"Ugh..."
Francois hurried out of the house and vomited by the roadside.
He had tried his best... but the rat meat had a strange flavor that was nearly impossible to swallow. It even reminded Francois of the smell beneath the skirts of a certain woman whose private life was anything but respectable.
"I didn't think you'd actually eat rat meat..." Lame Bob came out with a smile.
The night wind was growing colder. Francois felt a little better and raised his head. "But I threw it up."
"That's all right. You've proved that even a noble can eat rat meat. They have no excuses now."
"Don't say those words..."
Francois nearly retched again.
How to describe the smell of boiled rat meat... It was like throwing the uncleaned backsides of chickens, cows, and sheep into a pot. It would take excellent cooking and spices to cover that stench. They had no seasonings but salt, and their only Cook was good at little more than cooking food through.
"Roasting it should cover the smell."
"But roast meat has a strong aroma."
"That's fine. Rat meat is cheap enough to give everyone on this street a piece."
Francois and Lame Bob returned to the house. The thugs were having a miserable time eating, but at least none of them threw up.
After watching them for a while and making sure no one felt ill, Francois had the Cook prepare firewood and a grill, then roast the rat meat again out on the street.
Any meat smelled good when roasted, even human flesh.
The aroma of sizzling roast rat meat soon drew people from half the street. They had gone to bed early to stave off hunger, but the smell woke them, and they could no longer sleep. They gathered around the fire.