Things that you WOULD NEVER DARE EAT!

I hope this post doesn't end up offending anyone, as I just wanted to start up a conversation about certain foods that you, for whatever reason, would never try. I consider myself a pretty open minded culinary eater, however, there are a few items that I simply would never even give a chance... I'm sure if you blindfolded me and I sampled some of the below I would probably find most, if not all of these items somewhat tasty, however the thought and sight of these items repulses me to no end!

Chitlins- I probably spelled that wrong, anyhow, what is the process of cleaning out these intestines of fecal matter? Just the thought of this makes my stomach tighten up.

Fried Shrimp heads- My friends swear by these, they tell me how much flavor they have but all I see are the beady eyes of the shrimp as well as the long edgy hair like tenacles and there is no way I'm putting that in my mouth!

Lobster intestines- First of all, they are usually green. I also would never try green eggs and ham, if that existed. The sight of many of the boston faithful scooping out the green gunk of a fresh lobster made me queasy!

A picture speaks a thousand words!

Turd Coffee

imsscott wrote:Turd Coffee

i would try that... its called Kopi Luwak

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kopi_Luwak

well, I'll *try* almost everything twice, but

there was that one episode of Anthony Bourdain's show where he ate seal shit out of a cup that was being passed around by a, I swear to god, clinically-insane Inuit family

I don't think I could do seal shit(coffee out of a civit's ass...been there done that)...I suppose if I was severely malnourished...hmm...

the Inuit family then proceeded to reenact the ultimate scene of Romero's triumvirate films(I guess now quad if you consider Land of the Dead worthwhile...I don't): the flesheating zombie orgy...sub-ing tasty-looking seal parts for human flesh...unfortunately, they saw fit to smear the mammal across the kitchen...grinning maniacally all the while...

so...me: seal shit out of a dixie cup...nah

raw seal hacked apart and slurped off a plastic tarp in some benighted Alaskan kitchen...sign me up





oh...Bourdain ate impacted cow colon charred over a Bushman fire, too, didn't he?

when I was in Malawi I came across a vendor selling sun dried mice onna stick. They were bog standard grey field mice impaled on whatever twig happened to be handy and tossed onto a wollen blanket on the side of the road to dry and shrivel till "ready". Eaten like crawfish, the thought makes me ill to this day nearly 20 years later.

FoodSnob77 wrote:Chitlins- I probably spelled that wrong, anyhow, what is the process of cleaning out these intestines of fecal matter? Just the thought of this makes my stomach tighten up.

For "Cleanest little chitlin in America," might I suggest a trip to Moo and Oink? "So clean they cook in half the time. Just thaw rinse and cook. All fat and membrane has been removed, a very good yield and convenient."

Moo and Oink (http://www.moo-oink.com)

7158 S. Stony Island
773-493-7100

8201 S. Racine
773-962-8200

4848 W. Madison
773-473-4800

Moo & Oink & More
3330 W. 183rd St., Hazel Crest
708-206-0308

I remember some nature/travel show
in Africa (Kenya, I believe) where they
shot an arrow into the neck of a cow
to collect blood, then they mixed it
with (warm) milk and drank it. Maybe
with cold milk I'd give it a try.

Another grosser concoction involved
a group of people chewing on something
(a leaf or fruit of some sort?) then spitting
into a communal container to produce
a "festive" drink. (Something similar
was done by someone as part of a
"Talent Show" when I attended Boys'
State. Several kids brushed their teeth
and spit into a jug, then the one with
"talent" drank the whole mess.) Worse
than any Fear Factor that I've seen.

Christopher Gordon wrote:there was that one episode of Anthony Bourdain's show where he ate seal shit out of a cup that was being passed around by a, I swear to god, clinically-insane Inuit family....

oh...Bourdain ate impacted cow colon charred over a Bushman fire, too, didn't he?

I posted about this Nightline story earlier on the "6 Most Terrifying Foods in the World" thread: "On his Emmy-nominated show on the Travel Channel, 'No Reservations,' Anthony Bourdain is a culinary explorer, eating and drinking anything, anywhere: from warthog anus to ostrich omelet."

Speaking of cleaning chitterlings!!! (Chitlins is the vernacular spelling, I believe.) As shown on Nightline, the warthog anus was cooked on the rare side--I believe AB's comment was "chewy." I thought the ostrich omelet sounded innocuous enough, but it was cooked on the ground with dirt and sand mixed in.... With a diet like this, I'm surprised AB is still alive! I always thought I too would try anything at least once, but I'm afraid I'd have to draw the line at most of these items!

SCUBAchef wrote:I remember some nature/travel show
in Africa (Kenya, I believe) where they
shot an arrow into the neck of a cow
to collect blood, then they mixed it
with (warm) milk and drank it. Maybe
with cold milk I'd give it a try.

