The Diet of Rats - A Symbol of the Siege of Paris

The diet of rats became one of the enduring symbols of the siege of paris. The rich were able to feed themselves, while the poorer quarters waited in long lines just to getEnough bread to ward off the gnawing of hunger for a few hours. This meant that the meat, even rat meat, was a luxury that could only be afforded by the middle and upper classes. As christmas and new years approached, the siege had now been going on for three months but it seemed neither close to victory or close to defeat. It just seemed like it was just omnipresently was meanwhile, what little news trickled in from outside world was mostly bad.