Funky Food
To say I like to try new kinds of food is an understatement. You never know if something tastes good if you don't try it. Most of the food I've eaten on this page I've really enjoyed (some of it has been really gross). When people find out that you've consumed something that is unique to their culture, they want to hear about it - and I love to tell about it!
*I've eaten a lot of meat raw - BEEF, FISH, FISH EGGS (gross!), OCTOPUS (yummy), and even HORSE. I've had horse meat cooked, and it's da bomb! I've also eaten DONKEY (twice) and SQUID (numerous times), but it was cooked. Yum, yum! Keep in mind that the raw meats I've had were specially prepared in foreign countries. I would probably never eat raw beef or horse in the United States. A couple times in Korea I had a soup that consisted of CATTLE BLOOD, and it's really delicious.
*Ever eaten at Smokey Bones restaurant? You can order BUFFALO burgers there. Way too dry.
*Do you ever find CICADAS rather obnoxious with all the noise they make? Why not eat them? That's what I did with my former roommate Brandon. Fry them up and put them on a stick. Although I wouldn't order them again, they weren't too bad. The head definitely tastes different from their other end.
*DEER, SQUIRRELS, and WILD BOAR may not seem very different in Indiana, but in the eyes of many, they aren't typical dishes. I like deer and boar, but the squirrel was kind of tough.
*Most people consider the DOG to be man's best friend. I think otherwise. I've eaten three different kinds of dog dishes, and I think a dog is a good meal. Bow wow. I've actually seen the heads and legs of dogs being sold at Korean markets. Be sure to finish your dog or you'll have to bring home a doggie bag.
*Did you know that the BILL & FEET of a DUCK are edible? When I say I've had duck before, I've had duck before! I have also eaten the BRAIN of a duck. Although I didn't care for that, duck meat is delicious. I'll pass on the other parts in the future. You might find it interesting that when I ate the bill, I picked up the entire HEAD w/ my chopsticks.
*The first time I ordered ESCARGOT I was in Florida with my buddies during spring break. I had them a second time on a road trip to Toronto at a Vietnamese restaurant in Chinatown. I couldn't get the nerve to order cow testicles so I opted for the snails.
*I did eat GOAT TESTICLES and PENIS as well as SHEEP TESTICLES here in China. The reproductive organs of the goat weren't very good. It had some fat on it, and it tasted like the insides of an animal. The sheep testicles didn't taste too bad. I would actually eat them again. Scary, I know.
*I've eaten some pretty stinky foods like FERMENTED TOFU and EGGS. Think of your padre after he just used the restroom. Can we say odoriferous? The stuff actually tastes pretty good, and I eat it regularly.
*Many people find this difficult to believe, but I've eaten an entire FISH before. The ENTIRE fish - fins, guts, bones, and all. The fish was about as long as two of your fingers and very tasty. The bones are very thin and aren't sharp. The best part was the hundreds of eggs that were inside the fish I ate. I've also eaten the SPINAL CORD and CARTILAGE of animals.
*I ordered FROG LEGS once, and if they weren't so expensive, I would order them more often. Frog legs are fun to play w/ at the dinner table!
*Not only have I had chicken nuggets, but I've also eaten GATOR NUGGETS (as in ALLI). Go to Florida for this treat. I had a CROCODILE dish in Thailand that was really good. The meat is a little chewy, but yummy.
*When I visited Megan in China during the SARS summer of 2003, we had the opportunity to try some GOOSE. I was thinking it was going to be da' diggity bomb, but it was really fatty. Since I didn't care for the large piece that I put on my plate, I decided to put it on Megan's plate. She was very grateful for that. :)
*During my last year teaching at Frankfort Middle School, I received the opportunity to try a Mexican GRASSHOPPER from a student. Tastes like a burnt leaf. Stay away! I've also eaten grasshoppers here in Tianjin. The ones I ate here had decent flavoring, but I'm not a big fan of them.
*When I visited Megan in China the first time, she took me to a restaurant where I ordered JELLYFISH. It was alright. I left a lot of it on my plate. Fortunately it wasn't the only thing we ordered so I didn't go hungry.
*A few times I've eaten MEALWORMS when a Purdue entomologist came to speak to my FMS students. The worms are fried and flavored w/ butter. They taste ok, but one year the mealworms were larger than normal and undercooked. I was a little grossed out when I bit into them and felt how mushy they were.
*Recently I ate some SCORPIONS in Beijing. I've wanted to try them for some time, but I have to admit that I wasn't too thrilled when I found out how fresh they were - they were alive on the stick just before they got fried. Like the seahorses, there wasn't much taste to them.
*When I moved to China I ate SEA CUCUMBER for the first time. I've eaten it more than once, but it's not mi favorito. There are a lot of other things I would rather eat as opposed to a slimy sea slug. Another sea animal I ate soon after my move to China was a SEAHORSE - the entire thing. The head, body, and tail taste all the same. It was crunchy w/ lots of spicy flavoring that didn't give it enough zip. Pretty bland. Megan was a trooper and took a nibble off his tail.
*As a graduation present for my brother (hs) and me (college), my father took us to the Bahamas. I ordered SHARK curry at a really cool restaurant on the beach (I've eaten SHARK in Thailand as well). As I ate my meal, restaurant employees would throw out chum to the dozens of sharks swimming in the water. I also ordered CONCH fritters during my vacation. By the way, I prefer LAMB in my curry. BBBAAAAAA!
*I've eaten the insides of many animals including chickens, cows, and pigs. Some of the organs I've consumed include BRAINS, GIZZARDS, HEARTS, INTESTINES, KIDNEYS, LIVER, STOMACH, and even SKIN. I'm not talking about pork rinds either. The skin is like gelatin.
*I bit into a SILKWORM (which was still in its cocoon) the first time I visited Megan in China. You can buy them alive at some markets. One of her friends bargained for the silkworm for me, and needless to say, it was even gross to hold.
*Afraid of SNAKES and EELS? Why not eat them? I've eaten these critters a few times. Sometimes good. Sometimes ok. Depends on how it's prepared. I had a small crowd of ladies in disbelief in Beijing watching me eat a snake that was coiled around my stick. It was funny. That one tasted like rubber. The first time I had snake it came out of a can. Yummy.
*Last year I ate turtle for the first time. My friends and I selected some turtles to eat, and they were very fatty. We also drank the liver and blood of the turtles. I got a little stomachache as a result of it.
*During the summer of 2002 I went to Kyrgyzstan, and I put some interesting items in my stomach. Some of the unusual delicacies I consumed on my trip include MOUNTAIN GOAT, HORSE INTESTINES, FERMENTED MARE'S MILK, QUAIL EGGS, and a ROCK. Do you smell what I'm cookin'?!
*Ordering pondegi (silkworms) and poshintang (dog soup) is very easy to do in Korea, but I didn't get all gung-ho about eating those things. In addition to consuming the blood soup, I've eaten dove eggs a few times in Korea. Pretty boring, I know. Tastes like chicken. I often ate squid (in the form of chips, at street stands, fried at home, or in various dishes at restaurants). You can eat live octupus (sannakchi) there. Apparently you take the little critters and rub their head on a wooden plank before swallowing them whole. People have actually choked since the suction cups still work. I think I'll pass.
*Probably the only thing I won't try is something that is alive (I think). That pretty much eliminates me from Fear Factor. I have applied for Survivor before. Maybe I'll change though! Some of the future dishes I want to try include RAT, CAT, GUINEA PIG, RABBIT, OSTRICH, and STARFISH. I kid you not. I suggest keeping your furry friend away from me. :)
