What is the strangest thing you have ever eaten? Ants from Columbia? Pancreas from Spain? Cow heart from Peru? Deep fried grilled cheese from the Kern County Fair?
Alternatively, if you are not that kind of eater or have not tried such culinary oddities, what is one food you would never eat?
Well, I usually do no travel much but once when I was 12-years-old, my family and I went to a trip to the warm beaches of Central America. We went to El Salvador to be exact. It is such a tropical country rich in wild life and forest. I remember we were on the beach and my sister was riding horse with a local citizen guiding the horse and when my mom told my sister and I to go eat. We went to the pier of that beach and while I was expecting eating fish, crabs or shrimp because I thought that was the only seafood that was edible, the waiter brings us a bucket filled with eggs. These were no ordinary eggs; these eggs were round and soft. These are were soft and white, very much so like Ping-Pong balls. There was steam coming out of them and then my mom ripped one open very easily like tearing a piece of paper. She then, put salt, lemon and Worchester sauce and suck that thing in like taking a drink! I was amazed and in shock at the same time. What the heck was I about to eat and what did my mom just do! My sister and I looked at each other like what did our mother just do and since we no longer could contain our wondering, we asked our mother what had she just eaten. She replied, "turtle eggs." Never in my life had I heard of "turtle eggs." See, in third world countries, or development countries such like El Salvador, eating turtle eggs is not illegal. Actually, it is quite common to eat these delicacies in the beach. Concerned and nervous of eating such thing, my mom grabbed one, opened it and filled it with salt, lemon and sauce. I ate only a little bit at first put the taste was quite astonishing. These eggs were delicious. They are soft and slimy but the taste is amazing. I have not had them in 20 years but the taste is unforgettable. If I go again to Costa Rica or El Salvador, I will have them again because there aren’t any here in the U.S. to sell because it is illegal to sell them.
ReplyDelete"turtle eggs"... how astonishing was it"
DeleteA new category...illegal foods! Good one.
DeleteI definitely want to give these eggs a try. If I don't know it's a turtle egg, I'll eat it, but the moment someone informs me that I'm about to eat a turtle egg, then I'll feel guilty afterward. So if I happen to ever go to Central America years from now and forget I had this conversation, then I'll try one. ha
DeleteI have never thought of trying a turtle egg. You said the taste of it was "astonishing." Was it salty, slimy or sweet? What did it taste like? It sounds like an incredible experience.
ReplyDeleteThe first week I arrived to Guatemala to teach, they wanted to welcome me and expose me to their rich culture. My boss and coworker drove me to a fruit and vegetable market. It was all held under a massive tent. We walked around and found a square lunch stand. Benches cornered two women cooking hot plates. My spanish wasn't that good in the beginning, so when they took my order I picked what the women said by exclaiming “si eso” or yes that. I had no idea what I had actually ordered. Minutes later, a large bowl of soup was put in front of me. The bowl was filled with clear juice and broth and meat. I thought it was beef at fist. I took a bite of this chewy meat and tried to tear it apart with my teeth. It was almost impossible. The texture was a little slimy and almost tasted like the fat off of a steak. The only taste was that from the broth. The meat had little flavor at all. I asked what this was because it didn’t taste like anything I had ever had. I had ordered “sopa de lengua de vaca” or cow tongue soup. After the realization of what I had ordered, it was challenging to finish the dish, but I didn't want to be rude. The taste was not a problem. The texture was hard to surpass. I felt every slice go down my throat, like a gelatin milk shake.
ReplyDeleteHello Rachel,
DeleteYour manners are much better than mine. I have tried cold sliced cow tongue and only took a few bites before I called it quits. I’m not sure if the “sopa de lengua de vaca” is hot or cold, but cooked warm lengua tacos are not so bad.
I wouldn't be able to eat any of it once I found out what it was. I hate cow tongue!
DeleteI've eaten intestines from a korean restaurant before, and they also had tongue on the menu. I honestly don't think I can ever bring myself to eat tongue after that. I tried it and was just disgusted with the texture (you did a great job describing it by the way). Like Azael said, you have really good manners, I would have not ate it.
DeleteHello Rachel,
DeleteWow! That is a crazy story. I have heard stories like that, but I have never gone through that myself. Would you have rather wanted to not know what you were eating or would you have done the same thing that you did?
...gelatin milk shake? What a great, and somewhat disgusting, turn of phrase!
ReplyDeleteSummer vacations are always fascinating because it is the time to travel around the globe and explore the finest foods that are out there waiting for its customers. To be exact, it was in 2012 when I traveled to Lima, Perú to do a project regarding the Spanish development and its evolution. While doing observations with other colleagues, we were invited to a restaurant. La Casita de Ricardo it’s a restaurant where food can be a surprise at times. While waiting for a table we were asked if we wanted to drink anything. Obviously I asked for a Bacardi on the rocks. When a table became available for us to sit in, we ordered “Anticuchos” (Meat on a Stick). This plate was amazing, very delicious, the flavor was outstanding, and the tenderness was awesome. At the end our friend Marcos Lozano told us “Que tal el corazón de vaca” (how was the cow heart). As soon as he said that we were like what! To be honest, it was an outstanding dish. The flavors were perfect and the meat was tender. We had fun. We did an awesome job. “Anticuchos” are good.
