Tuesday, March 5, 2013

I Yam Not THAT Hungry


Thought for the day:  How is it that a toddler can be so picky and slow when it comes to eating a nutritious dinner, and yet so fast at shoving every disgusting thing he finds on the ground into his mouth?


I'm feeling a little lazy today. Why should today be any different? So instead of starting an entirely new post from scratch, I'm gonna give an old one an update, and rerun it. It first ran in July of 2011 as I Am What I Eat? How Disgustng!

Even though I'm making some changes here, I'll do my very best to keep it as disgusting as it was before...

***

Have you ever noticed that the words turtle, terrapin, and tortoise seem to be used almost interchangeably? So I couldn't help but wonder ... what's the difference between them? Well, I can tell you right now, according to the definition of terrapin I found, there's absolutely no need for that particular word in my vocabulary. No sirree, and here's why. Turtle is a generic term, so you can properly use it to refer to any of those adorable shelled reptiles, whether they live on the land or in the water.  A tortoise is a turtle, and though the term can be used to denote any turtle, it refers especially to a land turtle. But terrapin is defined as any of North America's edible water turtles. Oh, no, no, no, no, no.  I don't know about you, but as far as I'm concerned, there is no such thing as an edible turtle. So, I will not be using that word again anytime soon.

And yeah, I know some of you may disagree. Some of you may consider turtles a wonderful delicacy. After all, even though I think calves are absolutely adorable and have the most beautiful eyes, when driving past a field of them, I may or may not have said a time or two, "Oh, look at all the veals!"

I know. Crass.

But if you think about it, we humans eat some pretty strange things. Like raw oysters. I mean, yeah, I happen to love them, but just think about the first guy... and you know it was a guy...  who opened one of them and decided it looked good enough to eat?

You must admit. It doesn't look very appetizing.
OK, let's take a look at some of the weird foods people eat around the world, shall we?
  • In Sardinia, people eat something called casu marzu, which is cheese riddled with insect larvae. Appropriately enough, it is also called maggot cheese. Yum, huh?
  • In Indonesia, fried monkey toes are considered a delicacy.
  • In Hungary, a favorite dish is comprised of fresh pig blood and scrambled eggs.
  • Talking about blood, in Sweden, blood dumplings are made with flour and reindeer blood, and the Polish have czarnina, a soup whose not-so-secret ingredient is duck blood.
  • Ever hear of head cheese? It looks like an innocuous mish-mash of jellied lunch meat, and can be found in many delis.  This is what it looks like when you buy it.

And if you've got the stomach to watch, THIS is what it takes to make it:




  • Americans traditionally eat some pretty weird stuff, too. How about scrapple, which is allegedly made from every part of the pig but its oink? I also read that some people in the South eat squirrel brains, although I can't say I've ever seen any of my neighbors so indulge, and I don't plan to serve them at our next dinner party, either.
  • In Eastern Europe, there's a dish called p'tcha which is a translucent jello made from calves' feet. 
  • Oh, and while we're talking about feet, let's not forget pickled pig and cow feet. (There are two jars of pig feet lurking in my pantry right now. For Smarticus, that is. You don't think I'd eat them, do ya?)
  • In France, they eat calf's head; in Slovenia, they eat stewed dormice; in Italy, they eat cibreo, which is cock's combs; and in Thailand, they eat rats.
  • You've heard of Chinese birds nest soup? It is literally made from swifts' nests, and lest you think those nests are made of twigs and grass, they aren't. They're mostly made of saliva.
  • In the Philippines, balut answers the age-old chicken-or-the-egg question. This dish is made of fertilized eggs, which are cooked just before they hatch, so when you eat it, you get both the chicken (or duck) AND the egg.  
  • One of  Korea's favorite dishes is sannakji. Octopus. No big deal, you say? You've eaten octopus many times, you say?  How many times have you eaten it while it was still squirming on your plate? That's right. This dish is reeeeeeally fresh. While it's still alive, the octopus is cut into pieces and sprinkled with sesame oil, and the tentacles are STILL MOVING when diners pop it into their mouths. It poses quite a challenge, too, because those little suction cups on the tentacles stick to whatever surface they touch. So the diner has to pry his dinner from his chopsticks, and once it's in his mouth,  the tentacles latch onto his teeth, his tongue, and the roof of his mouth. Oh, and for the really brave of heart, the whole darned thing can be popped into one's mouth, while still alive: 

