(just a reminder, write
your entry and then come back and respond to others)
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?
Alternatively, if you are not that kind of eater or have not tried such culinary oddities, what is one food you would never eat?
The strangest thing I’ve ever eaten was a chocolate covered mealworm. My sister and I took a trip over to Pismo Beach, and there was a candy store that had many of the brand “Hotlix” oddities: suckers with crickets inside, candy brittle with ants, chocolate covered mealworms. This brand of candy can found in stores all over the place now. Since the mealworms were dried, there really wasn’t much flavor to it. Instead, it simply tasted and had the crunch of a chocolate covered wafer. This was slightly disappointing, but at least I can still say that I’ve eaten a mealworm. On a side note, I was once dared to swallow a nightcrawler worm (fish bait) as part of a bet. I won the bet.
ReplyDeleteI would love to try alligator and frog legs. I think escargot would be quite an interesting treat as well. I would also like to have a taste of scrambled eggs and cow brains, as this is something that my mother ate for breakfast as a kid.
One thing I will refuse to try is a deep fried stick of butter, which can be found at some county fairs. I consider myself to be a major “butter lover,” but I’m really not all that interested in having a myocardial infarction right in the middle of a county fair.
Taylor, it is surprising that more people don't keel over right in the middle of the fairs.
DeleteAnd by the way, a nightcrawler? I feel bad even making fish eat those things...how much was the bet?
Oh my goodness I cant believe you ate a mealworm. I'm willing to try lots of things but I draw the line at bugs. I've had alligator but didn't like it very much. I don't think I could ever eat frogs, I love frogs and find them so cute. They are so little and I would play with them as a kid all the time. I swear I was the only girl who would play with frogs. I couldn't eat the scrambled eggs and brain but that's only because I hate eggs. I totally agree with the stick of butter, just the thought of it makes me sick.
DeleteDr. Schmoll, The bet was for $20 from my brother and $20 from my sister. That was a year ago, and I have yet to be paid!
DeleteHi Katherine, I love frogs as well! I played with them as a kid. But I also love livestock, and I have no problem eating them. How did the alligator taste?
Hi Taylor!
DeleteI tried maggots from the same store in Pismo you are talking about! I think I will stick to their regular candy and chocolate options. I am also interested in trying escargot, but I am not sure about the alligator and frog legs. You sound like quite the adventurer when it comes to food! I wish I could be like that.
Also, I can't believe there is such a thing as a fried stick of butter! It sounds like they should rename it to "fried heart attack". I will certainly never try that either.
Hi Carly, I have yet to try maggots! I think that’s pretty brave of you. The fried stick of butter is only at certain county fairs. I know a fair in Iowa had it. It’s butter that is deep fried in cinnamon sugar batter and drizzled with a sweet glaze. The only bad part is the butter!
DeleteOh my gosh, I go by that store all the time! The one on Price Street? I've never actually seen anyone buy something there but I've always wondered what they tasted like. Now that you've compared them to a chocolate covered wafer though, they don't sound horrible. But I do hope you get to try the alligator sometime, I was pleasantly surprised!
DeleteThe strangest thing I have ever tasted was alligator. On a cruise I went on this past summer one of the appetizer options was alligator and my boyfriend pretty much forced me to try it. I was so mad and expected to just spit it out but I was even more upset when I realized how much I loved it. I thought it was going to have a really tough texture but it was soft and chewy with somewhat of a sweet flavor. I'm not sure exactly how or what it was cooked with, but it reminded me of stuffing you eat on Thanksgiving. We ended up ordering more.
ReplyDeleteThe following night, the appetizer menu had escargot (snail). Since I was pleasantly surprised by the alligator I decided to be brave and go for the snail, but this time I definitely regretted my decision. As I expected the alligator to be, the snail was tough and hard to chew. The flavor wasn't horrible, it almost tasted like pizza, but the texture was what really threw me off. I chewed it for a while but the consistency didn't change and it was almost like beef jerkey. I ended up spitting the snail out but I'm still glad I tried both of them, it was an interesting experience.
One type of food I know I will 100% stay away from is any type of animal brain or eyeballs. Who knows, they may taste great but I just wouldn't be able to get the image of a brain or eyeballs out of my mind as I chewed them.
Maegan...give the escargot another try. I think they overcooked it.
DeleteI love the fact that you say your boyfriend made you try the alligator.
Hey Maegan,
DeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog and story about your tasting experiences on the cruise. I have never tried alligator, but I will take your word anytime I ever come across it on a menu.
In my blog, I mentioned being disappointed with chicken liver because of the chewy texture. Reading your description of what it was like with snail, reminded me of my experience. I have personally never tried escargot, but I have heard from relatives that it is delicious. How was it served to you?
After reading Professor Schmoll's advice about giving it another try, I hope my first experience with snail will be a good one.
Dr. Schmoll, someone else had also mentioned to me that overcooking could have been the issue. That could be it, but I will definitely still be hesitant next time I try them.
DeletePatrica, I've never had chicken liver but it sounds like they were similar. I'm also not a huge fan of clam chowder because the chewiness of the clams, so maybe it's just a personal preference I'm sensitive to. It was marinated in a lot of butter and some other oils and seasonings. They were served on a small plate that had small bowl-like dents in it. I thought it was kind of funny because it reminded me of a painters pallet with a snail in each little dent.
