ATDDTA(10): "It's A Marmot" [269: 20-29]

[Keith]

I'll be covering a couple of pages a day, highlighting one thing or  
another. Today we've got an "it" to define.

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This paragraph (269: 20-29) finds the Unholy Trinity dubiously cozy.  
Several odd facts are presented.

(1) Deuce snores, even when he is awake.

What does this mean? We may need the next paragraph in the novel for  
clarification. But, to what do you think this refers?

(2) Sloat has ablutophobia - fear of bathing and washing. Lake  
convinces him to transcend this fear for a good washing prior to supper.

Allusion to the counter-Christian theme prevalent in the novel? Fear  
of baptism? Is this the Last Supper? What do you think?

(3) Something hits the roof hard enough to splash the soup right out  
of Sloat's bowl. He uses this as evidence that his belief in the bad  
luck of bathing is not crazy.

What hit the roof so hard, and from whence cometh it?

(4) Lake's response is: "Goodness, it's a marmot."

What is the "it" to which Lake refers?

(a) Was it a marmot that hit the roof? If so, we have some explaining  
to do, because marmots are burrowing animals not known to climb trees  
or find themselves airborne. Oddly enough, in the 5th century B.C.,  
they were miners of sorts, as their burrowing was known to dig up  
gold in the Himalayas. Herodotus thought they were 'gold-digging  
ants.'* They are prey for the eagle, however, and in some folk tales,  
captured marmots are known to be dropped from some altitude into the  
eagle's nest.** So, one possibility is that the bang on the roof was  
a dropped marmot. But, marmots aren't really big enough to shake soup  
are they? If so, perhaps it would fit with the 'As above, so below'  
motif.

(b) Was it marmot soup with a portion of marmot meat splashing out of  
the bowl? Marmot is eaten in some cultures. Note this fine Mongolian  
recipe:

Marmot Boodog***

With the opening of a marmot-hunting season, Marmot Boodog becomes a  
very popular and fun outdoor activity for Mongolians, especially men.  
Marmot hunting and boodog cooking is a prerogative of men. A freshly  
killed marmot is separated from intestines and cleaned. Then, a  
prepared marmot is filled with preheated hot stones and tightly  
sealed. The marmot meat is cooked by the heat of stones from inside.  
Additional heating is provided by open fire or gas burner. The same  
amount of precaution as described above must be used for handling the  
marmot cooking process. When done, the marmot meat is very tender and  
tastes like wild duck according to some foreigners.

Ingredients (5 servings):
1 medium marmot
Salt

Cooking gear:
 From small to medium sized smooth stones
Firewood

Cooking time:
Approximately 1.5 hours

Clean the marmot, separate the intestines and slightly remove hair  
from the skin. Rub the inside with salt, fill up with hot stones and  
seal tightly. Additionally, roast the marmot on slow open fire or  
with a gas burner. Usually, Mongolians do not use seasonings in order  
to keep the specific taste of marmot meat. When the cooking is done,  
the stones are pulled out, rolled in hands, the meat is cut into  
pieces and served hot.

But, I could find no evidence that Marmot Soup was popular in the Old  
West.

(c) The term 'marmot' comes from the French word 'marmotte,' from Old  
French, perhaps from marmotter, to mumble, probably of imitative  
origin.**** Is it possible that Lake is referring to Sloat,  
suggesting that his claims not to be crazy are being mumbled.

(d) Is Lake's response a non sequitur left for the reader to chuckle  
about and make of it whatever one desires?

(e) Some other option for you, the P-lister, to suggest as part of  
this discussion.

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Footnotes:

*    http://tinyurl.com/2wnaan

**   http://tinyurl.com/3xcn42
      http://tinyurl.com/34nght
      http://tinyurl.com/9duuc

***  http://tinyurl.com/2fd3hq

**** http://tinyurl.com/3d9h4u