  • And then, there's the national dish of Scotland. Haggis. This is a sausage-like dish which contains what they call the pluck of a sheep: its heart, liver, and lungs. (Takes a bit of pluck to eat it, too!) When all the ingredients are combined, they're traditionally sewn into the sheep's stomach for cooking, with the windpipe hanging over the side of the pot. Modern recipes, however, may call for tongue instead of lung, and sausage casing instead of sheep's stomach. 
  • This love-it or hate-it food comes to us from the UK:  

Marmite is a dark brown spread made from brewery yeast by-products. I first heard about it through the blogosphere,  and even bought some from a local British specialty store to try. The shop's owner waxed poetic about this stuff, but she did warn me that a very thin coat of it would do me. Indeed. Although British children pretty much eat Marmite from the time they're weaned, I must say, even a very thin coating of it delivered a powerhouse punch of taste to my poor unindoctrinated palate. Not exactly yeasty. A little salty. Just a strong strong taste unlike anything I've ever had before. It's chock full of B vitamins, and very nutritious, so I'll probably try it again, but no rush. I have plenty of time. Even after opening, it'll last for years at room temperature. (Hmm, it's been almost two years since I tried it... I might be ready to have another go at it.)

In closing on this whole weird foods of the world idea, I'll let these following pictures speak for themselves:

 bugs on a stick


fried spiders, anyone?


So, what's all this mean? It means there's simply no accounting for taste. People like what they like, and hate what they hate. Just because I tried chocolate-covered ants when I was a kid (they're crunchy) doesn't mean I'd ever choose them over a Hershey bar. Just because I ate snake once (it really DOES taste like chicken) doesn't mean I ever want to eat it again. And just because most of the world loves chocolate doesn't make you wrong if you hate it.

And here we go: Rejection from any given agent or publisher doesn't mean your writing stinks. All it means is you haven't submitted it to the person with the perfect palate for it yet. The work of any creative person  is every bit as susceptible to personal taste as a still-moving chunk of octopus or jar of pickled pigs feet. I'll betcha even Michelangelo had his detractors. (the artist, not the ninja turtle)

                                So, what's the strangest thing you've ever eaten?

                            Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.


94 comments:

  1. You've certainly covered the gamut of food that I would never eat. Okay, I love oysters. And I have tried rattlesnake.
    Lately, however, my sense of adventurous food goes no farther than the local Mexican cafe - - which seems to use a mystery meat in their tacos.

    My father used to love pickled pigs feet. I'm not surprised that Hungarians like pig's blood with their scrambled eggs. They also like blood sausage and Bull's Blood Wine (there's actually no blood in the wine but it's an intriguing name). I'm positive there are vampires among my Magyar relatives.....

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    1. Yeah, I wouldn't be in any particular hurry to eat most of that stuff, either. But it's fascinating to me what different cultures consider to be a delicacy. (I reckon our tummies are too "delicate" to try their "delicacies".)

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  2. You had me at turtles. The first person to eat an oyster was a man and it was done on a bet.

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    1. Abso-doggone-lutely! An adult beverage was probably involved, too, along with the words, 'Y'all watch this!"

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  3. I was having fun with the videos you posted. I wanted to taste exotic foods, that is why I dream of traveling to thailand to try out a fried spider...:)


    xx!

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    1. I wouldn't mind traveling to Thailand, but it wouldn't be to eat spiders. I can't help but wonder if you've eaten balut. I don't know if it's a common dish there, or just an oddity. Years ago, I worked with a gal from the Philippines, and she brought me a very unusual (to me, anyway) dessert. It was like a whitish translucent gelatinous blob of super sweetness. (Let me eat cake!)

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  4. some people in the South eat squirrel brains

    Been there, done that. My grandfather and his buddy who lived next door would go squirrel hunting in their neighborhood. For years I thought squirrels were rare creatures until those two gave it up. Anyway, had huge heaping platefuls of squirrel purlow for lunch as a kid along with those tasty brains.

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    1. Tasty? Really? Did you know what you were eating, and it didn't bother you? Never mind. It was probably the same kinda food choice I got as a kid: called Take It or Leave It.

