Gater Bites

There are a lot of alligators around the area of our vacation home.  I love taking the golf cart out after dinner to get a few pictures.  I don't even have to go a block before I spot them.  Gators are to be respected because they can easily maim or kill a human. They can out run a human who is running in a straight line so the best defense if one comes after you is to run in a zig zag.  Now, with me it would be rolling into the fetal position knowing the gater is going to win.  The thing is gators really are rather docile so won't attack unless provoked.  Being of sound mind, I stay in the golf cart taking only pictures and never provoking them.  We have a 10 footer in the resort where our vacation home is.  Talk about an impressive animal!

Gater is offered at many Floridian restaurants usually as a breaded appetizer.  I have seen frozen gator pieces at one grocery store but they really aren't the norm.  I've never seen them at Publix, Sweetbay, Walmart or Sam's Club.  They tend to be a bit more popular in tourist type areas like Key West and pub grub style restaurants.

Everyone says alligator tastes like chicken but seriously it doesn't.  The closest it comes to is frog legs.  It is mildly flavoured but has a considerably different texture from chicken.  Gator is usually served as an appetizer with some type of spicy dipping sauce, almost like a tartar sauce kicked up a bit with hot pepper sauce.  It is usually breaded similar to chicken nuggets.  If you can find gator meat, they would be very easy to make at home.  Our nephew was delighted to enjoy a basket of gator bites.  It really made his day before heading back to the cold of home.  Talk about good times spent in the company of family :)