The strangest thing I ever ate was cow tongue, which is also known as lengua. My family went to my grandmothers for a family party. My dad's family is Hispanic and they will eat any variety of foods. For example, they eat grilled cactus (nopales) or Mexican soup known as menudo (cow stomach). That night, my family was trying different food dishes. We all brought something that was unique or different from what we eat every day. The cow tongue dish was then passed to me. I didn't even ask what it was and just put a piece in my mouth. My dad gave me that surprised look like, "What! You actually ate that?" While still chewing it in my mouth; it started to become rubbery, hard to chew, and the taste was unbelievably disgusting. I asked my dad what it was. He said it in Spanish (lengua), because I don't understand Spanish. He knew I would freak out, well I did. My little brother told me, "Eww, Brittany ate a cow's tongue." I immediately spit it out and drank as much water as I could to get the taste of my taste buds. I will never look at a cow the same.
ReplyDeleteOne type of food I will stay away from is any kind of seafood. I do not like the smell of fish, crab, or lobster. I know many people who love it, but I do not dare to try any of it :)
Hey Brittany, sorry to hear you didn't like lengua. I too come from a Hispanic background so I've had it many times. I actually don't mind it, but it isn't a food I would go out of my way to go and eat. I, however, do absolutely love menudo. This is often served in my family's gatherings and is usually eaten/served on Sundays. Hopefully you try seafood someday, it's not as bad as it smells sometimes haha.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteHi Brittany,
DeleteI, myself am not a fan of cow tounge or stomach. It's a bit ironic that I love tacos de cabeza, but I will avoid menudo or tacos de tripa anytime it is offered. You did a good job at describing what the experience was like because I imagine the scene occurring. It made me laugh.
Something similar happened to me while I was at a family gathering. I discussed it in my blog, but to summarize, I was pretty much lied to so that I would eat what my grandmother made us for dinner. The whole time I was told that I was eating pork, when I was really eating iguana.
I agree with Jesse. Seafood is actually so amazing! The smell isn't pleasant, but the food itself is so delicious. I love shrimp. It is one of my top favorite foods! I think you should give it a second chance. My boyfriend is not very fond of sea food either, but he will eat it if it's all they have at a restaurant.
Hi Brittany,
DeleteI also chose lengua as my strangest foods. My parents tricked me into eating it. Although you should give it another try. I always said I wouldn't try it again, but I did. Lengua is actually one of my favorite meats now. I think it has a lot to do with who cooks it and how. The meat should be hard and chewy it should be soft and juicy. Give it another try, I'm sure you'll like it. The only advice I have is do not think about it being a cow's tongue.
I love seafood! You need to get out of your comfort zone and try it. My father is from Sinaloa, Mexico so seafood is a must. I eat seafood every single week.
Hi Brittany, I actually really enjoy pickled cow tongue. You can get it at any basque restaurant. It is thinly sliced, so it just tastes like pickled roast beef. I’m assuming this is a different way to prepare it than the Latino way?
DeleteHi Brittany,
DeleteTacos de lengua are very common along Hispanics. I personally do not like tongue. I just think it's disgusting. I don't like the way it looks before its cook, the smell and I'm not a fan of the taste. Nopales, on the other hand I think are really good.
Carolina, is nopales the term for cactus? What does it taste like? I've never tried it.
DeleteThe strangest thing I've ever eaten would be the heart and liver of the turkey. I've had some other foods like alligator, rattle snake, dove, rabbit, goat, ostrich, kangaroo and cow tongue. My favorites of these is the dove, heart and liver of the turkey, rabbit and the cow tongue. I wasn't a huge fan of the alligator or kangaroo. The kangaroo tasted kinda fishy which I thought was strange and would have expected the alligator to taste like that. The alligator was very bland to me and just seemed like a waste. This may have been due to the way I was eating them and I would always try them again. I've always had the cow tongue at a basque restaurant. It was soaked in some kind of dressing and was eaten with salad, it was amazingly good.
ReplyDeleteThe one and only time I had turkey heart and liver was during thanksgiving. My sister and I were in the kitchen cooking and I had the gravy. I was making the broth by using the discarded parts of the turkey sauteed in onions and garlic and then stewed in water. My family being who they are have to dare someone to do something they wouldn't normally do. I am known as the picky eater in the family so she dared me to eat the liver and heart. I can't turn down a dare so of course I did it expecting it to be terrible but I loved it. My older sister ate the other half because she couldn't believe how much I liked it. We ran out to tell our grandfather and he was mad because that was his favorite part. He wasn't mad for long because he was happy we got to try it and very proud that I had the guts to do it.
Hey Katherine, that's an interesting list of strange foods you listed. I haven't heard of cow tongue soaked in dressing and served with salad, but sounds like something I'm willing to try. I would never try turkey heart or liver even if I was dared, but it sounds like it turned out okay for you and your sister. I found the part about your grandfather getting mad a little funny. Well glad to hear it wasn't as bad as I would think it to be, hope to hear more from you!
DeleteThere is a restaurant on the east side of town call woolgrowers or something like that. They're basque restaurant and that's where I eat it. I would deffinantly try it.
DeleteHi Katherine, Woolgrowers is an awesome restaurant to get pickled tongue! It’s one of my family’s favorite restaurants. To my family, the turkey liver isn’t so strange; it’s actually one of my mom’s favorite parts of Thanksgiving dinner. I’m really impressed by all of the things that you have tried. Is there something that you would like to try next?
DeleteI'm normally not that kind of eater, so I have not tried any culinary oddities that I can remember. A food that I would never eat would be frogs. Simply looking at live ones makes me feel disgusted, so I can't believe eating one would be any easier. I've from friends that it isn't that bad, but to this day, I still refuse to try it.
ReplyDeleteAnother food that is not as bizarre but I still refuse to try is deep fried Twinkies. Watching the sheer amount of oil that each of them absorbs when being fried is absolutely repulsive. I don't know how people at county fairs actually eat and enjoy these things without suffering any sort of health problems. I generally try to watch what I eat, so this is something I will gladly stay away from.
