England is turning American squirrels into meat pies

I kid you not. This article – from a reputable U.K. newspaper – contains a recipe for Squirrel Pasty. Made from grey squirrel, a.k.a. what you see in parks across the United States, because England’s red squirrel is endangered. I’m not sure which to be more upset about – the fact that squirrel meat is “selling like hotcakes,” or the fact that the squirrels could soon be coming from here.

Ok, ok. England has a healthy supply of greys that can probably satisfy their urges for pasties and melts for years to come. But you never know when the squirrel burrito or the squirrel curry will take off, and the redcoats will come a’knockin on the cash-strapped Park Service’s door. Although I suppose healthy squirrel exports might help our economy. I will try and put on a patriotic face… but I don’t want the furry little nutgobblers from my local playground ending up as someone’s drunken snack in Northumberland.