The Chordata: Mammalia got a thumbs up, Mollusca: Cephalopoda received mixed reviews, and Echinodermata: Echinoidea was simply "nasty," according to attendees of the Biology Department's Phylum Feast on Feb. 12. For the layperson, those are chicken wings, fried squid and sea urchin roe, and they were among delicacies served at the feast to celebrate Darwin Day, the 200th birthday of evolutionary biologist Charles Darwin.
Hamilton's Phylum Feast, held in the Science Center, featured foods representing the 18 major taxonomic categories. Ernest Williams, the Christian A. Johnson Excellence in Teaching Professor of Biology, said the tasting was designed "to celebrate the unity of life and its diversity of forms." Thus, everything from Arthropoda: Crustacea (shrimp) to Bacteria: Bacilli (yogurt) was on the menu, along with some Chordata: Sauropsida (alligator), Eucarya: Fungi (blue cheese), and Anthophyta: Monocotyledonae (corn).
Students from biology classes were invited to sample the goodies, and identify on a list the Phylum and Class the foods represented. Several thought the cookies were tasty – until they learned that they contained Arthropoda: Insecta (meal worms).
Many students were willing to try everything, while others shied away from some of the more unusual samples. Shyama Nair '10 tried the alligator bites and commented, "It's weird, not something I'd order in a restaurant." But the neuroscience major refused the Mollusca: Gastropoda (snails). "No way," she said. "I'm staying away from those."
Nick Richards '12 thought the event was interesting and was one of the brave souls who sampled a bit of every phylum's food. He described the oysters (Mollusca: Bivalvia) as "good," the dried seaweed (Protista: Phaeophyta) as "leathery," and called the sea urchin roe (Echinodermata: Echinoidea) "just vile."
Thomas Coppola '10 echoed the views of many who thought the alligator "tastes like chicken." Others liberally doused it with soy sauce and described it as having a pork flavor. Professor of Biology David Gapp, whose lab is home to many creatures in the reptilian and amphibian family, had no problem sampling the gator bites. And he assured attendees that the Chordata: Sauropsida they were eating was not a former resident of the Science Center.
Hamilton's Phylum Feast, held in the Science Center, featured foods representing the 18 major taxonomic categories. Ernest Williams, the Christian A. Johnson Excellence in Teaching Professor of Biology, said the tasting was designed "to celebrate the unity of life and its diversity of forms." Thus, everything from Arthropoda: Crustacea (shrimp) to Bacteria: Bacilli (yogurt) was on the menu, along with some Chordata: Sauropsida (alligator), Eucarya: Fungi (blue cheese), and Anthophyta: Monocotyledonae (corn).
Students from biology classes were invited to sample the goodies, and identify on a list the Phylum and Class the foods represented. Several thought the cookies were tasty – until they learned that they contained Arthropoda: Insecta (meal worms).
Many students were willing to try everything, while others shied away from some of the more unusual samples. Shyama Nair '10 tried the alligator bites and commented, "It's weird, not something I'd order in a restaurant." But the neuroscience major refused the Mollusca: Gastropoda (snails). "No way," she said. "I'm staying away from those."
Nick Richards '12 thought the event was interesting and was one of the brave souls who sampled a bit of every phylum's food. He described the oysters (Mollusca: Bivalvia) as "good," the dried seaweed (Protista: Phaeophyta) as "leathery," and called the sea urchin roe (Echinodermata: Echinoidea) "just vile."
Thomas Coppola '10 echoed the views of many who thought the alligator "tastes like chicken." Others liberally doused it with soy sauce and described it as having a pork flavor. Professor of Biology David Gapp, whose lab is home to many creatures in the reptilian and amphibian family, had no problem sampling the gator bites. And he assured attendees that the Chordata: Sauropsida they were eating was not a former resident of the Science Center.