ReplyDeleteYa.... I'm not sure i could eat something that was just labeled 'meat' although that may be hypocritical considering i can eat bologna. Buuuut no.... I think I'm too wimpy haha its great that you loved the taste tho!
DeleteHilario! Yes, I have had anticuchos in Lima...great dish, but I would not order them here. Would you eat them here in Cali?
ReplyDeleteNo, not in Cali professor.
ReplyDeleteThe strangest thing that I have eaten is the belly fat of a cow. In my husband’s family his mom make menudo and pasole with trip (the cow’s belly). Some people like it, but I am definitely not one of those people. I tried it once and the texture of it just did not seem appealing to me at all. There are also different fatty parts of animals that my dad puts in his menudo. Same as the cow belly, I do not like it at all. I pick out all of the tripe and just eat the hominy (the little corn pieces) and drink the broth. One food that I know I will never try is sushi. I can handle the California roll with the imitation crab and avocado, but the sushi with raw fish in it is not my idea of a yummy meal. My husband could eat sushi every day, but for me the smell just turns me off completely. I remember over summer I almost tried some, but then I smelt it and put it right back on the plate. I have tried a tuna roll before, but the tuna was cooked. I do not even want to think about what the fish feels like in people’s mouths. Is it slimy? Does it feel firm or soft when you bite into it? I don’t even want to know.
ReplyDelete-Amanda Moreno Alcala
Mmmhh Menudo I love it but I also know that it's a unique taste because I have other friends that won't eat it at all after they tried it. It's best after you have a hangover probably because of the spice thats naturally in it I don't know but it works.
DeleteI can never eat Menudo, I honestly try all the time, but I just cannot seem to like it. As for sushi, I am an avid sushi eater. If the fish is fresh, then it should not smell like anything at all. If you would be willing to try it again, I say you should try spicy tuna. That way you can try raw fish without it bothering you too much!
DeleteI agree with you on both parts. My family always eats menudo but I just drink the broth. I also hate sushi as well. The smell is enough to keep me away from it.
DeleteMy parents enjoy eating menudo and I can't bring myself to eat it. It has a nice smell but the honeycomb pattern of the meat chunks have always made me feel queasy.
DeleteI have never really liked menudo with cow fat in it. its really nasty and to soft for me.
DeleteWhen I was in the Army I was deployed to Afghanistan in 2002 and since the place is a third world country they really didn't have any cities so while there we stayed in a village that actually had walls. For the first month we as a company stayed away from the local food and just tried to stick to are MRE's (Meal Ready to Eat). However, I'm sure that any one knows that if you eat the same thing for so long you finally get tired of it so we finally asked, through the interpreter, for the locals to prepare us a meal. The locals started cooking over a grill and it was actually meat which excited us because it was like a Bar-B-Que. Well they also made this tortilla like bread that they call pita bread and once the meat was done cooking I rolled the meat up in this pita bread and ate it. The meat was tough and stringy but tasted like chicken. The funny thing was that the next morning a couple of the guys started asking around for the little dog that they played with and that's when are interpreter told us that we ate him among others that where around. I can't complain too much because it was good and I never really played with the dog so I didn't care too much. I can't imagine how it affected the other guys though.
ReplyDeleteHello Robert,
DeleteOh my God. It’s amazing how cultures have such different standards. Who knows if food was scarce here we too may be eating our pets. It also could be that we have never tried to eat dog. There is that saying “don’t knock it until you try it”. I’m honestly glad that dog is not on our menus in our country. After all, dogs are mans best friend.
Well what's done is done...glad you took the news so well.
DeleteMy culture has allowed me to experience the strangest of cuisines. The weirdest one by far would have to be a popular rice congee (porridge) that I no longer eat due to growing up and fearing the health hazards of consumption. This crazy dish that I speak of is called the pork blood porridge. Yes, it sounds absolutely revolting, but just give me a few seconds to explain. Traditionally, congee is considered a soup for the sick; think of it as the famous chicken noodle soup. You can basically put whatever you like in a congee, but pork blood is by far the strangest. The pork blood is thoroughly cleaned and boiled until solid and is then cut into small cubes. The congee itself is simply just rice in pork broth. The pork blood tastes very rich in pork flavor, but the texture is definitely indescribable. It is definitely a gelatin of some sort. Though very off-putting, this strange ingredient played such a pivotal role in my favorite childhood dish. Even though I do not eat pork blood congee any longer, I can still remember how warm, filling, and rich it was to me. I now settle for the normal chicken congee when I am sick. Do not be afraid of trying all sorts of different cuisines; you never know what type of weird dishes you are missing out on.
ReplyDeleteI think I've actually heard of that dish before. I can't recall where or how, but I know I have...think it might have been in a book. I've always wanted to try congee. I actually started drinking bubble tea and thai milk tea this year which is about as adventurous as I've been able to go in a while, but the two drinks are delicious.
DeleteHi Samantha! Yes congee is really warm and filling! I am obsessed with boba drinks (bubble tea). Do you go to tea bar on White Lane to get your drinks? I definitely recommend the Taro Boba.
