Ballad to childhood leftover rabbit

The first real pet I had as a child was a rabbit.
My father found it in the woods and brought it home.
Mys-Mys (pronounced moose-moose) had soft gray and white fur and an energetic personality. I was 6 and delighted to be the only girl with a pet rabbit among my friends.
He hopped around our Soviet-style apartment and heartily ate the lettuce my mother set on the floor.
No dog can beat that, I thought.
He lived with us for about two weeks. Then my parents announced he wasn’t doing well in an urban setting.
Mys-Mys needed the soft grass, pine trees and other animals to keep him company, I was told.
I was reluctant to give up my pet, but agreed I’d be satisfied if his life could be improved once he was in his natural habitat.
Days later the rabbit was gone.
I no longer had a pet that hopped around the apartment and ate lettuce leaves.
Thankfully, the mind of a 6-year-old is easily distracted. I barely mourned this loss and even ate a wonderful meal of braised rabbit with my family a few days later.
I’ve always enjoyed eating rabbit and in Russia the meal was considered a savory treat.
After all, this is a country where meat is simply meat. At a grocery store when you ask for meat, you get a hunk of meat.
“What kind of meat is this?” you might ask the woman on the other side of the counter.
“It is just meat,” she’ll bark back.
Russians back then were not picky when it came to good food because it was scarce.
I remember my father going to buy chicken at a farmer’s market. The rule was one chicken per person. He’d borrow the neighbors’ daughters and sons to stand in line with him so we’d have enough food for our family of four.
That’s why -- two decades later -- the braised rabbit dinner is fresh in my mind.
It wasn’t until years later that my mother informed me Mys-Mys was the guest of honor at that fine family dinner.
I admit I was appalled that my parents let me eat my pet. And then I understood he was no pet at all. My parents judiciously fed him lettuce and carrots in our apartment to fatten him up.
Those sneaky Russians!
I assure you I’d never do that, but I proudly serve rabbit to my family.After all, it conjures up some of my favorite childhood memories.

Click here for a braised rabbit recipe: http://tiny.cc/rabbit394