According to Viartis "It is thought that the Chamorro people develop the symptoms by eating a species of Flying Fox called the Mariana Fruit Bat. The Mariana Fruit Bats consume large quantities of neurotoxic cycad seeds. As the number of Mariana Fruit Bats has declined so has the illness. Eating these bats is a centuries old tradition amongst the Chamorro people."
Having warned us not to eat the leathery-winged little fly-by-nights, the article helpfully goes on to give tips on how they are prepared. "Served at weddings, fiestas, and birthdays, the etiquette of bat-eating and preparation involves rinsing off the outside of the animal like you would a cucumber and then tossing it into boiling water. The bats are then served whole in coconut milk and are consumed in their entirety."
One can only imagine how bad the situation would be if these creatures were a staple of the American diet. With our propensity for super-sizing and mass merchandising it would only be a matter of time before you could pick up a Bucket-o-Bats from KFB (the Colonel's secret recipe) or maybe some extra-spicy Buffalo Bat Wings to chow down on while watching the big game. Parkinson's Disease would be an epic epidemic and the bats would be even more endangered than they are now.
The bat-free diet. Avoid PD and be green at the same time. What's not to like?