While I may not have tried any weird foods, I'm not opposed to trying them. I've always been curious as to what alligator and buffalo taste like and wouldn't mind trying that at some point in time. Buffalo burgers have been recommended to me dozens of times, so I may try one out soon. I heard some place in town sometimes sells them, guess I'll have to look for it. While this may not be that strange of a food, it is something different that I have yet to try, and will write about it once I do.
Hi Jesse,
DeleteI would not eat frogs also. They freak me out and I cannot imagine putting one in my mouth. I have friends also who dared me to try something odd, but I know my limitations when it comes to those kind of things.
I actually always wanted to try a deep fried Twinkie. I have heard they are amazing at the fair, but then I feel like it would clog up my arteries. Maybe try something you haven't tried before at the fair. It is always good to find something you don't normally eat :)
I enjoyed reading your post! Have a great rest of the week!
Hi Jesse,
DeleteYou are not alone on the frogs part. I hate frogs, I think they are the nastiest, slimiest, little creatures on this planet. I scream every time I see one. I can honestly say they terrify me. I have no idea how people try to eat a frog.
Fried Twinkies are actually not that bad. I will admit that the oil does gross me out, but I normally get a napkin and try to take as much oil off. I even tried fried pickles and loved them. You should try getting out of your comfort zone.
Well to be fair, I dislike eating regular Twinkies as well, but just looking at one getting fried grossed me out. I would honestly try a fried pickle since I do enjoy eating pickles ever so often. I'll probably go to the fair sometime soon, try getting out of my comfort zone, and eat something new.
DeleteFrom necessity comes innovation, or in the case food we find the strangest things to eat. I come from a long background of farmers in both agriculture and livestock. Such farmers live off the land, meaning importance was put on every fatten cow to the last bean picked from the vine, so little went to waste. Which means the variability of food items to hit the dinner table could come anywhere from the root-to-shoot or the hoof-to-nose. However, nothing of that seems strange to me. Not saying that the mountain oysters, the testicles of a bull, are something I'd have weekly. I think when one expands into other cultures we sample their necessities developed over time. As such, most strange food comes not from our own culture but others. What items, at one time, did they needed to survive? And, have those meals become a standard in their diet (such as in the case of our bull testicles). I remember way back in the day, tri-tip was an unheard of cut to be carried in the deli.Tri-tip was considered mostly wasted and only used by farmers and their workers. Today, tri-tip is tailgate party food or any night of the week meal. What I'm trying to convey is that each culture will have food to sample and for us it maybe strange but for others it is normal.
ReplyDeleteMany strange meals have come from my wife's culture and I've at least sampled them (many only once). Like eating mangos and spreading atop shrimp paste called Bagoong, or a dish of chocolate meat over rice (contains blood as gravy), and other dishes. I never put down her cultures food but, sometimes i suggest we have the means to buy something different.
Of course when traveling, we always try chef specials which include various new items for us. It's always an adventure. So be optimistic about your diet. You'll only be sick once.
Hi Clem! I agree with your point that foods that seem strange to us are things that are different or not from our culture. I am part Norwegian, and sadly the word for cake is kaka which reminded many of my friends a childish word for poop so even though the food was actually sweet it took a lot of convincing to get them to try it.
DeleteOne of the things from your post that sounds the most different, if I put it kindly, is the blood as gravy. I don't think I would be able to see the blood and still take a bit of it without gaging. However, I do like the way you said that you would "never put down" the food of another culture. To them it might be good even if it is not my cup of tea. Anyway, thanks for sharing a little bit about your food experiences! Hope you have a great week!
Thanks Janel. Norwegian cuisine seems fabulous. I believe traditional food serves a lot of fish and garden grown seasonal vegetables. Seems like a very healthy lifestyle. But, when I see a cake I'll chuckle a bit (quietly...ha ha) and then enjoy . Thanks so much for sharing your back ground and thoughts. Have a fabulous week as well.
DeleteYa a lot of Norwegian food is not allowed to be cooked in my house such as lutefisk which is basically a cooked fish that smells 10 times worse than it should eaten whole on top of a piece of bread for breakfast! We stick with the "kaka" deserts and breakfasts and Christmas dishes!
DeleteThe strangest thing I have ever eaten was Iguana. This occurred at my grandparent’s house in Mexico. At the time, I was unaware of what I was eating because my mother knew that I would refuse if I found out, she explained to me later. My uncles would go catch them and come back with them tied up. My relatives covered everything up by telling me that the iguanas were for a neighbor. I can’t say that it wasn’t delicious because I ended up eating more than one plate. After our trip, my grandma told me over the phone that I was a good girl for eating all of my food. I questioned my mother about it and she laughed. I felt betrayed. Now at any family gatherings, I am always the person asking what everything is.
ReplyDeleteAnother food that I will always avoid is liver. The first time I was introduced to liver was when my mother added some to her mole (Spanish dish). It was the chewy texture that made me feel disgusted. Although I did my research on it and the benefits it has for the human body, I don’t think I could ever give liver a second chance.
Patricia, don't you hate when parents trick us! I was usually fairly open when it comes to eating new foods as a child, but my sister when through a phase where she would only eat spaghetti! When she found out that my mom was grinding up vegetables into the sauce she didn't want to eat that either. I don't know what she would have done if she found out her meat was actually iguana! Thankfully it tasted good and you didn't know what you ate until it was too late to feel nauseous about eating it.
DeleteHope you are having a great day, and hopefully no more iguanas or liver bits appear in your food without you knowing it!
Hi Patricia,
DeleteThat’s sad that all your relatives lied to you about the iguanas. Like you said, even though liver is supposed to be healthy for us, it is one the foods that I also don’t like. My first time trying liver was when I was younger. I remember throwing the liver away, but it was an unsuccessful attempt because my brother told my mom what I had done. My mom without hesitation decided to serve me another plate and made me finish it in front of her. I enjoyed reading your post because it reminded me of my experience with liver and hope you have a great week.
