17 NOVEMBER 2001, Page 38

Eye-opener

From Mr Gerry Blake Sir: Sheep's eyeballs were never meant to be eaten (If it moves... ', 10 November), merely to be passed round the table to show the guests how fresh the sheep was. On one occasion, a guest — mistaking the intent and not wishing to offend — popped the eye into his mouth, and manfully swallowed. Thereafter, Arab hosts included them as part of the meal — and so a legend was born.

Gem, Blake

London W5