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  5. Hi Susan .. love food so had to comment! Marmite I love ... oysters too, I quite enjoy haggis at the right time etc ... I've had ostrich egg and meat ... and I might have had crocodile (like chicken), I never managed mopane worms but they're common in South Africa, brawn (pig's head) is delicious, as are pig's trotters ... I haven't been to Asia - I guess all sorts of things will appear there ... I saw urchins being eaten by a gastronome - they looked like oysters (eaten the same way) ...

    I guess if you're hungry or thirsty you'll stay alive anyway which how ...

    Cheers to you - thankfully it's coffee time and not lunchtime! I can rest easy and move on to other delicacies ... loved the post - thanks .. Hilary

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    1. Hi-ya, Hilary! Good to hear from you! Ostrich egg? I imagine all it takes is one of them to make a family-sized omelet. I've never eaten one of their eggs, but I have eaten ostrich steak, and thought it was quite delicious. Similar to beef, but not at all greasy.

      Yeah, I suppose living in South Africa exposed you to some interesting things. (Amarulla? YUM!) Cheers!

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  6. Great line about toddlers! Thanks for discouraging me from having my after midnight snack. Happy second blogging birthday Susan! Lovely new profile picture, and it's nice to look at your springy header as a snowstorm is approaching.

    Julie

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    1. It's TRUE about toddlers, isn't it? Sure seems like it, anyway.

      Thanks. I'm not sure if I like that new profile pic or not, but at least it's an up-to-date one. (Maybe I shoulda gone the OTHER way, and put up a pic from twenty years ago...)

      More snow? Yipes. I took that header picture a couple weeks ago, but it's gotten a bit cooler since then.

      Delete
  7. I opened your post, got myself a bowl of ice cream, then sat down to read while I eat.
    Not the best decision I ever made, but it's stinking hot here and ice cream is cooling...then I saw the oyster -urk!
    I first heard about calvess foot jelly in the Hayley Mills version of the movie Pollyanna, it's supposedly very very nutritious, but I don't think I'll try it. Ever. I've tried Marmite and wasn't impressed, I preferred our Aussie Vegemite, a similar product which was then bought by an American company and they managed to change it. I can see and taste the difference but no one believes me. Now I prefer the newer version called OzeMite which more closely resembles the vegemite I knew and loved as a small child.
    My mum used to love jellied eels and mum and dad both loved black puddings which are traditionally made with blood. I never ate either of those things.

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    1. HA! Sorry if I spoiled your appetite.

      I saw Pollyanna, but funny, I don't remember the calves' foot jelly. Maybe I missed that part of the movie. (After we watched a Hayley Mills movie, my friends and I would put on an English accent for the rest of the day. A very BAD English accent, I'm sure.)

      I've heard of Vegemite, but haven't tried it. Eels? My father used to eat smoked eel, and I thought it was totally disgusting. Very salty, and greasy, greasy, greasy. Yuk. I guess we just aren't as "adventurous" as our parents were.

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    2. My parents were born and raised in Germany where jellied eels and black puddings are as common as lamb chops are here in Australia.

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    3. You can keep the jellied eels and black puddings, but I'll have some sauerbraten and German chocolate cake!

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  8. Ah, the circle of life.......

    I am not as fussy an eater as I once was, but I don't think you listed one thing that I would try. However, my hubby has and will eat anything. As a child, ducks blood soup was something that his grandmother made and the family enjoyed. It gives me the shivers just typing those words.

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    1. Smarticus, as you can probably tell by our last name, is Polish, so he's had duck's blood soup before, but I haven't. But I did worse. When I was a teenager, my father would butcher ducks, and then it was my job to drain their blood into a bucket, so he could give it to a Polish pal. (I HATED that job.)

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  9. Um, ewwww. I have to admit I couldn't finish this post. I'm not the most experimental of eaters, though I'm not the pickiest either.

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    1. Sorry. If you'd made it to the end, you would've seen the less-than-disgusting conclusion. Just like we all have different tastes for food, agents and publishers have different tastes for writing, too, so we shouldn't take rejection from any one as a reflection on the quality of our work. We just have to find an agent and editor who have just the right palate for it.

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  10. Ugh. I have sampled blood pudding, over in Sweden, when my aunts slipped me some without telling me what it was. Not bad. Until I thought about it...

