So this has been going round the blogosphere lately and I figured I’d play along. Mostly to see exactly where I fall among a list of 100 food items not picked by me. The verdict? I do believe I am pretty low-rent all told. Items like Fugu, Michelin 3 star tasting menus and foie gras just don’t have a role in my everyday life (or even my not so everyday life). I have traveled quite a bit and been exposed to a lot of different cuisines (rarely passing up the opportunity to try something new). But overall a budget and in some cases my own food politics have limited my participation in the list below.
Going through this list caused me to get a bit more introspective on my own food history and philosphy. I love food and cooking, it is one of my biggest passions. But at base I realize I am more interested in food in its place rather then trying every newfangled product flown in from Timbuktu. A good example is Durian. I have read about it for years and wanted to try it. And here in the Pacific Northwest it isn’t very hard to find, usually prominently displayed at any number of Asian groceries, but I had never tried it until my trip to Cambodia this past Christmas where I went on a tasting spree of tropical fruits. And I am pretty convinced that my memory of walking through the open air market and picking out the perfect Durian, Mangosteen and passionfruit in Cambodia created a much better food memory and appreciation than if I had bought a 3 month old durian from a market here in Seattle. Food is so much about a sense of place and experience – to take everythign out of its ecological, social and contextual elements in some ways cheats the experience. Now to create my own list…
The rules:
1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.
MY OMNIVORE’S 100 (51 out of 100):
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea ( I really should try this, we have no shortage of nettles round here)
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
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 (I’d have a hard time paying for it, but if’n I found it in the woods…gobble)
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras (I am torn on this, I have no doubt it is absolutely delicious. But at the same time the method of production and the elitist reputation and price turns me completely off.)
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
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 with a fat cigar
37. Clotted Cream Tea (hmm, now I am curious…)
38. Vodka Jelly/Jell-O (I honestly can’t remember the experience :), but am sure at some point I have chewed jello shots)
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects (well, not intentionally prepared anyways. I am sure I have consumed stowaways)
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk (Goats cheese, goat yoghurt, bring it on – I love it)
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth $120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut (not dying to do this again, I don’t get the big fuss)
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal (see item 49)
56. Spaetzle (plans to make this in the coming winter)
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. kaolin (intentionally…really? I’ll admit I have probably consumed some in one of my once a decade self administerd spa days. Licking my lips with a facial mask applied. But really, am I totally missing something?)
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
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 (in an underground bar in Prague, now there is a memory – stone walls and green liquor)
74. Gjetost or brunost (Ick, I have tried and tried and I really don’t like this stuff)
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang Souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom Yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. 3 Michelin Star Tasting Menu
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare (I’m guessing rabbit doesn’t count, too pedestrian?)
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse (Horse and noodles in KZ, greasy – who knew Horses had so much fat?)
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake
19 responses so far ↓
1 annie // Aug 23, 2008 at 5:59 am
If you have ever taken Kaopectate (sp?) you have eaten kaolin. I think it may actually also be that white, powdery looking stuff on some chewing gum.
2 maya // Aug 23, 2008 at 8:01 am
Thanks Annie, now that makes sense. I guess I should go back and amend my list. Although when a person starts considering Kaopectate/Kaolin as a food group – they should probably hightail it to the doc! I always thought it was cornstarch on gum…no doubt it has vital minerals we need. Reminds me of the character Rebecca in 100 Years of Solitude.
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