After a couple of trips up and down the 'ol garage door I have to think our domestic snails would be a bit tough and stringy. Better a tropical snail that lounged on the beach its whole life.

Amie's question is a good one though...

EDIT -- didn't find anything conclusive in a quick search (other than a complaint from someone who "ordered escargot but was just served a bunch of snails in a styrofoam cup") but it appears to be a function of size. French snails grow relatively large but are very expensive, and there is a large & tasty breed of African snail which grows well in Asia (and is being raised commercially there) but doesn't seem to survive in Canada.

I bet our snails are just too small. There's probably a clever joke to be made but I just don't feel up to it today.

Actually (based on Freshman French class), the French export the big snails to us because they're not as good as the little ones. Incindentally, the good little ones are the ones that run (well, ooze) wild in Southern California, at least.

The question is, what wine pairs best with urban land mollusks?

Pinot Ipecac.

There was a tiny worm in my artichoke last night. I discarded it foolishly - I should have tried it with the wine I was drinking!

Hey, can the Beer Thread possibly be this interesting?

No, but it's not nearly as disgusting!