    Also, good point about the rejections. Same applies to reviews. Tastes differ. :)

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    1. Hmmph! The things our families fed us when we were kids, huh? Our poor daughter gagged as a kid because I broiled...gasp!... lobster for dinner. Poor thing. She wasn't a fan of soft crabs, either, but from the time she was four or five, she could slurp down raw oysters with the best of them. Still does. Go figure.

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  11. Love this post, Susan. I shudder when I think of some of the parts of the pig I ate as a kid: feet, tail, ears, neck, intestines, and, yes, head cheese, or as we called it, hog-head souse (I loved it, by the way).

    Thanks for the statement about rejection. I needed to hear that today. :)

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    1. Yeah, a lot of us probably ate some pretty weird stuff when we were kids. My husband likes head cheese, too, and his mother used to fix it cut into smaller pieces and mix it with onions and vinegar. I fixed it for him once, but never tried it. (And that was BEFORE I knew it was actually made for a HEAD...) He lost his taste for it, I guess, because he never asks for it anymore. Okay by me...

      Glad the bit about rejection helped.

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  12. Fried spiders??? That's a HELL to the NO! LOL. My dad really loves pickled pig's feet - not for me. I do want to try turtle meat though.

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  13. I'm afraid everything you've listed is something I will NEVER eat. Unless you pay me. And even then it would have to be a lot of $ and no guarantee I won't puke it up. EW. Esp. the guy eating the octopus (yes, I had to watch).

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    1. I don't there's enough money in the world to entice me to eat a live octopus... or even one of those fresh-killed, still-squirming ones.

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  14. Makes me cringe in every way
    The crap people can eat at their bay
    Blood and balls and hearts, no way
    I'd rather eat dirt any day

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    1. Yeah, I knows whatcha means;
      I'd rather munch on rice and beans.
      No bugs, no heads, and Lord, no heart,
      Of that kinda stuff, I want no part.

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  15. I've eaten the turtle your talking about. And believe me, they taste like chicken. But you shouuld not try to be an expert in cooking one. Your blog looks amazing. xesex82.blogspot.com

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    1. I'll, um, take your word for it. Actually, I did eat turtle soup once when I was a kid. Canned turtle soup. It was dreadful. The meat was real mushy.

      Thank you so much for stopping by. I do appreciate it.

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  16. I do like marmite. The strangest foods I enjoy eating are pickled herring and gerookte paling (smoked eel). Dutch delicacies. Yum.

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    1. Really? A non-Brit who likes Marmite. (Maybe there's still hope I'll develop a taste for it.) Hey! There's nothing strange about pickled herring! Now, the smoked eel, I don't like. Of course, the stuff my father brought home was wrapped in cellophane and sold at the tavern. It probably wasn't of the best quality...

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  17. Husband has some tales about balut. And my dad loved pickled pig feet. I like barbacoa unless I think about what it is. It tastes great :)

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    1. I dunno about eating balut. A neighbor lady gave me some farm-fresh eggs some years back, some of which I hard-boiled. The first one I peeled had a developed chick in it. I could NOT eat that thing, and threw all the rest of the eggs away.

      Barbacoa, huh? Now, if you're talking about innocuous meats, slow-roasted, and served with sauce, (like a Caribbean BBQ) that sounds good. But if you're talking about barbacoa de cabeza, where they use the cow's whole head, um, not so sure about that. (Maybe if I didn't KNOW what I was eating?)

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  18. Good Heavens! Excellent re-run if I do say so myself.
    Susan, I wanted to mention that when I click on your photo on my blog's "Followers", it's a dead end. IT took me a while to track you down on one of my blogs where you had left a comment. That link brought me here. I always assumed if you clicked on my photo it would bring the clicker to my blog, but I found it's not necessarily so and had to Jimmy around on my Blogger profile page to get it to do that. Anyway, FYI.
    Glad to have found you now. I'll put you on my blog's "bloglist" for easier access.
    Great Post!
    ~Just Jill (over at the nut-tree...)

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    1. Sometimes, clicking on an icon in the followers' area will zip you to their blog, but not always. Since I just updated my icon, the one that's there on your blog with your other followers is probably a dead end now. (Sorry!)

      Glad ya liked the post.( If you like reading about disgusting things, this is the place!)

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  19. What a DISGUSTINGLY fun post, Susan. I should've eaten breakfast just before reading this. LOL.

