The joke about the swelled-up possum
puts me in mind of
the celebrated hedgehog stew.

I live where there are no hedgehogs.
However
the Roma, pejoratively called Gypsies,
are legendary for
their prowess in making a feast out of hedgehogs.

One recipe that someone dictated,
for somebody else to write down,
involved a pump for bicycle tires.
Doesn't go INTO the stew, mark you,
but is necessary for prepping the little hedgehog,
the better to lose both hide and quills.