Nothing to say

Chocolate and Zucchini is a terrific blog.  Today, through them, I found a post about The Omnivore’s Hundred, a list of 100 foods that every omnivore should try at least once.  A few of the items on the list really provoke strong feelings for me, so I just have to play along.  There will, of course, be comments.

1. Venison - Too dry. I want to try it smoked.
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros - One of my favorite breakfasts.
4. Steak tartare - I like raw beef, but cold beef doesn’t appeal. I’d try it, though.
5. Crocodile - I’d try it, but why?
6. Black pudding - @Argentinian restaurant in Costa Rica. No me gusta.
7. Cheese fondue - Never again.
8. Carp - Genetically identical to Koi, only less flashy.
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush - Delicious!
11. Calamari - I recommend Octopus instead.
12. Pho - Looks good.
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi - I’m sure I’ve had this.
15. Hot dog from a street cart -
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle - White truffle oil, but not this yet. Looking forward to it.
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes - Yum.
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream - Recently had a saffron and pistachio ice cream from an Indian market.
21. Heirloom tomatoes - These things make regular tomatoes suck.
22. Fresh wild berries - My uncle used to have a mulberry tree. Lightning split it one year, and it never fruited again.
23. Foie gras - I just can’t get around the production methods. No.
24. Rice and beans - This is a household staple. Perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper - Does it taste good, or is it a frat hazing ritual?
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters - Mussels are better.
29. Baklava - I could eat this EVERY DAY (but haven’t found a good local source yet)
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas - Love these!
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl - I’ve had french onion in sourdough. Don’t care for clams.
33. Salted lassi - God, this was awful. Mango Lassi, ok. Hold the salt.
34. Sauerkraut - Brat with Saurkrout and a Coors. In Coors Stadium, of course.
35. Root beer float - Awesomeness. Breyer’s Natural Vanilla ice cream and Virgil’s (or other boutique) root beer.
36. Cognac with a fat cigar - Cognac, ok. I’ll pass on the cigar.
37. Clotted cream tea - I’ll have to see if Dushanbe has clotted cream.
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O - I was in college once.
39. Gumbo - Awesome.
40. Oxtail - I think I’ve had this, but not sure. Brazilian restaurant in North Miami Beach.
41. Curried goat - I may have had this at Tap Tap in Miami Beach, but I don’t think so.
42. Whole insects - I get enough insects from the other things I eat. Would try it, but don’t see the appeal.
43. Phaal - It’s obvious that Andrew really likes insanely hot foods.
44. Goat’s milk - If goat’s milk cheese counts.
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more - Johnny Walker Blue Label is scotch whiskey, not single malt. I’ll get around to this, though.
46. Fugu - If the opportunity arises
47. Chicken tikka masala - I could eat this every week.
48. Eel - Pretty good!
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut - Good warm. Bad cold. Disgusting mouthfeel.
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone - Not a big fan of shellfish in general, but I’d try it.
54. Paneer - It’s a spinach dip with cheese lumps with the consistency of tofu. Who cares?
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal - I had poorer taste in my youth. Never again!
56. Spaetzle - It’s good, but not as good as the wienerschnitzel it came with.
57. Dirty gin martini - I need to try it with more olive brine.
58. Beer above 8% ABV - Avery Brewing Company’s Mephistopheles is my favorite beer of all time. 15% ABV.
59. Poutine - wtf?!?
60. Carob chips - It’s a chocolate replacement. The only reason to eat carob is if you’re allergic to chocolate.
61. S’mores - So hard to make just right, but SO WORTH IT
62. Sweetbreads - Ew.
63. Kaolin - I need a contextual reference. It’s a toothpaste additive, and used to be the active ingredient in Kaopectate. Wtf?
64. Currywurst - This guy sure loves Indian food, huh?
65. Durian - I haven’t, but want to.
66. Frogs’ legs - Yeah, but I wouldn’t do it again.
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake - YES! ALL OF THEM!
68. Haggis - Umm.
69. Fried plantain - Patacones! Kia makes these sometimes. SO GOOD
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette - Uh.
71. Gazpacho - Yeah. Wasn’t impressed.
72. Caviar and blini - the Beluga are having enough trouble as it is.
73. Louche absinthe - This is on my list of things to try soon. Lucid Absinthe is $60 a bottle, but I want to find beet sugar cubes so Kia can participate as well.
74. Gjetost, or brunost - Mmm, cheese
75. Roadkill - I want an explanation for why this is on the list. WTF.
76. Baijiu - Yay, more alcohol to try!
77. Hostess Fruit Pie - I was a child once. Never again! If you’re going to inflict this upon your digestive system, though, also try one of their pudding pies.
78. Snail - Escargot rules.
79. Lapsang souchong - I’m sure Dushanbe has this. I’ll try it next time.
80. Bellini - So, like, a peach mimosa? Yay, more alcohol!
81. Tom yum - The first photo I saw involved a prawn head sticking out. No thanks.
82. Eggs Benedict - I prefer my eggs cooked, thanks. No, I mean all the way.
83. Pocky - Yum!
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant. -
85. Kobe beef - Kobe Beef Sliders at Social.Miami on Miami Beach. The restaurant sucked. I’ll have to try Kobe somewhere better.
86. Hare - Rabbit and Dumplings, yes. Hare, no.
87. Goulash - I had this as a kid, but it was elbow macaroni with a red beef sauce. The midwest is funny like that.
88. Flowers - Fried pumpkin blossoms are exceptional. I’ve had a few other things, too.
89. Horse - Poor things. :)
90. Criollo chocolate - This is another maybe. I’ve had really good chocolate, raw chocolate, and raw cocoa. Dunno if they were Criollo.
91. Spam - Ugh, yes.
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish - Catfish is great.
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox - I wasn’t impressed with lox.
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta - Polenta is awesome in all forms.
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee - I will try this and authentic Kona coffee one day.
100. Snake

Now I have to admit having some issues with this list.  I don’t really agree that everyone should try all of these things.  While I’m voicing my opinion on the matter, I have a few things I’d like to add.  Now, I haven’t put a lot of thought into this, but off the top of my head, here are a couple.

1. Jackfruit - Tastes like Juicyfruit Gum.
2. Buffalo, Elk, and Ostrich - Leaner and tastier than beef.
3. Roasted Cauliflower - It blew my mind to learn that cauliflower actually has flavor … and that it’s DELICIOUS
4. Real, Baked Macaroni and Cheese - NOT Kraft. NOT Boxed. NOT powdered. Real, honest-to-god cheese melted over real honest-to-god macaroni.
5. Roasted Garlic - It’s amazing.
6. Blue icy pops - Just the blue ones. They make your tongue feel weird. :)