DeleteHi Jacklyn
DeleteWow, that dish sounds interesting. This dish makes American cuisine sound extremely boring. You said you stopped eating it for health reasons. Are their bad health benefits to eating it?
Theres a tea bar???!!!! The only places I've found that sell boba are the China Bistro in the marketplace and the donutshop in the rosedale shopping center.
DeleteHi Rachel! When my family ate the pork blood congee, we usually bought it pre made and because we do not know how it is specifically prepared, we cannot really trust it being sanitary. Also, my mother scared me in eating it as well because she feared that we would get certain infections if we were not careful in how it was prepared.
DeleteYes Samantha!! Boba is its specialty!
DeleteI, unfortunately, can’t recall anything that I’ve eaten that was too weird. Besides the odd dare of course which consisted of toothpaste Oreo cookies. In one of my management classes we ended up watching a video about cultural diversity. This video was about a little inland village inside of Cambodia that was known for one thing in particular. Given that they didn’t have access to a lot of foods the villagers were forced to become gatherers of the one creature they had in abundance. Spiders. Yep. Spiders. Big, fat, black tarantulas. I watched in horror as the travel guy went out and watched the men catch them and once they were brought back the women gave them a very, very good dunking in water to clean them until they-hopefully-drowned. Once done and the ‘fangs’ had been removed they added on chicken flavoring as well as other spices and dropped the poor little suckers in hot oil. You could hear their bodies hissing and screeching like they do when they get burned up in a fireplace. After they were done cooking they were pulled out of the oil, set on paper, and had a few finishing spices freshened up on their steaming carcasses. I vividly remember the man chomping off the face of a spider and liking it, but when he chomped the back end in half where the web usually comes out and said he preferred it even more and then proceeded to eat a few more? I lost it. I can eat a cow tongue, cow balls, oysters, sushi, and a few other not so normal things but no, just, no.
ReplyDeleteThat must have been painful to see. Your description made me cringe till the last sentence. I would die just at the thought of a tarantula being near me but to put its fried body in my mouth is unfathomable. However who knows what we would do in order to sustain life. Nonetheless, I enjoyed your story despite my moment of sickness.
DeleteI think I would rather eat toothpaste oreo cookies rather than tarantulas just out of my intense fear of spiders! I love that you included that they cleaned the spiders until they had hopefully drowned.. I'm having a slight anxiety attack now just thinking about it.. however I'm sure if it were prepared well and thoroughly cooked, it could be quite appetizing. If it were somehow served to me, I'd just rather not know I was eating an arachnid haha
DeleteOne of the strangest things I have eaten came from South Africa and was called pap. It was not an awful dish, but it definitely fooled my taste buds. I’m not exactly sure why but several different things I ate in Africa looked like they should taste like something else. What I mean is, the beef I ate there looked a lot like Mexican thin cut beef, but tasted flavorless and a bit foul. It was cooked correctly because it was served to hundreds of students out of a university cafeteria, but I’m just not sure why it tasted so differently.
ReplyDeleteAfter a few days of acclimating to the different food I came across pap. It looked exactly like mashed potatoes. The server even poured what appeared to be gravy on top of the pap. Finally, food I’m familiar with, or so I thought. I was so excited that I asked for more on my plate. I took my first bite and quickly started to chew my food as if I was a cow. I would slowly chew from side to side wondering what I had gotten my self into. I had a mountain of pap on my plate. I did not want to throw my food away because I did not want to offend anyone, so I continued to eat to pap until no one was watching. I then ran to the trashcan to discard my plate. I don’t believe pap is bad food, because it is a popular maize porridge that is eaten as a rice substitute in South Africa. I just think I was not accustomed to the ingredients or spices that were used in the preparation of the dishes there.
Hi Azael,
DeleteThat sounds interesting I had never heard of it before. I think it tasted different because they use different spices that we are not use too.
As I child I remember my mother making a variety of dishes from cheese enchiladas, taco's, caldo de pollo (chicken soup) to lasagna and pot roast. My mom made her Mexican dishes from passed on recipes and in my young eyes I thought I knew all there was to know about ethnic foods in my culture but I was no where near an expert. As I became older I began to explore a variety of dishes from different cultures but in doing so, I realized I am no dare devil when it comes food tasting. I am a moderately squeamish person and like to stick to the "norm." One evening a friend of mine whom I knew to be a wonderful cook, invited me to her home to have taco's de birria. I arrived to her home with an empty stomach in hopes of indulging in homemade corn tortilla's and slow cooked tender beef in a flavorful sauce. I loaded my plate and topped it off with onions, cilantro and drops of lemon. I sat down and took my first bite with my good friend staring at me waiting for my reaction. As the flavors set in, I realized I was not eating beef, pork or chicken. This meat was very foreign to me and I was immediately disgusted. I tried hard to hide my reaction and said to her, "this is really good" but my watery eyes said it all. She told me I didn't have to eat it and that she knew goat meat is an acquired taste. Had I know she used goat meat instead of beef I would have politely declined the invitation.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like your friend was being a little mean. She was watching your reaction, so she knew it was a possibility you wouldn't like it.
DeleteMaybe you are right but I think she really thought that I knew what kind of meat I was eating. I have to say I've tried her goat meat again but it was cooked in a deep pit instead of on the stovetop and the taste was totally different and actually pretty good.
