15. Jumping frogs may be celebrated, but not eaten in California
The short story which launched the writing career of Samuel Clemens under the pen name Mark Twain was The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, set in Angels Camp, California. Frog jumping contests were popular pastimes in logging and mining camps, backwater towns, and even in the larger river towns, before and after Twain’s short story. As with all amusements, the popularity drew the attention of the government, and steps to regulate fun in the land of the free were taken by the elected representatives of the people. Frog jumping contests were no exception, as the California legislature made clear.
In 1957 the State of California legislature passed and enacted a law which reads, “Any person may possess any number of live frogs to use in frog-jumping contests, but if such a frog dies or is killed, it must be destroyed as soon as possible, and may not be eaten or otherwise used for any purpose”. As it is the legs of the frog which are most commonly eaten by humans, and as the legs of a celebrated jumping frog are likely well developed the California legislature thus denied the treat (for those who like frog legs) to the owner who presumably raised and trained the frog. But, the law is the law, and jumping frogs are not allowed to be served at tables in California.
