Chris Woodyard

USA TODAY

A candidate for the Texas House wants to give a new meaning to roadside dining. He wants to legalize road kill for food.

Fricassee of squished armadillo, anyone?

If Tink Nathan gets his way, all those raccoon, skunk, deer and other critter carcasses left on the road won't go to waste. They'll go on the grill.

Nathan, 72, says leaving road kill on the highway is wasting food, the Associated Press reports. "That meat goes to waste. Why not utilize it?" he asks.

The four other Republicans vying for the seat don't agree. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department doesn't sound like a big fan either. "People stopping on roadsides to harvest dead animals could be struck by vehicles. Eating dead animals found on roadsides could make people sick," says spokesman Tim Harvey.

But at least it would be a bargain. Nathan points out that a dead deer can yield 80 pounds of meet.