DeleteWhat great responses!
ReplyDeleteThe weirdest food that I have eaten is rabbit. I was at a friends birthday party and it was time to go serve our food. My friends and I choose what we thought were meatballs and went back to eat at the table. We all took a bite out of the meatball at the same time and immediately every one started to throw the food back out of our mouths. When we asked the cook what it was the cook said it was rabbit. It tasted so nasty and the taste was very strong. No matter how much soda I drank I couldn't get the taste out of my mouth. I ended up having to go brush my teeth in the middle of dinner because the taste in my mouth from the rabbit was so bad. I was sleeping over that day so luckily I had brought my toothbrush to the party. One type of food that I would never eat is seafood. I will never eat anything that comes from the sea whether its fish or shrimp or crab. The reason why I will never eat that type of food is because its smells and tastes nasty. Almost every time that my friends or people that I know eat shrimp they always end up getting food poisoning that lasts for several days. I cant even take the smell of fish and seafood so there is no way that I would get even close to actually wanting to take a bite. The only type of seafood that I have tried was tuna and I didn't like the taste of it at all.
ReplyDeleteI just had shrimp--you are worrying me.
DeleteI don't have your strong dislike of seafood, but I know there are many raw seafood plates that I don't like. So I can relate somewhat to the raw seafood and not eating it. The only fish I like are cooked shrimp, tuna in a can, and breaded fish, like fish-sticks or fish and chips.
DeleteI have tried rabbit to which is pretty good but very chewy. Seafood is good but it can also get you sick if you don't cook it right.
DeleteAwww the poor rabbit I had one as a pet. Tuna is good when its fresh not in the cans that you buy in the store.
DeleteI remember eating rabbit once when I was younger. I don't remember having the same experience, but it could be that it was prepared differently?
DeleteI’m not sure I would consider this an exotic food experience, especially if I didn’t intend to eat this specific food in the first place. One day when I was getting ready for school, I was around 8 or 9, and I went to grab a box of cheerios for breakfast, and since they are so “heart healthy” I thought, why not. So I pour myself some honey nut and am halfway through eating my breakfast when I look down and notice little black things in my cereal. At first I thought it was maybe some burnt pieces or something since I had seen cereal with an odd looking pieces before, so I didn’t think it was that big of a deal. But upon closer inspection I notices these black pieces were shaped in a familiar way.
ReplyDeleteI found the familiar shapes to be ants. I had eaten a bowl full of ants and all I wanted to do was throw up, but I couldn’t. I was freaked out and it felt like they were crawling around inside my tummy, until I noticed they were dead in the bowl, probably drowned by the milk. I had no idea how the ants got into just the cheerios, because I checked all the other cereals and no ants. It is a moment that I will never forget and has also made me an addict at looking at my food whenever I eat anything. Sadly, now when I talk of this incident I am proud that I have eaten at least one crazy thing in my life, even if it was unintentional. Now my brother on the other hand has swallowed a live goldfish, on purpose by the way, and it was very entertaining.
That crazy that makes me grossed out. Good thing I don't like to eat cereal. I bet their must of been a lot of ants.
DeleteThat would freak me out. I check all of the cereal boxes now too because I once found a cockroach in a box of cereal. What was worse is that my sister had found it earlier that morning and had just put the box back and did not tell anyone.
DeleteI haven't had the fortunate experience of tasting something totally bizarre to the western culture. I'm definitely all for trying anything and everything. I would have to mentally prepare myself to try something strange. I would hope that I savor the first bite and get a taste for what I'm trying, but I really think I would just inhale the first bite and probably spit it out. However, the only thing I can think of that I eat that most people wouldn't even try would be Dinuguan, or Chocolate Meat. It is a pork dish from the Philippines that consists of a sauce that is pig blood. I first tried it when I was in elementary school, and I thought it was amazing. I still eat it today, especially at parties. I personally only like it with a lot of white rice. Oh, I should also mention that it gets the name from the chocolate appearance and melted consistency (well at least that's what I heard). The vinegar, garlic, and bay leaves make it taste so good. I'm not too sure what else goes in it. Everyone I know that can make it, has his or own recipe and they all taste different. The next time you are in the mood for a filipin@ dish, definitely give this one a try.
ReplyDeleteI know exactly what dish you are talking about! Funny fact, in Philippines they have different dialects and in Ilocano which is my dialect its called Dinardaraan. I've personally never eaten it but I'd like to when I go back home. If you like Chocolate Meat I suggest you try Balot, also known as, bird fetus. Another interesting delicacy from my homeland.
DeleteWow you must be pretty brave for wanting to try everything. I would be so scared just to try anything new that I don't normally eat. That sounds like an interesting dish.
DeleteOne day I was watching the show called Taboo which showcased foods or practices that are out of the ordinary. That night the show featured a sauce that was extracted from fish that was fermented for about two weeks. To my surprise I realized this sauce was something I've eaten since childhood. I grew up eating this sauce called patis or bagoong with steamed white rice daily. My mother used to eat this strange combination everyday so naturally I also did. It felt weird watching food that was common to me on a show about things that are essentially taboo. I was honestly slightly offended for some reason thought I couldn't explain why. If you haven't tried this sauce don't be discouraged by this show because it makes every dish better. I admit its weird and doesn't sound too appetizing but some of the best things in life are a little weird.
