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Comment by glandium | Hacker News Reader

BTW, as a 44 year old French that has never seen frogs on a restaurant menu, and never had any, I wonder how common eating frogs is nowadays. Escargots seem much more common, to cite something else we're known for.

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I think it's quite rare. I tried once because a friend was visiting from the US and wanted to try. With a bit of research, I found a restaurant specialised in frog, but yes, they aren't common.

Idk, I went to a lot of restaurant that had frog legs in their menu. On the other hand I had snails only once. But I think "traditional" french restaurant are not that common anymore in anycase. My city is full of restaurant from all over the world or thematic restaurant, only an handful of "classic" french restaurant (and its not a bad thing, I love the variety).

Only place I've eaten frog was in Cambodia. First time, at a street vendor, it was delicious. Second time, at a hotel buffet, it made me sick as a dog.

Frogs are a protected specie in france: you can catch some for personal "use" but there are quotas. So all the frogs you eat in restaurants come from elsewhere in europe. Could explain the evolution. Also i'm not sure it's something "typically french", i'd definitely categorize it as region-dependent (eg from the Dombes near Lyon). Btw for frog fishing you need no hook but just a small piece of fabric, had some fun making a couple fly when a kid, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUDmb3ZMw5c

Now that I think of it, I remember that when I was a kid (40 years ago), occasionally my mother would cook snail/frogs. Snails more than frogs actually. Maybe it's one of these traditions that we're losing.

Frog's legs are eaten in Appalachia in the South East of the US.

Not so much in restaurants but I was invited to a friends house and that was part of the meal. Tasted kinda like chewy chicken wings, not bad.

I’ve had them several times along the Gulf Coast of Texas. Like the alligator eaten here, it’s part of the joke of the long list of things that tastes sorta like chicken.

Our local supermarket in an Arizona small town sells frogs right next to the seafood in the meat department. Somebody must be buying them. Though I've never seen them on a local menu. Are they typical in a French grocery?

I've never seen them in French supermarkets.

The only time I've eaten frog was fried in a Cajun restaurant.

I ate frog legs in a restaurant in France no later than this summer, but it was a Vietnamese restaurant...

Snails, on the other hand, are not too difficult to find in supermarkets.

It's not uncommon. In the south they eat it, I personally have had frog and it tasted like chicken to me. I try all kinds of weird food because why not.

I cross the line at eating spiders. Nope

As 47 year old Dutch guy I can say I ate frogs in the Netherlands of all places... but never seen them in France (but I did not specifically search for them)

I guess eating frogs might be more common in South East Asia?

Frog leg porridge is really easy to find in Singapore, for example.

They're common in Singapore because of the southern Chinese influence. You don't see them often in Malaysia or Indonesia tho (outside Chinese areas) because frog is not halal.

Frogs are very popular in Vietnam, served in all kinds of ways.

It's mostly a familly thing, I guess. I'm younger than you are but always ate frogs regularly.

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