How to ...skin a rabbit

‘Skin-a-rabbit’ was a phrase that our parents said when we were small as they as they pulled our t-shirts or vests off over our heads to undress us. I have taken saying the same thing to small people in my charge. But never really thought where the phrase came from and what it had to do with undressing!

In my last week at LCHS before coming to Kenya (ie this time last year) I was given two rabbits by a Year 7 student. Dead ones that his uncle had shot. He’d remembered a conversation from months before and brought them as an end of year gift. A gift like no other and certainly one that I remember!

After keeping them in the office fridge for the day I took them home for the pot. I’d cooked and eaten rabbit before, but always from the butcher. It was a bit strange to be skinning and chopping up wild rabbits in my back yard only a metre or so from the pet rabbit in his hutch next door and I think Fluffy suspected something was up judging from his thumping. I discovered that it is not very difficult to skin a rabbit. Once the fur is cut around the hind legs I was able to peel it off and over the head! This is clearly where the childhood phrase ‘skin a rabbit’ came from.

There are lots of rabbits around Korr but interestingly local people don’t eat them despite there being a shortage of food and much poverty and hunger. I discovered, however, that kids catch rabbits for fun, sometimes to feed their dogs. When students were squabbling over a shortage of mugs a few weeks ago I took empty jam jars and offered them as payment for freshly caught rabbits. A small team of Form 4 boys rose to the challenge, excited at the opportunity to leave the school site and do something a bit different. They had some fun chasing and competing to be the one to throw the fatal stone. Then they proudly delivered them to our house in time for dinner.

Under the disapproving watch of Eysimbasele our night guard (who later turned down a bowl of rabbit stew in favour of plain rice) Misha and I skinned, gutted and jointed the rabbits on the back porch. Misha also removed the eyes for a Biology practical the following week. Sadly the meat was tough as I didn’t let it cook for long enough. But it was no chewier than the chickens we killed, plucked and cooked the following week for 4^th July celebrations.

Eating real, fresh meat is no easy task! Normally we eat meals that use canned meat/fish or dried beans brought from supermarkets downcountry. I look forward to being able to pop to Tesco for ready-to-cook chicken, minced beef or bacon. But I might still try and secure a supplier of Lincolnshire rabbit!