ReplyDeleteGreat entry...I have seen this same thing happen with my Mexican friends when someone asks them how they can eat menudo. (it too is delicious!) Culture is food; food is culture!
DeleteI was invited to a friendly get together. It seemed to be your typical BBQ scene with music, inviting people to chat with, drinks, and lots of food. So to my recollection, I wasn't taken by surprise that there would be lot's of meat and a grill that would cook said meat. As time passed and I mingled, as people usually do, I came across my buddy, whom invited me to the party, and he was holding a small bucket filled with meat on a stick. The aroma was mouth watering and with no hesitation I took a sample of this meat on a stick. It was GOOD! It was so good that I helped myself to a few less than 20 pieces of meat on a stick. After all the tender morsels have been distributed amongst everyone who wanted a taste, there was a small post introduction to the meal. My buddy gave his thanks to everyone who came to the party, and with no further delay, he asked everyone a simple question - Did everyone like the meat on the stick? All nodding their heads including myself. Yeah it was good. He was from Peru and one of the many delicacies they enjoy in Peru is this meat on a stick. Or rather it was Heart on a stick. The room was quiet. Then from the next room someone yells out - WHAT?! - and makes their way to the restroom to barf their brains out; however, I was quite fine with the idea. I do like to try new things, but I have a limit to how far I would take that adventure, but if it were to be presented to me after I have eaten it, then I am more open to the idea of trying it again.
ReplyDeleteMeat on a stick huh? that sounds interesting! I like to try new things too but you didn't say from what. You said it was a heart but from what?
DeleteYes, because that's the mystery of the meat. Haha, indeed I did forget to put what the source of the meat was. I did that on purpose. Wink! It was "Human Heart!"... as my friend said that made that other guy puke his brains out, but no, it was cow heart. Which was no big deal, considering my family tends to eat everything they can off the cow. For example, brains, eye balls, tongue, the whole head practically, the intestines, it's tail, everything except the hoofs.
DeleteSounds like you had a fun time, but different kind of food was at the party. I would do the same like the other people I would get so sick just thinking I ate it. Also, a limit is always good to have.
DeleteI’m the kind of person who would never try and eat crazy food. I would rather stick to regular sandwiches or chicken. I know other places have interesting dishes, but I haven’t been interested in knowing what other people eat so I had to look up some strange food for this blog entry. So the one food that I would never try and eat would be balut. Balut is from the Philippines and it is a fertilized duck embryo boiled inside its egg shell. I thought menudo, with its honeycomb patterned meat chunks was strange, but balut is just insane. I can’t imagine myself eating this crazy food. I’m fine with eating non fertilized eggs for breakfast, but taking a bite from a boiled egg and seeing a duck embryo inside would make me vomit instantly. To them, this is a normal dish, and I get that, but why would anyone eat this?
ReplyDeleteAfter looking up images of balut, I am definitely never trying it. The yolk has visible veins, some thin feathers are also present, and then there’s the death stare of the developing eyes of the chick. I guess it is just a matter of being introduced to this at a young age to develop a fondness of this food. I have seen that it can be eaten with a soup or even baked into pastries, which is extremely odd to me. Before I chose balut to be the one food I will never try, it was going to be Rocky Mountain oysters. At first I was confused if these were oysters that came from the Rocky Mountains or if they were oysters that looked like the Rocky Mountains. Neither of these is correct, in fact it’s not even an oyster, but this food is made from bull calf testicles. Yeah, not going to try this either.
My family eats Balut! I myself cannot get myself to eat the chick itself, I end up just drinking the broth and giving the rest to my dad.
DeleteThere are so many crazy sounding foods on here that I am glad to be far, far away from. And I am not planning on traveling anywhere out of California any time soon either.
DeleteSame here I would simply stick to the food I know and like. That crazy people do have taste buds and have different life styles.
DeleteI've never been one to shy away from trying new things, especially not food, but I'd have to say the strangest thing I’ve eaten has got to be “Uni”, or more commonly known as sea urchin. It is typically served in sushi bars/restaurants and can be consumed either raw or cooked. Uni is not just any part of the sea urchin however, as the entire animal is not edible, what most people are unaware of is that Uni refers to the animal’s gonads. In my best attempts to describe its features, when served and prepared correctly, Uni looks like a miniature tongue, with gold to yellow hues and a creamy, slimy texture. Its most commonly served “sashimi” style, a single strip of Uni lying atop a bed of white rice wrapped in seaweed. It has a slightly sweet, almost nutty flavor to it, but almost... briny in a sense. The unexpected taste combined with the odd texture is usually what scares people off from trying it again.
ReplyDeleteRoughly four to five years ago, my friends and I were out of town for the weekend in Carpentaria, which is just down the road from Santa Barbara. As we were walking down the pier a small fishing boat had just docked, full of live sea urchin. One of the fishermen was asking if there were any “brave souls” out there who wanted to try some freshly caught sea urchin. It may have taken some courage for some, but if you’re big on sushi like I am, I was first in line! The taste was fairly similar, but it was had a much richer taste after being sliced open right in front of me. Uni is not the most popular type of sushi out there, in fact I hated it when I first tried it, but give it some time and a few chances and you may see why it’s considered a delicacy, and even an aphrodisiac to some!
