sci-fi films.
And thank you for reading and for your kind words!
What a delightfully absorbing rabbit hole... er, quail run? All your quail seem so very cosmopolitan compared to my local (Arizona) coveys, rustic and quite ready to quail at almost anything. The idea of quail-fighting has me entirely mystified. Anyway, thanks for a wonderful read!
Not quite like in "A Man in Full", but quail hunting is one of the great American sporting traditions. In its purest form, there are no motorized vehicles, and it is a celebration of pointing and retrieving dogs, Tennessee walking horses, and wagons drawn by a team of white mules. It is much more about aesthetics and tradition than the number of quail taken. It is also a great motivator for conservation of the preservation of the Southern "piney woods" landscape.
I love the sound of "bobwhite" as the quail call to each other to covey up.
Jeffrey, I hope you had as much fun writing this as I did reading it. I’m going to practice my “assemble a covey” call until I perfect it. “Reveille” it is not. Trust me, that’s a good thing. Those quail probably were not early risers, given their romantically strenuous ways.
Thank you, Mary! Yes, it was fun to be on this kind of quail hunt, the kind in which no one (I hope) gets hurt.
As for early rising, apparently those people in Japan who keep quail as pets fret about the noise they make at dawn. Fine if you're on a farm, but not if you live in an apartment block. Perhaps their quail are celibate?
Nothing turned up in my initial search within Chinese internet sources, and I suspect it is related to the original artwork no longer being in Chinese possession...
A great read and very well researched. You're very good at taking a seemingly innocuous subject and revealing the rich history and aspects of it. I'd be at a lost on how to tackle this from any angle.
Thank you, Daniel. I guess I could say that this topic just leaped out at me from the undergrowth, like a fleeing quail. I then just followed its path.
You are a flaneur of poetry and art. I enjoyed the ramble , which brought back memories of cooking quail on an indoor grill. They’re too boney to justify the trouble.
Thank you, Rona! I guess if "a flâneur is someone who walks around not doing anything in particular but watching people and society," then that could be me. Especially the bit about not doing anything in particular.
I've never eaten quail, as far as I recall, nor their eggs. The eggs are quite widely eaten here in Japan, though.
It's a fine occupation for a discerning mind.
Perhaps I should add it to my LinkedIn page 😊
Are you a vegetarian? I lived in Japan some years, and while eating quail was not a satisfactory experience — indeed, too bony! — their eggs are absolutely delicious. I loved them especially in soup…
Hi Susan, thanks for sharing your experience! I should give the eggs a try (I'm not a vegetarian), I guess.
I believe I once tried quail in a tiny Philadelphia restaurant (Chinese maybe). I agree with Rona. Mostly bones - and greasy. I have not felt a need to try again. 😅
A well researched piece. I love how you bring in the use of the bird in literature in various cultures. The fact that it's a word for prostitutes is total news to me. Thank you for this Jeffrey!
Thank you for reading and for your generous comments! I learnt a lot while preparing this.
You did a great job relaying it to your reader. I am not interested in quail one bit. I had to look it up in other languages but your writing got me into this straight away. From a poster to Shakespeare!
The novelist Georgette Heyer, who extensively researched her Regency novels in order to use authentic period language (she successfully sued imitators for plagiarism when they used terms she had found in historical letters that she owned), has her rakish characters use the term 'game pullet' to refer to a high class prostitute or escort of the Regency era. As pullet can refer to a young hen of any game bird, including quail, the euphemism seems to have had a long life.
Thank you for sharing that, Holly!
Is it wrong that I started to imagine the Monty Python skit, "Spam" but with "Quail"?
Egg and bacon
Egg, sausage, and bacon
Egg and quail (sounds like the name of a pub, eh?)
Egg, bacon, and quail
Egg, bacon, sausage, and quail
Quail, bacon, sausage, and quail
Quail, egg, quail, quail, bacon, and quail
And who here listened to the quails a-quacking? *raises hand*
Oh, we need to add quail and manna to the menu for that Biblical feel.
[please note: no quails were harmed during the typing of this comment]
Thank you, Lani, for that delightful response! I didn't have the Monty Python skit in mind, but I can see what you mean!
😄
Egg and Quail does sound like a pub name!