Hi Patricia,
DeleteAfter reading your blog I can relate to you on the liver dish. I really disliked, almost hated, when my mom would make liver. My mom gave it to me when I was younger and after the first time that I tried it, I never ate it again. Did you ever get to smell the liver when your mom cooked it? If you didn't, you are lucky because it smells pretty bad.
I find it interesting that you said you looked into liver and all it's benefits because my mom would always give me a speech about how good liver was for me. Her speeches never changed my mind about liver just like you didn't change your mind after reading about it's benefits.
Hi Patricia!!
DeleteI hope you had a wonderful week! Happy 2nd week of school!
I am very surprised at the fact that you ate iguana. I don't know of any culture that eats it!! It's amazing and I do agree that it is an interesting story that you can tell all your friends!! I have to ask though, did it taste like beef or chicken!? Is that too gross!?
Hey Janel,
DeleteI am glad that you were able to relate to my post. But Yes! I am glad I am old enough now to actually pay attention and catch on to any suspicious activity going on in my plate. My sister is the exact same way. For some reason she will avoid anything that has to do with pork. I crack up when my mom makes pork ribs in green chile and my sister can eat it the whole night thinking it's chicken. The sauces and chiles are really good at covering up the truth.
I agree, I don't know how I would have reacted. I would have probably cried. I love animals so much, but gosh why do some of them have to taste so good.
Have a great weekend as well. Thank you!
Hey Yesica, it is very sad. I would have expected the truth, but I think it is very common for mexican families to come up with any excuse to get the kids to eat.
DeleteMy mom gave me a whole lecture about the protein and great vitamins that it gives our bodies. I had to do my research and sure enough, I found more positive facts rather than negative.
I think at the time I did notice an odd smell, but never thought anything of it.
That must have been a lot of pressure on you. If that were my mom, she would have sat there all night lol.
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment back. I hope you have a great weekend as well.
Hi Jazmin, I responded to some of your questions in the previous post to Yesica. I was looking at the wrong comment while I was responding (oops).
DeleteExactly. Nothing will change my mind about liver. I came across some liver recipes on a food network website, but everything really grossed me out more.
Hi Mike,
Deletemy week is going great so far. Hope yours is going just as great!
It was a very strange dish to eat.
It's a story that I don't think I could ever forget. I remember my anatomy teacher from high school was really into reptiles. She had an iguana and a snake in her class. I always felt so guilty when I would see the little guy in class.
I don't remember the exact taste of it, but I do remember is the meat was very tender and soft. Anyone could have mistaken it for pork. It was smothered in green chile. I think that is why I liked it so much because green sauce on any type of meat is my favorite.
Patricia, that is so funny that your sister is still falling for the tricks! I know that as someone who works with kids on a regular basis I have a few tricks up my sleeve to get the "pink fruit" into the boys mouths and the "yucky meat" into the girls! Hope you are having a great weekend, and I look forward to hearing from you next week!
DeleteBecause of numerous food allergies, I am unable to try many of the weird foods that my family tries, such as the deep fried Oreo my sister ate at the fair last year. However when I was younger my dad was able to convince me to try cow tongue. It was certainly a unique food with its slimy texture. I do not think that it helped that it was served pickled and cold with french fries and spaghetti. Although it probably did not taste as bad as I remember, I have never again eaten cow tongue. I have however used an uncooked cow tongue for multiple games and object lessons in kid's church and in high school.
ReplyDeleteBecause that food was not very exciting, I will also talk about the one food that I know I will never try which is snail. I cannot fathom why anyone would want to put something so slimy into their mouth. No matter how it is prepared and how fancy it is I can say with absolute certainty that it would be close to impossible to get me to try this food.
Hello Janel,
DeleteI have also tried cow tongue (I wrote that in my own post about my experience). Sounds interesting with cold pickles, french fries, and spagetti. How did that meal all end up together? Just curious.
I too, would not want or dare to try and eat snail. I have several friends who enjoy eating those kind of wierd oddly foods. However, I agree with you and would not put snail in my mouth, because they are so slimy and sticky.
I enjoyed reading your post and hope you enjoy the rest of the week! :)
ummm, Janel, an uncooked cow tongue for games and lessons? is this an Old Testament thing?
DeleteBrittany, I believe that it is called basque food. I don't understand why, but there are like 4 courses served family style and those were three of them. My grandparents and great grandparents like to go and eat there much to me and my sisters displeasure!
DeleteDr. Schmoll, the cow tongue actually made for a great game when I was in high school where you had to play over/under with it. As a children's pastor, however, I used it to teach the kids about the power of our words, we were actually going though Jesus life at the time of this lesson. They were all allowed to look at it and touch it if they wanted too! Even though that lesson was almost a year ago, they still remember how big the tongue was and the main point since it was such a memorable thing!
The strangest thing I have ever eaten is sour cream and onion flavored maggots. It truly was as disgusting as it sounds. They came in a tiny little box from a candy store called Hotlix at Pismo Beach. I was on vacation with my boyfriend, and I was trying to talk him into eating something crazy. Somehow, we both ended up trying these little flavored maggots. I believe he tried some spicy flavored ones. I would not suggest this little snack to anyone, but it does make for an interesting story. The Hotlix store has a lot of crazy bug “candies”. Not only do they have flavored maggots, but they have chocolate covered crickets as well. You can get them in milk, white, or dark chocolate! I have not tried the crickets, and I am not planning on trying them in the future. Although, they do also have a chocolate covered jalapeño I am interested in trying.