I have never really travel to any other country. The one food I would never try would be cow brains. One the reason would be because of mad cow disease it had killed many of the cows. They didn’t find a way to keep the disease spreading to other cows. I remember they had killed the cows because it had start spreading to humans. The good thing is that it doesn’t spread to the United States because of the health laws. This does not mean that you cannot get from the cows. Even in some of the cows the beef was infection with this fatal disease. Knowing about this fatal disease scares me trying anything odd especially in animals. This fatal disease was known to spread to humans. Just like in the cows it went to their nervous system and brain. Also, if you do consume a lot of meat you die from it. I try to stick to the basic kind of foods. When I do travel to other places I just eat chicken, steak or pasta. I’m not an adventuress eater I don’t like to try weird things. I simply get gross out of television when they show on people eating weird foods. When I eat foods I am not willing to have an open mind. So for me trying to eat the cow brains would be impossible for me to even come close. To me the cow brain looks like little worms. Just thinking about it turns my stomach into knots.
ReplyDeleteI don’t feel like I have eaten my share of strange foods, but as I read the topic there was one experience that came to mind. It was a normal day while on vacation in our ranch in Mexico when I found out that we would be making menudo, which is a traditional Mexican soup, for dinner. Menudo is made with beef stomach in broth with red chili peppers, chopped onions, and chopped cilantro. Lime and crushed oregano are also added to compliment the dish. Although I had eaten menudo before, I quickly realized that we wouldn’t be buying the ingredients this time. Instead, we would accomplish this by sacrificing a calf to supply us with what was needed for the flavorful soup. As curious as I was, I wanted to be there when the event took place. We first shot the calf so we could begin extracting the organs that we would need. After they were removed we thoroughly cleaned them and dipped them in water. We then began skin the animal to gain access to the meat and completed the rest of the necessary steps to finalize the butchering. Menudo would not be a strange dish to the majority, but I found this particular dinner to come across as strange because I witnessed and participated in the process of collecting the ingredients from the calf. Before that day, I never gave it much thought as to how this meal arrived at my plate, but after engaging in the process and seeing it first hand, it definitely was a different experience when I received a plate of the very fresh menudo made from the calf I saw alive the day before.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I would never eat an insect regardless of what insect it is. If it is not a part of beef, pork, chicken, or turkey that is regularly eaten, then it doesn’t belong in my belly. My worst nightmare is falling asleep and having a bug crawl into my mouth. I could never imagine myself on a fear factor cast because they usually include a round where the cast members lie in an unpleasant bath of foreign insects. When I think of a culinary oddity, I picture soup made out of bug juices and bull urine. Maybe I have a sensitive stomach but even explaining this horror meal has me near barfing. How could you expose your taste buds to such a tragedy? Also I am allergic to many different foods and I wouldn’t want to put my life at risk for eating anything that I am not supposed to eat, especially it isn’t enjoyable. Some food that I would eat that is considered an oddity or gross meal is snake and alligator. I hear that snake meat makes a wonderful meal and gator has an interesting flavor. I actually tried roasted duck before and enjoyed it. The best way to describe roasted duck is a tougher yet chewier texture than chicken. Its flavor was unique. The craziest part of purchasing a roasted duck was watching the preparation. Raw duck is held on a rotating rack by its neck. When it’s time to cook the duck, the chef asks if you want your duck with or without the head. If you say without then the chef chops off the neck right in front of your face. Crazy meal, but delicious!
ReplyDeleteI’m not a big fan of trying new foods. I tend to eat the same foods all the time. However, when I do travel out of the country I don’t have much of an option in what I can eat. When I go to Mexico I typically go to the countryside away from the city. This past summer I went to Mexico and I can say it was memorable because I tried a new food I had never eaten before. One of the strangest things I ate was cow tongue. I would have never thought of try cow tongue in my life. During my vacation I remember one evening all my family was gathered for dinner at the ranch and we were told to have a seat at the table so dinner could be served. As I sat down I asked what are we having for dinner and they told us tacos de lengua (cow tongue tacos) and at first I was confused because I didn’t know cow tongue was edible. So they started serving everyone and they were bringing what looked like regular tacos, but with a closer look you could tell they weren’t regular tacos. After taking the first bite of the taco I was in love with tacos de lengua (cow tongue tacos). They were garnished with cilantro, chopped onions, and green tomatillo sauce. I managed to get 4 tacos and top it off with a classic coca cola bottled in glass. Now every time I go to a Mexican restaurant I usually tend to order tacos de lengua. Some people do think tacos de lengua aren’t really appetizing, but they don’t know what their missing out on.
ReplyDeleteHello Raul, I too have tried cow tongue. I have actually have had it quite a few times in my life. I grew up in a Mexican household and my mother made many traditional Mexican dishes. She always told me that in Mexico cow tongue was a common and celebrated dish. There are many different ways cow tongue can be prepared. A common way that cow tongue is eaten is in tacos. For the most part, cow tongue wasn't as bad as it sounds in my opinion.
