While my state still boasts of woodlands, plains, and waterways with wildlife abounding, the region is a far and primal cry from the fauna-filled wilderness it once was. Prior to Euro-American settlement, Arkansas was a documented home to elk, American bison, red wolves, and mountain lions. Though we’re a few hundred miles southeast of their known historic range, I’d imagine a stray grizzly or two wandered down the Arkansas River in search of new territory.

I’m interested not only in fish, but in food, and I’ll sometimes find myself reading a book about some aspect of food history, the development of American cuisine, or something of that sort. Right now, I’m reading Lost Feast, by Lenora Newman.