ReplyDeleteOn a side note, a fried grilled cheese sandwich from the fair sounds amazing. I am one of those people who love everything fried, especially the deep fried Oreos also found at the fair. For anyone who hasn’t tried them, they are a must at least one time in your life. I would also love to try escargot. I took French for three years in highschool so I was very interested in the French cuisine. We used to have food days, and I was able to try a lot of French food except for escargot. When I am able to visit Paris, I will make it my top priority.
Hello Carly,
DeleteI have been to Pismo beach before but never ran into this store. Even if I would have came across this store I don't think I would have tried the maggots. I am really squirmy specially when it comes to bugs. I probably would try the chocolate covered jalapeño as it seems like a safer option for me.
As mentioned in my blog, I tried escargot in fifth grade but wasn't a fan due to the texture. If texture doesn't bother you then I am sure you will love them. Have you ever tried fried ice cream? I've always wanted to try some. Unfortunately, I am on a diet right now as I am getting married in six months and am trying to drop some weight so fried ice cream will have to wait. :(
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteHi Carly!
DeleteI hope you've had a wonderful week!! Happy 2nd week of school!
I'm very curious as to how you and your boyfriend came to deciding to eat the maggots. I know that in Asian countries, maggots are considered a normal meal and are actually very healthy!! Just an FYI, I'm asian and I don't eat maggots! It's not my thing!! :)
Hi Jazmin!
DeleteYes, I have tried fried ice cream and I love it! I go to a Mexican restaurant called Señor Pepes a lot, and they have really good fried ice cream. Fortunately, fried ice cream will always be there when you are done dieting! Congratulations on getting married as well. :)
Hello Mike!
DeleteI'm pretty sure I was trying to get him to try the maggots, and he said he wouldn't try them unless I did. He's a very persuasive person. Luckily, I got his reaction on video, and he did not get mine.
Hi Carly, your story caught my eye because I love sour cream and onion anything, but maggots... I couldn't believe what I was reading... That is so interesting... It's amazing how there are so many odd things that we think are odd but might be a usual for others. What was the taste like, do you remember? I'm glad you mentioned deep fried Oreos, I'm looking forward to trying those sometime this week at the fair, I'll take your word on how good they are.
DeleteHi Carly,
DeleteI personally have seen that store. My boyfriend tried to get me to try some of those things as well. I have give you major kudos, because i'm not that brave. I would never be able to handle it. But like you said it definitely made for a interesting story.
Hi Carly,
DeleteI personally have seen that store. My boyfriend tried to get me to try some of those things as well. I have give you major kudos, because i'm not that brave. I would never be able to handle it. But like you said it definitely made for a interesting story.
Hello everyone!
ReplyDeleteThe strangest thing I have ever ate was cow tongue, stomach, and guts! Yes, I said guts! Growing up I would always eat more than the usual, food was my favorite thing in the world. I would always try anything anyone offered me no matter what it was. One day my mother was making tacos and served my entire family. Keep in mind that tacos are my favorite. I remember this day so clearly. My mother ask how many tacos I wanted and I remember replying three, she gave me three tacos with lettuce and salsa; therefore I could not see the meat. I ate one taco and I remember the meat feeling soft and overly gross. I asked my mom why the meat wasn't cooked thoroughly and my father replied saying it was cow tongue. I immediately spit the entire taco out. I then tried eating my next taco and the meat was so chewy and long, it did not look like carne asada. My dad then laughed and said it was co guts. I was so mad at my parents I began to cry. My parents were both laughing saying it was good, but they lied it was the most disgusting thing I have ever tried.
When my grandma is home from Mexico, she always makes our family menudo. Menudo is a type of food that contains parts of a cow’s stomach in soup. The weird thing about menudo is that I cannot stand seeing the meat uncooked while being cut. I instantly want to puke everything time I see it, touch it, or even smell it. It looks so disgusting and feels so slimy. Although, I can eat it. I actually love menudo, but only when my grandmother makes it at her house. I will not try menudo at any restaurants or anyone else's home.
The funny thing is I swore to myself and family that I would never try these foods ever again, but I lied. Once I got with my boyfriend he exposed me to these meats again and I actually love them now. I even tried his mom’s menudo, but I still won't try anyone else's. I think I was only disgusted as a child because I was being told what kind of meat it was and where it was from. I love going to the fair and trying new types of foods.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteHi Elizabeth,
DeleteI also suffered and went through the same situation as a child. My mom did the same thing about tricking me into eating cow guts. As a child, I could not handle the taste of eating guts, and I still don’t.
Your family reminds me so much of my family, my dad would occasionally laugh at me too for not eating certain meats. Now that I am older I enjoy every type of meat except guts. I really enjoyed reading your post because it reminded me so much of my childhood.
Hi Elizabeth!
DeleteI have tried menudo before as well! I knew beforehand what I was getting in to, and I thought it was an okay dish. It wasn't something I would have very often. I tried it with my friend's family. They are Mexican, and her grand mother cooks it often. I think what you have to do in those situations is not think about what you're eating! I prefer to stick to beef and not a cow's actual intestines. It's really funny how your food preferences can change over time. It's great that you can enjoy them now with your boyfriend. :)
One of the great joys of exploring other cultures is seeing how other people from other parts of the world eat. My family and I love food, and its one of the reasons why we try to have or taste every type of food. I especially enjoy Chinese food and living Riverside a city where there is a variety of restaurants. I often opted on Chinese food and it was in one of this restaurant that I had the curiosity to try a dish called tiger skin chicken feet, one of the strangest things I was about to eat. Once, the dish had arrived I could see that it was braised chicken feet with some type of sauce. I was scared to taste it because it looked weird but surprisingly, when I took the first bite the taste was delicious. The chicken feet were tender, juicy, spicy, and flavorful.