DeleteHey Aaron, that's good to know. I'm going to have to look up what other ways it can be prepared and try it out.
DeleteI'm not one of those people who are always curious and have the tendency to try new foods whenever they go out to a new place or country. The strangest thing I would have to say that I tried is a toss up between ants and cow tail. These things that I have tried didn't happen because I traveled to another place. It actually happened here in my hometown of Delano. I tried ants because my uncle said to not waste food and he made me eat the dinner that was attacked by ants. Trying ants, you really couldn't taste the difference in the food and ants don't really taste like anything. The only bad thing was that they would get stuck in my teeth. The cow tail was cooked by my grandmother and my family believes in eating whatever is on the table and not making the cook sad due to no one eating it. So I tried the cow tail and there was hardly meat. There was more bone and cartilage in the food than anything. In my experience, I doubt I will ever eat ants or cow tail ever again. It was all delicious but I believe that after those experiences, I am now disgusted out and won't do it again.
ReplyDeleteHello Larry, I too have tried some questionable parts of a cow but I have never tried the tail. I'm guessing that if your grandmother prepared the dish that it must have been tasty. I have also tried ants as well. I tired them as sort of a dare when I was a kid and I agree that they don't really taste like anything.
DeleteAbout two years ago I went on a trip to San Francisco with four of my friends and thought it would be fun to visit Chinatown. It first started when I went to a food store in Chinatown in San Francisco. I had never been around that area before but thought it would have some weird things to eat. I have always liked to eat things that are not normal for individuals to eat. Any way in this store I had found some boxes that had dead cricketers and some boxes that had larvae in it. I had never seen those boxes before so maybe I thought it would be something I wanted to try. Also these boxes had different flavors. I chose to get the crickets that had salt N’ vinegar and sour cream and onion which were really good. They had a crunchy feel to it. And now I’m starting to see them in local stores around Bakersfield. I got three boxes of larvae flavor which were Mexican Spice, Cheddar Cheese and BBQ. I enjoyed the Mexican spice the best because I do not like to eat so much cheese and bbq. I think the cheddar cheese was okay but it was too cheesy for me. And the BBQ was a bit too sweet. I think I also liked it because I like hotter foods. I think out of everything I have ever ate these two things were the weirdest things I have ate. A very enjoyable snack to eat.
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting. Did they look like dead bugs? Were they unrecognizable? I know when I was younger at a museum that I visited, they sold chocolate covered insects.
DeleteFor the most part I'm not the most adventurous type of eater, but if I had to choose the strangest thing that I have ever eaten it would be cow tripe. Tripe is a type of edible offal from the stomachs of various farm animals. I've encountered this strange time of meat in a bowl of menudo. I grew up in a Mexican household so menudo wasn't a strange dish to our family. Tripe is chopped up into small pieces and cooked and incorporated into the rest of the soup. The taste of the soup is quite tasty in my opinion, but others and myself find that the tripe takes some getting used to. Just the thought of cow stomach is enough to scare some away from even trying the soup all together. Tripe doesn't look appealing and has a texture that has a consistency of a cross between something chewy and something slimy in my opinion. Tripe has two different looks. On one side of cow tripe the flesh looks like a skin substance and on the other side of the piece of meat has a honeycombed-like pattern of the lining of the stomach. I think the part of tripe that takes the most to get used to has to be the texture. On another note, I have eaten a few ants when I was a little kid. My buddies told me that they really didn't taste like anything. After trying a few of them I could then agree that they really weren't that bad.
ReplyDeleteI think the hardest part of trying a new food is knowing what it is. Knowing that I'm eating the edible offal from the stomach of various animals would be enough for me. I don't think I could eat it.
DeleteHello Aaron,
DeleteMenudo is a very interesting smelling dish. I remember when my mother got this dish at a restaurant and it smell very different if I must say. She said that she really like it. But she wanted to take the leftovers home and that smelled up the house whole for a long while. I'm not really sure if I would be able to eat it because of the smell but nice post. Have a great day!
I totally agree with you Taylor about the hardest part of trying a new food is knowing what it is. I have eaten dishes when I was younger that I liked, but when I was told what it was I stopped eating it. Mind over matter!
DeleteYes Audria, Menudo does have a distinct smell to it. I could identify that smell anywhere. Like I said, the rest of the soup is tasty in my opinion but just cant get over the tripe.
I am not that cultured of an eater, so I good "weird foods" for an idea of what I would not eat. One of the first things that popped up was a cow brain sandwich. I instantly knew that I could never bring myself to order that, or even order that. I am a Human Biology major and in our anatomy course we study cow brains. We held them in our hands all dried up. We were taught every region of the cow brain. I could never bring myself to eat one. Seeing a picture of one (that was not so dried up) on some type of gourmet bread disgusted me. I thought to myself, how could anyone like something like that. If I was on a desert with no food, I would die from starvation before I ate a cow brain sandwich. Maybe that sounds a little dramatic, but I could not do it. Interestingly enough, you can tell that it is a cow brain on a bun, its not dressed up. It looks like it was just sliced then grilled. If it had a disguise, it probably would't look so gross. I believe that the sight alone would prevent me from trying it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you 100% about the cow brain sandwich. I took human anatomy and I think we used a sheep brain, maybe a cow brain, but I would not be able to eat that on a couple of pieces of bread. I do not think it would matter if it was dressed or disguised.