Another grosser concoction involved
a group of people chewing on something
(a leaf or fruit of some sort?) then spitting
into a communal container to produce
a "festive" drink. (Something similar
was done by someone as part of a
"Talent Show" when I attended Boys'
State. Several kids brushed their teeth
and spit into a jug, then the one with
"talent" drank the whole mess.) Worse
than any Fear Factor that I've seen.

for further info vis a vis communal psychotropic spit-partaking, may I suggest:

The Yage Letters,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:YageLetters.jpg

a slim epistolary concoction I purchased many years ago while awaiting one of Jello Biafra's Desert Storm rants at Diverseworks in Houston: fyi---

http://www.amazon.com/Blow-Minds-Living ... im_m_img_1

I remember some nature/travel show
in Africa (Kenya, I believe) where they
shot an arrow into the neck of a cow
to collect blood, then they mixed it
with (warm) milk and drank it.

Actually, this is a basic foodstuff for the Masai. See more here:

http://www.congocookbook.com/other_reci ... blood.html

Beat me to it. For people who live in dung huts and subsit on a diet of blood and milk, the Masai are very elegant folks.

Chicha is the basic Andean drink originally made with corn that's been chewed and spat out.

The OP made me question my tastes. I could make a very fine meal of the 3 things she or he mentioned.

tarte tatin wrote:

Christopher Gordon wrote:there was that one episode of Anthony Bourdain's show where he ate seal shit out of a cup that was being passed around by a, I swear to god, clinically-insane Inuit family....

oh...Bourdain ate impacted cow colon charred over a Bushman fire, too, didn't he?

I posted about this Nightline story earlier on the "6 Most Terrifying Foods in the World" thread: "On his Emmy-nominated show on the Travel Channel, 'No Reservations,' Anthony Bourdain is a culinary explorer, eating and drinking anything, anywhere: from warthog anus to ostrich omelet."

Speaking of cleaning chitterlings!!! (Chitlins is the vernacular spelling, I believe.) As shown on Nightline, the warthog anus was cooked on the rare side--I believe AB's comment was "chewy." I thought the ostrich omelet sounded innocuous enough, but it was cooked on the ground with dirt and sand mixed in.... With a diet like this, I'm surprised AB is still alive! I always thought I too would try anything at least once, but I'm afraid I'd have to draw the line at most of these items!

I dunno about Nightline(I don't bother with it), but I have seen both Bourdain episodes I mention(along with his million+ audience) so...

yeah...I can't get over the idea that he was being "punk'd" (urgh...that idiotic pop culture appellation!) by both his mentally-ill Inuit hosts *and* the squicky colonialist Afrikaner farmer and his "tribal bride."

Hey, IIRC the seal was mixed with blackberries. How bad can anything with blackberries in it be? I think what he was offered in the dixie cup was an eyeball - been there, done that.

I'm with you, Jeff! Myself, I draw the line at the canned bugs. Though someday I plan to personally explore the meal at the beginning of that thread...

JeffB wrote:Beat me to it. For people who live in dung huts and subsit on a diet of blood and milk, the Masai are very elegant folks.

Chicha is the basic Andean drink originally made with corn that's been chewed and spat out.

The OP made me question my tastes. I could make a very fine meal of the 3 things she or he mentioned.

Funny, me too, and have had all several times (not that I liked all of them -- the tamally is really not to my taste, though The Wife loves it).

I'm with you on the chitlin's (actually I have tasted them, and thought they were ...unpleasant)

But I will admit to lovin the shrimp heads AND the lobster tamale...
(I don't know why they call it that that it's really lobster brains....
or what passes for brains in a lobster ...I think)

However I will NOT eat bugs

..and I'm just plain afraid to try Durian fruit in any form

quote="tarte tatin"With a diet like this, I'm surprised AB is still alive! !

Perhaps that is how he stays so thin - many of the food items he has to contend with probably don't inspire a need for second helpings.

I have tried the three items listed by the original poster and had no problem eating them. Just this weekend at dimsum had a terrific plate of fried whole shrimp where the heads provided a delicious crispy and creamy taste sensation.

I have always viewed myself as an adventurous eater, but I too draw the line at some things which may have cultural significance - such as seal feces and spittle-laced beverages- but are not exactly gastronomic treasures. But who is to act as judge, since many of my culinary adventures have elicited responses ranging from admiration to horror to nausea.

Jyoti

FoodSnob77 wrote:Chitlins- I probably spelled that wrong, anyhow, what is the process of cleaning out these intestines of fecal matter? Just the thought of this makes my stomach tighten up.

Hope you haven't eaten any sausages in natural casings ...

Mhays wrote:Hey, IIRC the seal was mixed with blackberries. How bad can anything with blackberries in it be? I think what he was offered in the dixie cup was an eyeball - been there, done that.