ReplyDeleteMy experience after trying chicken feet was unforgettable because I never thought I could try new things that I didn’t usually eat, but eating chicken feet for the first time made me open up into exploring every cultural dish with the exception of boiled fertilized duck egg with all respect. Overall, I would try chicken feet again because it was delicious. The event was unique and it made me realize that even though some foods can be the weirdest in the world, people should respect cultural habits because those types of foods are the only resources available in order to survive.
Hi Yesica,
DeleteI share your passion for restaurants and I enjoy Chinese food. I don't get to eat it that often because my wife does not share my enthusiasm. Another comparison is a family that loves to share food. It seems we to gather together so much around meals. The chicken feet, hmmm, i don't care for it but my wife and her family will eat it. I would prefer another cut off the chicken but, it is a dish loved by many. The respect though is one of the main areas I share with you. We should not judge an item in different certain cultures on its mystic's alone. Thanks for sharing and have a great week.
The strangest thing that I have ever eaten would be snails (escargot). I was in the fifth grade and was taking a French class. On the last day of French class, the instructor decided to bring a few French dishes. She pulled out huge containers with garlic bread and escargot. I literally took the smallest bite ever and right away knew that I did not like escargot. I am really weird when it comes to textures of food and the chewy texture was really unpleasant. I ended up giving my escargot to the girl who sat next to me and just ate the bread. I'm just glad that I wasn't the boy who ended up throwing up in class after eating escargot.
ReplyDeleteThere are many dishes that I won't try such as deer, frogs, cow tongue, cow stomach, rabbit, pork feet, bugs etc. My list goes on and on. My mom is Hispanic and so was my dad so it is very typical coming from a Hispanic background to eat cow tongue tacos, pork feet, menudo (cow stomach) but I never cared for those dishes. My mom has told me that she could not get me to eat any of those dishes and I still don't eat them so that part about me will probably never change. I either won't eat a dish because it may be too chewy or simply because I feel bad for the animal. I had a pet rabbit when I was younger so I cannot picture one being served on a plate.
You my friend are so brave for eating snails. I know everyone says that escargot is a fancy appetizer but I do not understand how someone can enjoy such thing as a snail. Just from thinking about it makes me shiver. I just picture someone grabbing the slow little slimy snail they found to make it into a dish.
DeleteOn another note I can agree with you for trying different dishes such a tongue etc. but being hispanic you're bound to try them.
Yes, it definitely took a lot for me to try it and I did not like them. There are many people who enjoy them but that obviously wasn't the case with me.
DeleteThat is exactly what I think about as well! Plus, I have always been grossed out by snails so seeing them cooked did not make it any better.
The strangest thing that I have ever eaten is chicken feet. I tried this food many years ago when I was small but I still remember. At first I was scared to try them because they look really gross but in reality they are tasty. I never thought I would like them. My mom boiled them and then cooked them in a red sauce. They have a weird texture that makes them look gross but the flavor is good. Chicken feet kind of remind me of pig’s skin, and I like pig’s skin so that’s why I took the chance to try something new. Another weird food that I have tried is cow tongue. However this time around I did not like it. I didn’t like the flavor or the texture. I come from a Hispanic background where this food is really praised. Almost all Hispanics like this meal and use is as a main dish for parties but I personally never had it again. I think just the idea of eating a tongue grossed me out and then trying it was even worse. There aren’t that many strange foods that I have tried but I would like to try more like worms, crickets, alligator and snake. Although these foods might sound strange or gross I believe that you can’t fully know until you try them. I am scared to try a snake and an alligator because those are two species that I hate, however I have heard a lot of people say they taste really good so I’m willing to experiment something different.
ReplyDeleteKarina...I eat a lot of dim sum but never have the nerve to try the chicken feet. The texture seems, as you say, weird. Maybe someday!
DeleteChicken feet.. That's crazy. I've definitely never tried that one. However if you say they are quite tasty then maybe I will have to try them someday. I have also tried cow tongue and wasn't a huge fan of it either.
DeleteHello Everyone!
ReplyDeleteI hope everyone is having a great week! Happy second week of school!
As a Korean, we are a culture known for eating dogs! To me, it truly is unfortunate and I hate hearing that South Korea, as well as other Asian countries, celebrate a festival in which the theme is “eating dogs.” Although it has been argued that the practice is comparable to eating any other meat, i.e. poultry, dogs are known to be “man’s best friend” and they have been proven time and time again to be very loyal creatures. On a positive note, I have never eaten dog and don’t play on eating the beautiful and man-loving creatures. There have also been proactive measures in banning the practice of eating dogs and stopping the annual dog-eating festival.
When it comes to meals, I am quite an odd person. Although I have never eaten anything crazy, I don’t eat what most people eat. To clarify, I have not tried salads, McDonalds’ “Big Mac,” In’n’Out’s Burger, basically anything with vegetables I have not tried. I’m very picky with my food and love to eat what I can eat, especially because it’s a very limited list!
With that being said, I guess I have to answer the second question. One food that I would never eat, or even come near, are snakes. I know that in other countries, it is quite common to eat snakes but I am absolutely terrified of them and can’t go near them. This is one of the reasons why I can’t go to a zoo. I am that terrified. So, again, I can try anything and eat anything but snakes. That is my limit.
Mike...it is interesting to me that we have deemed some animals delicious and others forbidden fruit, so to speak. Cows and chickens are okay--dogs and horses are not. I wonder if those distinctions are based on anything or just arbitrary..
DeleteHello Dr. Schmoll!
DeleteI hope you're having a wonderful weekend!