DeleteThat's funny Taylor cause though I have never had a cow brain sandwich, I have had a cow brain taco. I only could stomach one of the tacos not because it tasted bad, because I couldn't get over the fact that I was eating brain. It's funny how the mind can work when it comes to eating different kinds of food.
DeleteI have not had a chance to try anything strange because I have not traveled anywhere that cooks anything that we would not normally have here. The weirdest thing I have ever eaten would probably be chocolate covered ants. I was really surprised that I actually really liked chocolate covered ants because I am not a very adventurous eater. When I went to France I had a chance to try escargot, but I declined and ordered something else. If I had the chance now I might try it, but I was fifteen and the thought absolutely disgusted me. Something I will never try would be cow tongue. I have heard a lot of people say that they have tried it and the texture is overwhelming. I am really big on texture and I cannot handle anything too chewy. I also do not think I would be able to eat menudo. My step dad use to eat it all the time and the smell was nauseating. I could not be in the same room as him when he was eating it because it is so strong. The texture would also be a problem for me because I have heard that it is really soft. I just think the combination of the smell and the soft texture would be too much for me to not throw up. I would like to be an adventurous eater, but unfortunately I do not think that will ever happen because I am too picky.
ReplyDeleteHello Kirsten Adams, many of my friends have tried chocolate cover ants, but I cant get myself to try it. I know the ants are dead, but just the thought of having ants in my mouth makes me cringe.
DeleteHi Kristen,
DeleteI have never had chocolate covered ants but i have had chocolate covered crickets and I think they would roughly taste the same. I do not think I could ever eat tongue either it just looks and smells so gross.
I don't think I have ever eaten any insects before, but if they are chocolate covered I definitely give them a try. I grew up eating menudo, and the stomach is soft and chewy. It is a good dish though!
DeleteWhen I look back at my life and I see if I ate anything extremely different and strange, I can honestly say I have never had that privilege. I would have to say the closest thing that I ate that was extremely strange was sushi for the first time. When I was younger I thought fish was so disgusting and that I would never like the taste of it. But after having sushi for a while I have grew to love it. One thing that I would not eat would have to be a certain Korean dish. This certain Korean dish is a half cooked chicken in an egg shell. I know many Korean's that say they love it and I know some that say that they hate it. For me, I just can not get past the look of the chicken. It looks deadly alive. Maybe one day I will be able to get past that and try it. But in the mean time I will stick with my tasty sushi!
ReplyDeleteHi Audria,
DeleteI love sushi and when I first tried it I thought that it was really strange too! But in the end it turned out that I actually really liked it. I hope that one day you get to try something extremely strange.
Dominique Maez
ReplyDeleteThe strangest thing I have ever eaten is chocolate covered crickets from Hot Lix at Pismo Beach. I was camping with some friends when we decided we wanted to walk down to the pier. As we were walking down the pier there was a new store called Hot Lix and we decided to go inside. At first we thought it was a normal candy store but at a second glance we saw that they had lollipops with scorpions and bumble bees inside of them. They also had a window you could look through from outside of the store and they had chocolate covered mealworms and crickets. As my friends and I were staring that these chocolate covered bugs a young couple walked by and asked if we had ever tried any of them. We all replied no and the couple went on to tell us that they don’t taste too bad and talked about how they have traveled all of the world and the different bugs they tried in these different countries. When they were done talking about their experiences they asked if they bought us some chocolate bugs if we would eat them we didn’t want to be rude so we said yes. The couple bought us our bugs and we all stuck them in our mouths at the same time. I truly didn’t think they were all that bad once you got past the legs it made me think of a Kit Kat bar. Though it wasn’t too bad I would rather stick to a Kit Kat bar bought from the store.
I think its awesome that you were able to try that. Not too long ago I hade a huge cricket get in the house. I was so scared. they aren't super intimidating to me but the idea of them jumping at me creeps me out. I'd gladly join you to eat one. It is definitely on my bucket list.
DeleteThe weirdest food I have ever tried was barbequed eel. It was smooth like chicken, if that makes sense.To be completely honest, I had no idea that is was eel until anyone told me. I can't recall exactly what place I was at, but it was my birthday My family and I always try to venture out and try new and exotic foods. Although I am pretty open minded, I do have a fear of trying cow tongue. I'm sure it isn't disgusting, but I can't get past the thought of saliva and teeth. When it comes to anything that has to due with the mouth, I am hesitant. Besides never wanting to try cow tongue, I do really want to try a chocolate covered bug. It oddly intrigues me. I am looking forward to it.
ReplyDeleteHello Brandi, I'm not going to lie, barbequed eel doesn't sound too appetizing to say the least. Again I cant say that it wouldn't taste good either cause I haven't tried it. On the other hand I have eaten cow tongue a few times and it wasn't that bad at all. You just have to get over the cow tongue part.
DeleteHey Aaron, what did you eat it with? I know it's part of a Mexican dish, just not sure what. I would probably eat it after its cooked of course. Mexican food is hands down my favorite so I need to man up like you said and just eat it.
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