I'm with you, Jeff! Myself, I draw the line at the canned bugs. Though someday I plan to personally explore the meal at the beginning of that thread...

I think you're confusing the seal poo episode with another in which Bourdain(and A. Zimmerman also covers this territory) eats "Eskimo ice cream"...

http://www.ankn.uaf.edu/NPE/CulturalAtl ... 88955.html

I can only find cursory mentions of Bourdain eating seal poop out of a cup ...so maybe I'm misremembering? I know he eats an eyeball, too(whatevs). Maybe he passes on the poop?

tarte tatin wrote:I always thought I too would try anything at least once, but I'm afraid I'd have to draw the line at most of these items!

Just to clarify:
Lobster tomalley: Good (actually, I think the tomalley serves as the lobster's liver and pancreas, rather than brain)
Chitlins: OK
Shrimp heads: OK, although I prefer it when my food doesn't stare at me with beady little (or big) bug eyes!

When I said I'd have to draw the line, I meant more in the area of seal poo, warthog anus, and impacted cow colon.... and maybe those sun-dried mice on a stick. But who knows what a film crew, a "million+ audience," and the right amount of $$$ might convince some people to do.... Hey! I remember a time when eating sushi and sashimi (WHAT?!? You eat RAW fish???) was considered horrifying by many....

jlawrence01 wrote:Hope you haven't eaten any sausages in natural casings ...

As a matter of fact.... Just returned from Rome where a classic dish is <i>pasta alla</i> (or sometimes <i>con la</i>) <i>pajata</i>, meaning that the pasta (usually, but not always rigatoni) is served with the intestines of an unweaned calf. Since it has been fed only its mother's milk, which is left intact, you're eating sausages in natural casings, right? The milk coagulates and, added to the pasta and tomato sauce, creates a sort of creamy dish with a somewhat cheese-like sauce.

For the record, I tried it upon several recommendations and found it not quite to my taste. Although I normally like sour, the "edge" didn't quite work for me in this dish.

good god, that sounds horrible. milk is immediately curdled and soured in a calf's stomach. i've seen a couple cut open and it stinks. nasty.

Ewww. Curdled milk - who eats that?

I think, pretty much, the answer to the OP is that if there's a food out there (toxic and infectious substances aside,) there's somebody on this forum either who has or who will eat it. And then post.

guinea pig.

apparently Ecuadorians eat it.

RiverWester wrote:guinea pig.

apparently Ecuadorians eat it.

Cuy. Not bad, though the little beaver-like teeth in front are kind of creepy.

FoodSnob77 wrote:Chitlins-
Fried Shrimp heads-
Lobster intestines-

Sounds like more of a "things you crave" list for me!

Pass the chitlins, please!

Gypsy Boy wrote:

jlawrence01 wrote:Hope you haven't eaten any sausages in natural casings ...

As a matter of fact.... Just returned from Rome where a classic dish is <i>pasta alla</i> (or sometimes <i>con la</i>) <i>pajata</i>, meaning that the pasta (usually, but not always rigatoni) is served with the intestines of an unweaned calf. Since it has been fed only its mother's milk, which is left intact, you're eating sausages in natural casings, right? The milk coagulates and, added to the pasta and tomato sauce, creates a sort of creamy dish with a somewhat cheese-like sauce.

For the record, I tried it upon several recommendations and found it not quite to my taste. Although I normally like sour, the "edge" didn't quite work for me in this dish.

Anybody who ate the Son of a Bitch Stew at the picnic ate the marrow guts or unweaned intestines. You can buy these frozen at H-Mart in Niles.

They can also be cooked over fire to eat as-is, too. I brought some for this purpose to the picnic, then forgot about it.

Regards,

are we on the same page here? do these intestines have partially digested milk still in them? That can't be legal(?)

Gypsy Boy wrote:
As a matter of fact.... Just returned from Rome where a classic dish is <i>pasta alla</i> (or sometimes <i>con la</i>) <i>pajata</i>, meaning that the pasta (usually, but not always rigatoni) is served with the intestines of an unweaned calf. Since it has been fed only its mother's milk, which is left intact, you're eating sausages in natural casings, right? The milk coagulates and, added to the pasta and tomato sauce, creates a sort of creamy dish with a somewhat cheese-like sauce.

Reminds me of a prized dish in India - a dessert made from the first milking of a cow after she gives birth. This milk is very rich, yellow in color, and coagulates naturally. It is heated and a little sugar is added. When it firms up it is served as a dessert that is somewhat like a panna cotta in texture.

Jyoti

teatpuller wrote:are we on the same page here? do these intestines have partially digested milk still in them? That can't be legal(?)

Marrow guts are not intestines, though they look like them Rather it is the tube between the two stomachs of an unweaned calve. The milk is slightly thickened from the natural rennet present in the stomach.

Regards,