I find it interesting as well. However, if I had to guess,I would think that the location and background of the culture plays a factor into what each specific culture eats. For example, Asian countries started to eat dogs because of the belief that dog meat provided health benefits to farmers. This reasoning however was not based off of scientific discoveries but just assumptions that people made with each other. So, in a way, it is somewhat arbitrary.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteOne summer I went and visited my friend is Louisiana and she took me to the French Quarter. If you are familiar with the French Quarter you know of the wide array of restaurants and shops they have to visit. The majority of these restaurants feature Cajun style food including alligator. The alligator that we ate was prepared 2 different ways, fried and boiled. The fried wasn't so bad, though it was very chewy. The boiled however was a bit too much for my taste. You could see that it clearly was alligator so I think knowing was what made it worse. The only saving grace was the delicious dipping sauce. You could almost put sauce on anything and make it taste good!
My father used to work in Egypt and I always enjoyed trying all of e different recipes he would bring home. I think it is important to try all types of different foods to really discover what you like. Your favorite food could be one that you haven't discovered yet! We need to expose our pallet to all different types of food from all sorts of cultures. Some of the best food I have had was some that I was scared to try at first and turned out to be incredible.
Hi Alex!
DeleteI hope you're having a wonderful weekend!
It is true that people should be expanding their eating palettes to gain new favorites. The reasoning behind people eating pork, poultry, and beef started out with this same process. However, I think an interesting argument that could be said about this is at what point do we have limitations with eating new things. For example, the consumption of dog meat or even cannibalism!
Hello again everyone,
ReplyDeleteSo the strangest thing I’ve ever eaten has to be oysters. My family is big on seafood so when we would go out to a restaurant they would always order them. I was always afraid to try them because they looked watery and not so appealing. Every time my family offered I wouldn’t hesitate to say no, but one day I felt brave. I was probably around ten years old when I got the courage to try them and all I remember was running to the restroom wanting to spit it out. The texture was what really made me dislike it because it was so slimy and tasteless. I couldn’t imagine how anyone could like oysters but it surprises me how many people really enjoy eating them. Now, they’ve been trying to tell me to taste calamari, and octopus but I don’t think I can ever trust their word again when it comes to seafood.
I’m not so big on trying strange foods. I’m a little picky when it comes to food, and I blame my previous experience with oysters, and my elementary cafeteria for it. I was a fan of food from cafeterias until third grade. I was excited about lunch and when I got to my string cheese I took a bite, and bit into mold. From that day forward my view towards food has changed. I don’t think I’d ever try anything strange again unless I’m guaranteed that it will taste like something normal.
You know, Jennifer, a lot of people think about oysters as a pretty common and normal thing to eat--but you are right. They are a bit odd. I wonder who first ate them raw.
DeleteI have to agree with you both Jennifer and Dr, Schmoll. The first time I saw an oyster I was so disgusted I didn't bare to try it. After constantly going to the same seafood restaurant and seeing my family order oysters as an appetizer I decided to try them and to my mistake I started chewing them and immediately got disgusted with the texture. At one point I found them so disgusting but now I can say I do enjoy them. I do not know how but they actually are an appetizer I enjoy especially when eating a seafood restaurant
DeleteHi Jennifer,
DeleteI recently tried oysters for the first time at a family party and to be honest I didn't think it was bad. The oysters had lime juice, salt, and a lot of Tapatio. Being a lover of Tapatio sauce I thought it was pretty good. However, I probably would not eat them without any hot sauce.
I have tried oysters as well, and I completely agree. They are slimy and gross! I spit it out when I tried them also. I have tried calamari and octopus, and trust me you aren't missing out on much. Calamari is okay, but definitely not a favorite of mine.
DeleteDr. Schmoll it's was pretty strange to me. You are completely right, they are normal to many people. Whoever ate them first must have been extremely brave.
DeleteJeanette and Carolina, maybe it was just a bad oyster that I tried? If that's possible. I've been told to try them with lime juice and tapatio. I might just try that, it actually sounds like that would put a kick in a it... I'll consider it if I ever feel brave again.
DeleteTori, yeah it would take a lot out of me to try those again. The texture was just awful. Well thank you for that, now I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything. It might just be that seafood isn't for me.
DeleteHello everyone!
ReplyDeleteThe strangest thing I have ever eaten would probably have to be alligator. I went to the fair in Minnesota when I was 14 or 15 and they were selling deep fried alligator on a stick. I didn't think that I was going to like it, but it actually turned out to be really good. It sort of tastes like chicken but a little bit more tough. My dad made me try it as a dare, but after I took one bite I ended up eating the whole thing. I'm not the type of person that is afraid to try something new. I enjoy experiencing new things and figuring out what I do and don't like. I've tried many different things, ranging from octopus to rattlesnake. I did not like octopus but the rattlesnake was okay. It mostly tasted like the seasoning that we used but the texture was a little weird. Pretty much I am open to trying just about anything at least once.
Hi Tori, wow alligator on stick I've never heard of that one before... You seem pretty brave to have tried the things you have. I could never do that, the idea makes my stomach hurt. The fact that you said the alligator tasted like chicken, and that you ate all of it sounds convincing. If we ever have something like that at the kern county fair I just might try it.. I like how your open to trying new things, I guess that's the way to go in life period... But octopus I don't know if I'd ever go there.. To exotic, but your one brave girl..
DeleteHi Tori, I have never seen or heard of anyone eating alligator. You are brave for trying something out of your daily diet.
DeleteHey Tori,
DeleteI have to commend you, I am not that courageous. I worry about texture so if it is something i'm not use to I can not handle it. That's very cool that you have tried those things.
