Are Escargot Farms the New Ant Farms?

For budding young chefs bored by the prospect of a measly ant farm or a boring old goldfish, here's something new to ask Santa for this year: a grow-your-own escargot kit. While horses, guinea pigs, and even dogs are considered delicacies in some countries, eating your pets is generally frowned upon — but these tasty snails are definitely intended for human consumption.

The kit comes complete with a transparent home for your future dinner, instructions for rearing your new mollusk babies, and even recipe suggestions for when your hunger just becomes too much to bear. (It does not, however, include baby snails — those must be sent away for by mailing in an enclosed card.) In four to six months, your snails will be ready for consumption, provided you haven't grown too attached to eat them.

Maybe be wary of serving those pet snails to any future dinner party guests, however: A California restaurant was slapped with a lawsuit a few years back after two customers' escargot erupted, scalding their faces with sizzling hot garlic butter. Then again, the eatery did see escargot sales double following the incident (and the lawsuit was later dismissed).