The humble snail
Lots of people I know detest garden snails . They go out of their way to trap or poison them.Yet these mysterious molluscs are gentle and fascinating creatures. I used to live in France and spent several summers getting to know their ways and habits, even sheltering them from the clutches of my neighbour who would look for them in our communal garden, as garden snails are edible, too, and to him they were a culinary delight. That may be so, but I have held snails in my hands, felt and seen them crawl up my arm, at snail's pace, of course, without ever doing me any harm. To watch them climbing trees is awesome. I kept a large tray under a bush for them and was fascinated to see them congregate there daily - many were returning visitors, the ones who had eluded the roaming eyes of my snail-hungry neighbour, who would look for them every morning with a kilner jar in one hand. He told me, he was only interested in big ones as they were the juicy ones. He said twenty such snails, cooked with wine and white sauce, would make a delicious meal. He never touched the little baby snails. We came to an agreement that he would not go anywhere near my bush when he was snail-hunting.
Elisabeth Tova Bailey was in a sickroom when 'her' snail arrived there unexpectedly. She got to know the ways of her new friend at close quarters. This book is a fascinating account of her experiences with the snail she learnt to love and respect. A snail can become a pet, too! I would recommend this book to everyone, whatever their age, and especially to those who loathe the gentle garden snail.