    BTW Oatmeal and an egg. NOTHING WEIRD. LOL. BUT i did have alligator once and it DID taste like chicken. As a child, my Italian grandmother always served EEL for NEW YEARS as good luck.

    AND occasionally the calf's brains made it to the table. YUK... not me. Even heard Gramps say he ate chicken eyes as a kid. DOUBLE YUK!

    I am not into freaky foods. BUT, I do love sushi. That's about as daring as I get.

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    1. HA! 'Twas my pleasure to provide you with a side order of disgust to start your day.

      Our kids all love sushi, and I once said I would never eat it. In fact, my hubby and I both called it "bait". But now? I love it. Live and learn.

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  20. This post was a little tough to, erm, swallow. But the message at the end was a very good one.

    Strangest thing I've ever eaten: Jalapeno-encrusted squid. I didn't know what I was eating and I couldn't stop. I loved it.

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    1. Also, I really, really like your banner. Incredibly cheering!

      Delete
    2. HA! Don't swallow... just chew on it, and then spit it out.

      Jalapeno-crusted squid sounds pretty adventurous to me.

      Thanks. I'm glad you like the new header. I took the picture just over a week ago.

      Delete
  21. Susan,
    I'm glad you resurrected this post. Very informative and interesting. My grandfather never wasted any part of the pig. I grew up on pig's feet and head cheese. The making of it looks gross but I loved it as a kid. Haven't had any since that period of my life though. Do you swallow your oysters whole? My husband did. I couldn't eat them uncooked. Ha

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    1. P.S. Different header. Is it permanently new or does it go with the resurrected post? It's so neat. I did the same with a bird bath but it dried up from the scorching mountain sun and my lazy watering.

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    2. I have to chew the oysters, but I don't like those real big ones that require a LOT of chewing. Petit fresh salty oysters with just a dollop of fresh horseradishy cocktail sauce on top... hmm, hmmm, good. But I've turned chicken. There's too much risk of getting sick from eating raw oysters nowadays, so I cook 'em.

      The new header will be up for a while, anyway. I wish I could claim credit for that pretty planter, but all I did was take the picture.

      Delete
  22. Well I happen to like head cheese and calves foot jelly so there you go. Dad was a member of the trappers association and once a year they had a wild game dinner...bear, beaver, porcupine, snake, all kinds of oddities along with the usual venison and fish...he tried them all and lived to talk about it.

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    1. Porcupines? Now, there's a thought. You can get the meat and the toothpicks all in one package. You've eaten lots of meat I've never tried, but I'd be willing to taste them.

      (Do you eat calves' foot jelly on toast, or is it like an aspic?)

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    2. It's invalid food.

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    3. HA! I guess that's like what we call comfort food.

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  23. Wrong, ma'am! People who don't like chocolate are downright commies! COMMIES!!!!! lol

    I've finally had escargot and frog legs. The escargot tasted like buggy mushrooms, and my sister kept talking about its consistency, so the more I ate them, the more nauseated I felt. Frog legs are mostly muscle, so that was also interesting. The tiny fragment that was meat did taste like chicken.

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    1. HA! A little militant about chocolate, are we? Reminds me of what happened here for Valentine's Day one year. It my defense, I was younger, and probably a teensy bit PMS-y or menopausal at the time. I knew my hubby was giving me a box of chocolate, and he swears, that at the stroke of midnight, I turned into Chucky. I turned to him and said, "I WANT CHOCOLATE." (I'm sure I said it in the sweetest way possible...)

      I've prepared frog legs before, and they're pretty good. Escargots? No thanks. A friend INSISTED I try them when she ordered them at a restaurant, and simply would not take no for an answer. Never again. Oh, they can give 'em a fancy-sounding name like "escargots", but you and I know what slimy disgusting creatures they REALLY are... Nothing bug slugs on a half shell.

      Delete
  24. I hear those squirrel brains are collected by very small zombies. Excellent post!

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    1. Verrrry small zombies. (By golly, I think I could take 'em!)

      Thanks. Glad ya liked it.

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  25. You are funny. I like the part about keeping things disgusting. That's just funny.

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    1. Thanks. The words "disgusting" and "food" don't ordinarily belong in the same sentence, but for this post, it's quite appropriate.

