PAGES : Eat That, You Gourmets

What happens when good food photographers go strange?

Mixed Lizards Demi-Chaud Froid. Festive Possum. Beak and Claw Surprise. Tadpole Consomme. Toad in the Whole. Armadillo Asado Ahumar. Snake and Eggs in the Grass.

Get the picture?

You can, along with text on each of these frightening faux meals, in “Critter Cuisine,” which turns the oh-so-perfect world of gourmet food photography on its ear . . . and snout . . . and armored shell.

The husband-and-wife team of Al and Mary Ann Clayton collaborated on the spoof of high-gloss gastronomic publications after too many hours of Harvard MBAs picking over the arrangement of a burger and fries, explained Al, whose photographs have appeared in Look, Time and Newsweek.

The book has a second, less humorous purpose, they say.

“It has to do with food prejudices, people getting the ickies about people eating different things,” Al says. “Mountain folks eat a possum without blinking twice, but if you suggest snails or raw fish, they think you’re out of your mind.”

Adds Mary Ann, who wrote the text: “If there was a ground-up cow in there, nobody would pay any attention. It’s just that little bat that throws everybody off.”

She refers to Batburgers--served open-faced with salted home fries, lettuce, tomato and cheese. There’s also Dilly Quesadillas served with fresh armadillo. Or Great Balls of Fire, a delicacy prepared from . . . Nah, you really don’t want to know.