My mother is fascinated with what people eat when they go out for dinner and she has strong opinions about those things. Hamburgers, cheeseburgers, french fries, macaroni and cheese - these are all things to admire and applaud.
This fried green tomato I ordered last summer was approved by her but with reservation because it cost more than $5.
After going for dinner with friends she will expect me to call her on the way home so I can inform her of my dinner choices. If she approves things go fairly smoothly on the call. If she does not, they take a turn.
A few years ago I informed her 3 friends and I shared seared Octopus for an appetizer. I didn’t get much further than that for quite a while. Betty immediately started yelling “Blech” into the phone. She actually used that word. “Blech! Why in God’s name would you eat that?? ”
I calmly replied I had no choice, the others wanted it because they were all out of human toe knuckles.
My mom’s not the most adventurous when it comes to food.
When she finally calmed down after the octopus, I told her that I tried my friend Jenny’s rabbit entree. Betty’s blech was immediately elevated to animated barfing sounds.
Now I know rabbit isn’t super-common among those of us raised on white bread and canned peas, but it isn’t that crazy, is it? To be perfectly honest with you it was very tender and really did taste like chicken. But for some reason it was less enjoyable than eating chicken. Mainly because it was a bunny. Mainly because it felt like I was eating my cat.
Would you like to save this stuff?
We'll email you this post, so you can refer to it later.
Maybe I'm my mother.
Really rabbit is nothing. It's common. At least compared to what a friend of mine told me he ate a few weeks ago. Porcupine. He ate porcupine. Remarkable, when you consider this same fellow squinches his face up at vegetables or takeout Chinese food. The thought of it makes him queazy. But Moose? Bring it on. Porcupine … lemme at it. Apparently it tastes like pork incidentally, which makes it one of the most appropriately named foods on earth.
So as we move into the weekend when most of us have more time to focus on food, I have a question for you. Out of curiosity what’s the most adventurous thing you’ve ever eaten?
To get the ball rolling here … my entry: barnacles.
Yes, they are the things you scrape off the bottom of a boat. They look like ugly, angry little penises. I tried them in Portugal because a waiter asked me if I'd like to try them.
So, even if it’s a can of ravioli that was expired by 2 years I want to hear about the most adventurous thing you've eaten is.
I am curious and a little nervous to hear your responses.
Maybe Betty will even chime in with a response of a Yum or a Yuck.
Lacey
I'm a little late to the party but here goes.... Rocky Mountain Oysters, aka calf testicles. I was drinking at the time (and the few times I ate them) but on the last occasion, although drinking that time too, there was a slight, um, pull? to them and realized I had gotten one just underdone and the pull was a vas - I suppose since I did take anatomy in college - and I stopped eating them right then and there. Also stopped drinking. For awhile anyway. It seems drinking leads to poor choices in what I might put in my mouth.
Karen
It happens to the best of us. ~ karen!
Irene
Crocodile and fried Mopani worms.
The Mopani worms were weird; crunch through the skin and get a mouthful of what just tasted like salty water.
Claire
Barnacles
Barnacles! I HATED them and thought they tasted like ‘gone off’ stale seawater seasoned with earwax. I was ‘treated’ to these and other delicacies when I visited my (then) Basque boyfriend’s family in San Sebastián (as in, he WAS my boyfriend at the time, I expect he’s STILL Basque…). San Sebastián is the self claimed Gastronomic Capital of the World. Not that I dispute that and some of their nosebag is very yummy. Anyhoo, his dad was a member of a ‘men only’ gastronomic society that has survived generations of blokes and involves an ancient venue in the ‘Old Town’, a kitchen and local ingredients. And men. ONLY men are allowed in fact. They meet regularly to cook, eat and drink. However, on special occasions women (family members) are invited to share the meal. (They still aren’t allowed in the kitchen, not even to do the washing up! But I think that’s quite admirable!) As a guest of the family, the ‘English Girlfriend’, I was given VIP status and a meal was hosted in my honour. I was seated at the head of the table and the prizest cuts and tidbits were served onto my plate. This included Lampernas - the aforementioned Gooseneck barnacles. (No, me neither, they don’t look at all like gooses’ necks do they! More like… erm… ) I was also ‘treated’ to fish eyes from the huge fishy centrepiece of the banquet which were saved especially for me and not just given to the eldest, most respected member that night. All eyes were on me. And IN me as it turned out… They were gross as well, kinda crunchy in a cartilage kind of way with a ‘pop’ of slimy foul-tasting liquid. It could have been worse, as later that holiday I tried out my best Spanish lingo in a restaurant. The word for ‘chicken’ and the colloquial slang word for ‘vagina’ are quite similar I discovered, whilst trying to order a chicken salad. I’m now happily married to a fellow Brit and we eat pies and stuff. As for other unusual foods - I’ve dined with a lovely Chinese friend of mine in a Chinese restaurant. She chose and ordered for me. In Cantonese. I got chickens’ feet (not a lot of meat on them scrawny bones) and congealed pig’s blood. But we’re still friends…..
Karen
Of course you're still friends. Nothing bonds two people together more than congealed pig's blood. It's a well known fact. ~ karen!
Claire Mills
True. Now I know what to get hubby for our wedding anniversary…..
Allison
I recently ate barnacles in Portugal, accidentally! Because in the discussion with the waiter, "I understand" - percebes - also means "barnacles."
Karen
Hahaha! I remember them being inoffensive other than their look. Which I couldn't get past. ~ karen!
Cindy
Rattlesnake with a side of cactus.
Karen
Only hicks eat rattlesnake without cactus. ~ karen!
ConCanDo
I tried braised Puffin in Iceland 🤔
ConCanDo
It tastes a lot like penguin 🐧
Bill
As a kid, I grew up in rural central Wisconsin and had several Native American (indian) families as neighbours. They were poor people and would take advantage of any kind of protein that was available to them. From the common game, like venison, squirrel, rabbit and various birds to the not so common like turtle, 'possum, racoon, skunk, cat and dog. On a few rare occasions, I would be invited to share a meal with them. I have to admit that the most unusual thing I ate with them would have to be muskrat! I believe that creature swam around in my stomach for a couple of days.
Carrie Anne
Hmmmm
Let’s see. Alligator tail in RI. Salt and vinegar crickets. Lays has nothing on them! The usual octopus, escargot etc. oh….gooey duck ( think I’m spelling it wrong and it’s pretty much the same as a barnacle only resembles a very large penis!) 😂
I’ll try anything once. Well almost… no mountain lion here and holy crap…monkey brain!!!!!! Thought that was just in the movies. Rock hard stomach there! But totally no judgement.
I’d like to try Ostrich.
So much to try, so little time 🍔🌮🍗🍟🍪🥩
Jane
You're thinking geoduck (pronounced GOO-ee-duk), the largest clam. If you like clam, which I do, you'd like it. I had it once, in a Chinese restaurant, sliced thin, quite tasty. Didn't know what it looks like in real life until years later.
Jackie
Ostrich tastes like beef and is delicious!