      Delete
  26. The Hurricane's first British boyfriend carried Marmite with him everywhere he went, so of course, he brought it to my house. I did not try it. The Hurricane did. She said it was disgusting. The British boyfriend couldn't survive without it. I'm not at all sorry that she dumped him.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. I hope the dumping wasn't based entirely on the Marmite... although it would be a bit weird for a man to carry it around with him like some men carry a handkerchief.

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    2. No Marmite-based dumping. She met someone else.

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  27. <>

    Ah, haggis. Loved the post. About time haggis got decent press. Lovely description. I ken see the darling in the me mother's Sunday roasting pot now just sliding into the oven. Stay clear of the door. If the haggis lets go, it'll take the door with it.

    Made me hungry just reading it. Probably will attract millions to the dish. About time, too!

    Then ...

    Bloody optimist. No haggis for you!

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    1. Haggis has gotten a mention on my blog a few other times in the past, although I can't say that I'm a fan. Of course, it's been many years since I've eaten it.

      Indeed, I am an optimist, and I'll have nae problem passing on the haggis, lad.

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  28. Whatever floats your boat I guess. Crikey!

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  29. In Oz we have "Vegemite" think Marmite, only stronger.

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    1. Oh, yum. I can't say that your description is exactly enticing...

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  30. Well, you might as well cross tortoise off of your words you won't use list too. Gopher tortoise stew used to be a favorite in these parts and I've certainly eaten my share. Thankfully, they are now protected in a lot of areas.

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    1. Well, yipes. Then again, if they're protected now, people aren't gonna be eating them, so for all intense purposes, they're no longer edible, right? (Kinda, sorta.)

      Delete
  31. I'm a VERY adventurous eater but I have to say, those spiders and insects made me want to puke.
    I've had scrapple, cow's brains, raw quail egg, ostrich, bison, and frog. So far. LOL

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    1. Wow! I'm very impressed. You are the queen of adventurous eaters. Who'd a thunk it?

      Delete
  32. My dad used to do some of his own butchering and he always made head cheese when he butchered a pig. We kids ate it (had to), but weren't crazy about it. I still wonder why this dish is call "head cheese" in English when there is no cheese in it. We also ate blood sausage.

    These days, sushi is about as adventurous as I get.

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    1. Oh, wow, so you already saw head cheese being made without having to look at the video, huh? No offense, but YUK. They probably call it cheese to make it sound more palatable. If they called it pig head gunk, I don't think anybody would buy it.

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  33. Perfect blog for anyone going on a diet. I know I'm not hungry now. Saw your name on Wendy's blog. Your name and blog title intrigued me so I stopped by. Jody, the Medicare Mom.blogspot.com

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    1. Hi-ya, Judy. Thanks for stopping by. You may be onto something there. Maybe every time I'm tempted to stuff another snack into my face, I should reread this post. Okay, get ready. Here I come to check out your blog now.

      Delete
  34. LOL, I agree with Jody above. I think you've put me off my evening snack. And I love the quote about the toddler. Daggone it, they are too fast to stop when they're shoving dessicated bug corpses and Barbie shoes into their mouths, but oh my gosh, how slow they are to eat their peas!

    That was some gross stuff you listed. I'm not sure what tops the list, although it might be the fried spiders.

    And even though I live in Pennsyvania,I can proudly say, "I HAVE NEVER EATEN SCRAPPLE."

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    1. Holy mackerel, I thought eating scrapple was on the mandatory list for anyone wanting to live in Pennsylvania. You got off easy, girl.

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  35. Head Cheese (Fromage de tete) is a favourite of mine, as is Haggis and wonderful MARMITE. How anyone can live without MARMITE, I do not know!!!

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    1. You do have a sophisticated palate, don't you? I must say, head cheese sounds much better when you say it in French. Then again, that language even makes snails sound good.

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  36. I was thinking I don't eat ANY of those weird foods (not even oysters) but then I saw the Marmite. In Australia we call it Vegimite and everyone eats it - national rule. It's nice on buttery toast, but only if very lightly smeared on. You can't go too heavy until you develop a taste - then it's great on grilled cheese sandwiches!

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    1. As best as I can tell, the Brits seem to prefer Marmite, and the Aussies prefer Vegemite. Interesting. I'll have to see if I can find some of the Vegemite so I can do a taste comparison.