Hello everyone,
ReplyDeleteI hope you are all doing well and are surviving the second week of school. I am happy to announce that today will be the last time you hear from me late. I was finally able to get my work scheduled fixed. I first wanted to start off by saying WOW! A lot of you are so brave for trying different things. I cannot say I have tried something so tremendous like a mealworm or alligator or dogs but for me when I tried deer I was seriously so disgusted with myself. I felt like a committed a huge crime for getting a taste of Bambi. I remember I was so angry with my dad for tricking me into trying it. I myself have seen my cousin try chocolate covered insects at Pismo Beach but I can never get the courage to agree to it. I am easily disgusted when it comes to food since I am extremely picky when it comes to the texture of food for example (bananas) anything that is to sticky or chewy can easily disgust me. Since I am Hispanic I did grow up eating and trying numerous foods that may come off as disgusting to some but for me it was what I grew up eating therefore it became a norm to me. When we took a family vacation to Cancun I had to cousins who tried to trick me into trying turtle soup. Thankfully they cracked and told me what it was before I tried it. Mostly everyone who tried the soup said it was delicious. Maybe next time I am offered or see something exotic I might just consider trying it because after writing this I consider myself to be boring.
Hi Jeanette,
DeleteMy brother-in-law loves to go hunting and I have also ate deer before. The deer was in jerky form and it wasn't bad at all but I also felt bad for eating Bambi.
Hi Everyone!
ReplyDeleteThe strangest thing I have ever eaten would have to be menudo. Menudo is a really popular dish in the Mexican culture that is made out of the stomach lining of cows. My mom makes menudo about once a month and while she is cooking it the house smells disgusting! Menudo once it is cooked doesn’t look so bad but raw menudo is simply gross. A few months ago I had the courage to actually give it a try for the first time. However, I just couldn’t deal with the texture. The taste of the broth wasn’t bad but it was just way too chewy for my preference.
Another strange food item I have eaten were raw oysters. Oysters are pretty common, especially in Mexican restaurants were they serve seafood. I was at a family gathering and they were had oysters. My sisters thought it was super gross but I really wanted to try them. The oysters had lime juice, salt, and lot of tapatio hot sauce. I was instructed not to chew the oysters and only swallow them. I was a little nervous but I did it. To be honest the oyster didn’t taste like anything. The only thing I was able to taste was the lime juice and tapatio and I thought that was really good.
Hi Carolina
DeleteI'm there with you! I'm against everything that is raw. I personally like the smell of menudo, but I also dislike what it contains.
To begin, there are varies types of foods from culture to culture that some may not consider tasting, while others find the food worth trying. Through food, different cultural maintain a link with their ancestors native land and carry on the culture’s traditional meals. It gives us a slim taste of how people eat, but sometimes only those with a strong stomachs can try the many foods that there are.
ReplyDeleteThe strangest food I have tried is the cow’s tongue, a common meal in my family. I was about eighteen years old when I first ate it. I remember seeing the severed head in the oven and telling my parents that I was not going to eat that. Somehow I was tricked into thinking that it was grilled beef because it was shredded, instead of it being cut into pieces. The taste was not that bad, but I think I cared more about how it was being prepared than the taste at the time.
Although I consider myself open minded in tasting different foods, I do not think I would ever eat eyeballs, live squid, or simply anything that is raw. The only thing that I have tried raw, are oysters. I do not like that I’m unable to chew it and it has no taste to it. From then on, I took raw foods of my menu.
I'm not very daring when it comes to food. I'll explore but only within types of foods I've already ate before. The biggest barrier I come across when trying to eat new foods is smell. I don't care if plate of food doesn't look appealing, but if it smells delicious I want to try it. In that same sense, even if a plate looks fantastic if it doesn't smell good or if it smells funny, then I won't even dare try it. The things that I've tried that was strange to me were tripe and head tacos (beef). I tried it at a taco truck in town that many friends recommended. It might not be a big deal in Hispanics, but it was a big deal to me because growing up we weren't raised eating other types of beef. My experience was actually good. The meat had a different texture but it wasn't bad tasting. I didn't give it much thought because I knew I would be grossed out if I did. I hope to have the guts to try new foods
ReplyDeleteThe diet of every race is different. I believe that someone may think it is weird to eat cow tongue and others will disagree. Our lifestyles have taught us what is “normal” to eat. In places worldwide people are eating different animals and plants that they consider normal and others do not. From reading my peers’ blogs I cannot agree more with the idea that every culture is unique. Most Hispanics have tried the popular dish in the kitchen, which is menudo. I personally do not like the taste of the cow stomach in my mouth. The squishiness is something I would not like to try again. Although I do not like it, many people will consider it their favorite dish. I am also not a big fan of raw foods. I do not like anything raw in my diet. For example, when I go out to breakfast with my family, I always have my eggs scrambled well done. I do not like any yolk running. Traveling out of the country exposes us to different ways of cooking and traditions. When I went to Mexico two years ago, my family made me try little (1 inch) fried fish. They were so small that I did not realize it was tiny fish. After eating a few, I saw the eyes on them and they made my stomach hurt. I would never try this again.
ReplyDeleteHello Everyone,
ReplyDeleteI will be the first to admit, I am not the person to step out of my box when it comes to food. I did have liver one time, by accident and it freaked me out. My family and I wanted to get out for dinner so we went to a buffet.While we were there, we discovered that the food was not labelled correctly. So I assumed I was getting steak and it happened to be liver. When I bit down on the food, the texture was the first thing I focused in on. Then I proceeded to spit the thing out. My family immediately began laughing at me. Needless to say I was not fond of it.
I think with me not wanting to venture outside my comfort zone, the worst thing I could ever digest is a water bug. I am deathly afraid of them, and my biggest fear is getting food from somewhere that is not clean or that is infested with them. I know is some places roaches are a big thing, but I personally could not do that.