“Tell Me What You Eat…” (part 2)

OK folks, we’re finishing up the Omnivore’s 100 this morning. In case you missed yesterday’s post, this list (or meme) ultimately originates from the Very Good Taste blog; the list contains 100 items that blog’s author thinks all dedicated foodies should eat. Since I'm not a "real" foodie, & very far from a gourmet, my interest in the list is a bit more in its overall oddness, & in the opportunity it gave to have some fun. It is useful to note, however, that this is far from a gourmet list, as it includes Big Macs & Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwiches (just to name a couple of non-gourmet items). The list's author did post an FAQ with a clear & interesting explanation of his choices—you can find that here.

Hope you’ve enjoyed it!

51. Prickly pear (I’m a bit leery of foods that can cause bodily harm, but hey—one way to get rid of your noxious weeds: eat them…)
52. Umeboshi (like pickled stuff—like fruit—sounds good; haven’t tried)
53. Abalone (I did have a beautiful abalone shell in my shell collection as a kid—at one time Sea Shell City—yeah, try saying that fast—in Shelburne, VT was my favorite store)
54. Paneer (Indian food= #1; cheese=can’t go wrong)
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal (Look, I gotta admit I was a horrid junkfood junkie at one time, but I doubt I ever had this more than once or twice; in my junk food days I was more a quarter pounder with cheese guy)
56. Spaetzle (Am all for comfort food, but have missed this one)
57. Dirty gin martini (but more regular gin martinis than I care to—or can—remember)
58. Beer above 8% ABV (Colt 45, Maximus Super, etc.—this stuff is really dangerous)
59. Poutine (french fries with gravy, yes; french fries with all this additional stuff, no, not yet—missed this on trips to Quebec in my youth)
60. Carob chips (Unless this has been an ingredient in something I’ve eaten—apparently a possibility—I’ve missed this)
61. S’mores (Want s’more!)
62. Sweetbreads (not sweet, not bread—‘nuff said)
63. Kaolin (Based on medicines & toothpastes, I’d have to guess I’ve had this; & who hasn’t eaten just a little dirt?)
64. Currywurst (Curried sausage—sounds ok to the uninitiated—I notice the Haphazard’s one word comment: “Hurl”)
65. Durian (Generally, food that’s banned from public transport due to odor is an iffy proposition; per Wikipedia, the odor has been compared to “civet, sewage, stale vomit, skunk spray and used surgical swabs.” There were more graphic descriptions, too!)
66. Frogs’ legs (Based on the size of a frog, you’d think these would be like an appetizer—strange use of a term that contains the word “appetite”)
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake (As in elephant ears)
68. Haggis (Have been in restaurants that served it—I believed its reputation, & left well enough alone)
69. Fried plantain (Love this with a sprinkling of cayenne)
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette (Look, I love soul food; but this comes from a part of the pig that shouldn’t be eaten)
71. Gazpacho (San Francisco “daze”)
72. Caviar and blini (Blintz, yes; caviar, no)
73. Louche absinthe (This stuff wasn’t legal in the states during my heyday; closest I came in terms of weird intoxicating effects was mescal, including the worm—loco juice…)
74. Gjetost, or brunost (Love most cheese—have missed this one)
75. Roadkill (I believe this is actually illegal if you’re talking about anything you should eat—i.e., deer—& extremely ill-advised if you’re talking about raccoons or possums; a possible subset is squirrel pie—complete with .22 shell fragments from the squirrels my dad used to shoot & my mom—very unwillingly—used to cook)
76. Baijiu (Missed this in my drinking days, & won’t be sampling it now; I see Wikipedia says “its flavour is distinctive and unique”—my experience: 1. this can be said of most stuff over 100 proof; 2. you really wouldn’t care what it tasted like after a few)
77. Hostess Fruit Pie (More times than I care to remember)
78. Snail (See comments on frog & snake—only reason to do this is revenge for garden mayhem)
79. Lapsang souchong (Have had good black teas, but don’t know that I’ve had this specifically, so will be a good Boy Scout & say no)
80. Bellini (Italian booze I didn’t partake of when drinking, so won’t partake now)
81. Tom yum (Sounds good—sorta like Thai gumbo—but don’t think I’ve tried it)
82. Eggs Benedict (There was a restaurant in Burlington, VT where I always got these)
83. Pocky (Japanese chocolate snack—sounds ok)
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant (I don’t think the Branding Iron in Council, ID has been rated by Michelin yet)
85. Kobe beef (Beef, yes: Kobe, no)
86. Hare (Rabbit, yes—once because I needed a rabbit skeleton for a grade school science project—hare, no)
87. Goulash (Comfort food)
88. Flowers (In San Fran with an old gal friend)
89. Horse (A high school French teacher told us to be sure to specify au boeuf if we ever ordered hamburgers in France & didn’t want au cheval—is this still true?)
90. Criollo chocolate (Sounds divine, of course, but don’t think they carry this at the local supermarkets)
91. Spam (I was raised on this. Last time I had it was at a detox—see various entries on booze—over 28 years ago; it was made with pineapple & was surprisingly good)
92. Soft shell crab (During an East Coast seafood phase)
93. Rose harissa (I’m all for hot sauces—apparently rose harissa is an expensive version of a fairly common North African sauce)
94. Catfish (First meal Eberle & I cooked together; not really fish to my palate; just don’t think too much about their diet)
95. Mole poblano (San Fran & Hell A—mole is one of the more inspired sauce ideas of all time)
96. Bagel and lox (In combo most recently at my nephew’s bar mitzvah about 10 years ago—I like bagels—I find lox literally “hard to swallow”)
97. Lobster Thermidor (Lobster, yes; Thermidor, no)
98. Polenta (Eberle loves to cook with this—good with blue cheese)
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee (Like Mississippi John Hurt says, “I like a certain brand, that’s Maxwell House—just like it says on the can, good to the last drop; & if I can get just a spoonful of Maxwell House it’ll do as much good as two or three cups of this other coffee…” Is he really talking about coffee or is he being metaphorical? Hmmm… Anyhoo, I don’t quite go for Maxwell House, but I can go pretty basic if need be—just having that cuppa Joe is the important thing)
100. Snake (I promise to believe it tastes like chicken—better even!—as long as I don’t have to eat it)


Pic is Fruits and Pieces of Sea by 17th c. Flemish artist Jan Davidszoon de Heem