      Thanks for signing on as a new follower. I do appreciate it, dear lady. Welcome aboard!

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  37. Great post, but did I have to read it just before lunch?
    I tried fried grasshoppers when I was a kid. Kind of a nutty flavor. Not bad, but I certainly didn't demand that the corner store carry it.

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    1. Sure, why not? Reading about these food before eating a meal could be the next great diet plan. Bugs are supposed to be a great source of protein, and if they're fried up nice and crunchy, they might not be bad. Lots of people around the world eat them, but then again, like you, I'm not putting in any requests at our corner store, either.

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  38. Wow. Glad you recycled this post as I've never read it before. NEver tried any of those things, but I have tried Balut (a Philippine delicacy). Good flavor but didn't like the look of it.
    Nutschell
    www.thewritingnut.com

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    1. Neat that you've tried balut... chicken and egg at the same time, huh? I guess that means you can eat it for breakfast OR dinner. (or both?)

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  39. OMG, Susan! I couldn't even look at the photos, let alone the videos!! Eeeek! Just wanted to stop by, though, and say Hello and glad to know you! Really!! :)

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    1. HA! Freaked ya out, did I? Sorry about that. I'll behave now. (For a while anyway...) I'm really glad to know you, too. (Really!)

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  40. Fascinating post, but there goes my dinner. I can't eat anything that looks back at me. Can't even eat shellfish (which I love) if it's still in the shell. Peel raw shrimp? Not me. I did eat sweetbreads (Thymus gland) once in France, but only because the person I was with INSISTED.


    ~VR Barkowski

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    1. Yeah, I know what you mean about not wanting to eat anything that looks up at you from the plate. A lot of people don't want to eat stuff that looks like what it IS, either. Like a friend of ours "loves fish"... as long as it's an innocuous looking square-shaped fried morsel.

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  41. Hey Susan, also wanted to say that I certainly noticed your new blog photo and you definitely DON'T look like a horse's patootie, or the sister of that old guy from the bible! :)
    And I love your determination to get your book published! You know I totally believe in "it's never too late" to make your dreams come true. I WILL buy a book or TWO, but I can't afford a hundred. Sorry!!

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    1. Thanks. I hate to have my picture taken. Not a big fan of mirrors, either. (I'd much rather pretend to be as young on the outside as I feel at heart... but instead , I've turned into my mother. Or worse, my grandmother!)

      Cool. I promise to buy your book, too. We may break even on the deal, but at least we'll each make a sale!

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  42. Hey Susan!

    Yay, finally I have arrived with another one of my highly collectable, eagerly anticipated comments. Right, delusional moment has passed.

    Perhaps my comment is a "Marmite" comment. Plenty of food for thought in this posting. And with that I'm going to have a banger, some toad-in-the-hole, followed by some spotted dick....

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    1. Hey, Gary!

      Oh dear, that's quite a list of things you're gonna have. Sounds pretty ominous, fella. And here I thought your medical difficulties were over...

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  43. OK. Being mostly Scandihoovian and Scottish, we ate whatever was put in front of us. That included blood sausages, puddings and gravies. However, there was never a raw fish or sea creature consumed, and for that I'm grateful. I can't. I just can't. Haggis wasn't around because everyone hated it long before I was born. However, I grew up, got my own, and love it. We were not spared oatmeal, though. Oatmeal in every form, in every meal. And sometimes even now I can't look at the stuff without an involuntary dry heave.

    I also must confess I've had turtle, and it's marvelous. There's nothing I can compare it to cuz it's really a singular thing and it's better than most things.

    As for head cheese, my parents loved it. I can't do anything of meat jelly, it just skeeves me. And to this day I hear the slicer going thru headcheese... "vsshzl...vsshzl..." blech.

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    1. Being mostly a blue-collar family living from paycheck to paycheck, we ate whatever was put in front of us, too. Lots of soups, which was (and still is) fine. The worst I can remember is the year my father (a steelworker) was on strike for a very long time, and the union provided us with a case of canned vegetables. They were the most disgusting canned veggies ever. Everything was ultra salty and mushy, except for the asparagus, which was actually made of old tires. I still don't want any part of most canned vegetables.

      I had turtle soup once, but it was canned, too, and pretty nasty. The meat was very mushy, and had little taste.

      But I love oatmeal.

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