😂
This had me in chuckles for the whole time! Some things are only found in rabbit holes. (Who knew you could dive down a rabbit hole and find - quail! ) I can feel the fun you had with this.
Thank you, Tara! I'm glad the fun came across. You're right about rabbit holes. Who knows, I might start an occasional series of incomplete cultural histories in the same vein...
You do this genre well. The art, literature, history, and personalities, combined with your humor, are a winning combination! I’ll read more! 😂
if netflix shows were as compact and intriguing as this piece i would have hung around for more of them too😉
unless of course they have abundant "quail" in them 😊🤣
😂
Thanks for reading and the kind words!
A bevy of quail in a singing competition, oh my! As Rona said, this was a wonderful ramble indeed.
Thank you, Holly! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
This was so fun to read Jeffrey, quail remind me of Geisha, the way they move and are so beautiful! I love that poster on the top too, so cool.
Thank you, Deirdre! I'm glad you found it enjoyable. Yes, the poster is great. It's a really nice gallery. They're going to show a different set of works for the second half of the exhibition, including the one of the cat gazing at the landscape in the poster. So I'll be going again.
There’s a dissertation in that somewhere.
Indeed! But who knows, it may have been written already!
This was such a lovely essay! I’ll add that Peter Schickele (PDQ Bach) composed a beautiful string quartet built around the sounds of quail song: https://www.amoeba.com/schickele-string-quartets-nos-1-5-quintet-no-1-for-piano-strings-cd-peter-schickele/albums/2954263/
Mari, I'm so grateful to you for the Peter Schickele reference. I will seek that quartet out! You'll know that he wrote the music for Silent Running, which is one of my favourite sci-fi films.
And thank you for reading and for your kind words!
What a delightfully absorbing rabbit hole... er, quail run? All your quail seem so very cosmopolitan compared to my local (Arizona) coveys, rustic and quite ready to quail at almost anything. The idea of quail-fighting has me entirely mystified. Anyway, thanks for a wonderful read!
Thank you for your kind words! I'm happy to include rustic quail, too. 😊
Not quite like in "A Man in Full", but quail hunting is one of the great American sporting traditions. In its purest form, there are no motorized vehicles, and it is a celebration of pointing and retrieving dogs, Tennessee walking horses, and wagons drawn by a team of white mules. It is much more about aesthetics and tradition than the number of quail taken. It is also a great motivator for conservation of the preservation of the Southern "piney woods" landscape.
I love the sound of "bobwhite" as the quail call to each other to covey up.
Thank you for sharing those details, Craig!
I've only ever had bad luck with quail, but they are awful cute - they remind me of Madeline, and all the little girls following the nun.
Thank you for sharing that lovely image, Troy!
I’m in stitches at the animal pun in paragraph one. Had to pause and enjoy that. Now, back to reading… 😂
Jeffrey, I hope you had as much fun writing this as I did reading it. I’m going to practice my “assemble a covey” call until I perfect it. “Reveille” it is not. Trust me, that’s a good thing. Those quail probably were not early risers, given their romantically strenuous ways.
So many rabbit holes, so little time.
Thank you, Mary! Yes, it was fun to be on this kind of quail hunt, the kind in which no one (I hope) gets hurt.
As for early rising, apparently those people in Japan who keep quail as pets fret about the noise they make at dawn. Fine if you're on a farm, but not if you live in an apartment block. Perhaps their quail are celibate?
Interesting subject, interesting writing. I did not know about 鹌 - 安, and 五鹌 - 无 安 metaphors. Do you know the name of the artist?
Hi Yi Xue, thanks for reading and commenting. I'm afraid I haven't tracked down the name of the artist. I came across the painting here: https://www.norton.org/exhibitions/symbolic-messages-in-chinese-animal-paintings. If you find out, let me know :)
Nothing turned up in my initial search within Chinese internet sources, and I suspect it is related to the original artwork no longer being in Chinese possession...
A great read and very well researched. You're very good at taking a seemingly innocuous subject and revealing the rich history and aspects of it. I'd be at a lost on how to tackle this from any angle.
Thank you, Daniel. I guess I could say that this topic just leaped out at me from the undergrowth, like a fleeing quail. I then just followed its path.