Have you heard someone say, “That was as easy as duck soup!” Where did that saying come from? It is attributed to one of the tens of thousands of gold prospectors who invaded Alaska (a district of the United States, not yet a territory) during the Klondike Gold Rush of 1896-1899. Alaska was (and still is) a wild and often inhospitable place to live. Gold prospectors had to adapt to the eating and housing habits of the local natives. One such native custom was to shoot a duck at every opportunity and make soup out of it.
Search the web for “Traditionalanimalfoods.org” to understand that different Native American tribes in Alaska have different recipes for how to make duck soup. The Gold Rushers may not have noticed, or it may be easier to say Duck Soup than it is to distinguish between “Duck Soup Coast Salish” or “Duck Soup a la Mistissini Cree.” The Inuit “liked thick duck soup. The insides, head, and feet of the duck were used to thicken the broth.” Hmm!
Gold prospectors who came to Alaska came from all walks of life, and not all were American. In the late 1800s, many people lived in cities and had forgotten the ways of their tribal ancestors. Practicality, tradition and techniques on how to acquire and prepare wild foods are reference points used by the natives to survive. Gold Rushers literally went deep into the Alaskan interior, often following rivers to their sources, and if they couldn’t get food or shelter, bears, wolves, and other wildlife wouldn’t miss a chance to make duck soup out of them.
The natives recalled the often-told stories and had first-hand experience watching loved ones starve, succumb to the cold, or get lost in the wild while trying to provide for their family. They knew their traditions, who they had been, and who they were as a people. Admire them for their tenacity. Don’t criticize them for making duck entrails soup. Web search Jeremiah 29:11.
God has a plan for you. Panning for gold in dangerous places and eating duck soup along the way are probably not landmarks in his plan. So how does she find out what his plan is? Will you make it a family tradition to follow that plan? It starts when you pray to God. Ask him. Conclude your prayer with “in the name of Jesus”, and you will surely have his grace in his life.