Krista Sucked Me Into This Meme
I’ve resisted doing the Meme, until I saw this one on Krista’s blog. Curiosity got the best of me.
I was more than a little surprised to discover that I have eaten or drunk 74 of the 100 on the list.
Of the other 26, I would intentionally avoid only 10.
As a disclaimer:
Most of these food experiences are a direct result of having not one but TWO of the country’s best international grocery stores right here in St. Louis. Global Foods is in the suburban town of Kirkwood, close to my house. Its sister store Jay International is in South City in the trendy South Grand neighborhood. I wish I could claim that it was because I was just that well traveled.
The way this meme works: Copy the list below. Bold every item on the list that you have tasted. Add comments about the experiences, as well as comments on why you haven’t or wouldn’t try the others. In Kim‘s blog, she put the items that she hadn’t tried yet, but was willing to in italics.
The Omnivore’s Hundred
1.Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare (I just don’t like my meat completely raw)
5. Crocodile (Actually alligator. Doesn’t that count?)
6. Black pudding (and don’t intend to)
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle (and white)
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes (My best friend’s uncle used to make the best plum wine you ever tasted.)
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries (blackberries—but the chiggers were so bad when we were picking them, I’ve forgotten if they tasted amazing or not)
23. Foie gras (ethically opposed)
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese (I can’t get past seeing the taste buds on the tongue pieces)
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper (would love to, but afraid)
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac not with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly (is this like jello shots?) But, no anyway.
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects (just one…chocolate covered grasshopper)
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk (warm unpasturized, straight from the goat)
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu (I’m afraid I’ll die)
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut (way too many. There is a drive through less the 3 miles from my house)
50. Sea urchin (no, but can I substitute barnacles?)
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini (dislike gin—prefer vodka or tequila)
58. Beer above 8% ABV (not a beer drinker at any percentage)
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads (yuck)
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian (no amount of cash would induce me to even touch it)
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe (I’m considering trying to make it)
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum (perfect name because it is Yummy)
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky (I like the bitter black chocolate flavor)
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare (only we just call it rabbit)
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse (ethically opposed)
90. Criollo chocolate (truly don’t get the hype)
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa (I like it as an alternate to mint sauce for lamb)
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee (I love coffee, but I don’t get the hype here, either.)
100. Snake (Rattlesnake to be exact. My Dad used to love to grill chunks of it on kabob sticks. It’s very good.)
See, I always knew this about you – you epitomize adventure for me!
Deborah responds: Awe, Kim. You make me blush.
Deborah, I’m impressed – chocolate covered grasshopper, curried goat and rattlesnake, oh my!
Deborah responds: Krista, the chocolate covered grasshoppers were quite a craze in the late 50’s & early 60’s. I had one at Girl Scout camp in probably about ’62 or ’63.
The curried goat was in college. We lived in married student housing because Dan had a baseball scholarship that provided housing. They put the married international students in the same housing complex. Our next door neighbors were Jamacian.
Sorry but eeeeewwwww – chocolate covered grasshopper! And at camp?? Was it on a dare? You are brave. I am also surprised that you have eaten pocky. They are very popular here although I had to google pocky at first since I never knew the name before.
Deborah responds: One of the girls brought a tin of grasshoppers to camp. As I recall, it was an honor to be offered one. They didn’t have the legs or wings and the chocolate hid their shape. I really don’t remember a ‘taste’ and I don’t remember anyone acting grossed out. I do remember that they were very crunchy, like they had been fried before the chocolate dip.
The Pocky is a very popular item in the Japanese snack aisle at Global Foods. (see link in main blog entry)
Hi! Nice blog. Can you share your recipe for homemade pistachio liqueur with me?
Thanks! Charlie
Deborah responds: I’d be happy to, Charlie. Not really a recipe, though. More like a process with ingredients. Ratios are pretty subjective. I’ll do a quick blog post now.