289970 Thu Aug 01 10:47:49 -0700 2002 29 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1571874 As open minded as Chowhounds are, there have to be more folks with stories of food that they tried... and wished they hadn't. There is a thread below which I have linked to that mentions steak Tartare from an automat in Holland, thousand year old eggs (chinese) and my own experience with a fermented milk product in Africa. I would love to hear more of peoples experiences of being adventurous and trying some unusual food item in the name of chowhoundiness and then regretting it! Often there is a brief pause as you contemplate trying something truly on the edge... sometimes you look back on that pause and think, if I had only not taken that bite. Other stories I know of were a friend of my dads eating some truly scarey tripe and lard-laden soup at a workers restaurant in Northern Europe. He could barely get it down, but was afraid to leave it uneaten for fear of insulting his burley neighbors. And a photographer I know ate Palm Tree grubs in Papua New Guinea. Essentially 3" long 3/4" thick big juicy larvae. He showed me photos and I will confess that I flinched; they looked like huge maggots. He had them raw/alive and roasted. Said they were actually not too bad and kind of creamy. Finally, I would say that even with three days of extreme gastrointestinal distress after my fermented milk product experience in Senegal, I would try it again in the same situation. If you don't try that new food item, you may be missing the caviar of Kuala Lumpur, or the Foie Gras of Bangladesh! Nothing ventured, nothing gained! Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/289968#1571827 Thu Aug 01 10:47:49 -0700 2002 0 StriperGuy 1 1571875 Though I am a carnivor, I am also a lover of all things soy bean...almost. The one thing I will never try again is natto (semi-fermented soy beans). Think slimy beans covered with stringy snot that pulls like taffy. I couldn't even tell you if it tasted good, because I was too grossed-out by the texture. My only though was, "how fast can I get this out of my mouth?!" Thu Aug 01 11:08:20 -0700 2002 1571874 0 iveygirl 2 1571880 Yes: just say no to natto. Once was too much. Never again. Anything else, fine. Thu Aug 01 11:43:30 -0700 2002 1571875 0 CTer 3 1571917 One method of getting the "real stuff" in an ethnic restaurant is to order something that natives eat, but Americans don't. I'll say one thing about natto. If you order it in a truly authentic sushi restaurant (e.g., one that doesn't offer "California rolls"), you'll be treated to all sorts of stuff that normally would not be served to non-Japanese customers. Of course, if your palate has a relatively narrow range of acceptable tastes and textures, the authentic stuff may not be much of a treat at all. Thu Aug 01 16:46:41 -0700 2002 1571880 0 Tom Armitage 4 1571927 Thanks for the tip -- but do you think they'd notice that the natto was the only untouched item on my plate? ;-( Thu Aug 01 18:56:58 -0700 2002 1571917 0 CTer 2 1571945 Natto isn't as offensive if eaten in conjunction with other thing. I tried natto in a handroll, and the rice made the slimy texture more manageable. Thu Aug 01 22:29:55 -0700 2002 1571875 0 Wendy Lai 1 1571878 Tibetan butter tea. I'm a tea lover and had to try it. Blech. The thought of it gives me THE SHIVERS. Thu Aug 01 11:34:20 -0700 2002 1571874 0 Uncledave 1 1571883 Taiwanese fried smelly tofu - I thought I could handle it, after all I LOVE durian AND hundred year old eggs and I don't say No to Natto, but no, as I chewed on it, the odor was just too reminiscient of stuff you output rather than input..... managed to swallow, but admitted defeat thereafter. I don't think I could do insects either; fortunately have never been called upon to try. Thu Aug 01 12:18:37 -0700 2002 1571874 0 ju 2 1571892 I cannot handle boiled chitlins. Any other part of the hog (fresh brains, fried testicles, stewed ears, lights, etc.) I have no problem with. The stench of boiled chitlins leaves little doubt about what it is you are actually putting in your mouth, nor does it leave much room for rationalization. Thu Aug 01 12:56:17 -0700 2002 1571883 0 flavrmeistr 2 1571894 Your post reminded me of two more. I have tried that tofu. Taiwan Cafe in Boston called it "strange smelling tofu" and that pretty much says it all. Ate two bites and that was it. I also have a buddy who travelled to Japan quite a bit. He was treated to a rare delicacy. I don't remember what type of fish, but he said he ate fish sperm and could not get the taste out of his mouth for an hour! Thu Aug 01 13:05:58 -0700 2002 1571883 0 StriperGuy 2 1571903 My first encounter with chou doufu (as stinky tofu is called in Chinese) was in Nanjing. The setting was the university cafeteria where I was an exchange student in 1988. The smell permeated the entire building, getting stronger as we neared the cafeteria. This being China, and a newish building, I assumed the plumbing had backed up, but when the smell followed me around after I picked up my lunch, I finally whipped out the dictionary and looked up the character "chou" and saw that it means "stinky". To my surprise, the dish itself was very tasty, and now when I smell that smell I find myself wondering whether it's sewage or chou doufu. Yum. Thu Aug 01 14:08:28 -0700 2002 1571883 0 James G 2 1571944 Aww, stinky tofu! I love them. But of course I'm Taiwanese and I grew up eating them at street side vendors. I can't handle blue cheese (which I find just as stinky as stinky tofu) yet I love the fermented tofu. I guess it's a definitly an acquire taste. I think I would try almost anything except in the insect world.... Thu Aug 01 22:28:09 -0700 2002 1571883 0 Wendy Lai 1 1571891 To preface, I'm not a food wimp--ate calves brains and eggs as a child, love sweetbreads. But, I took the plunge a couple years ago and finally tried menudo. Served by the owner; as she watched me eat. My god! My only thought is that this is what a cow's butt must taste like. Never again--tripe, begone! Thu Aug 01 12:44:55 -0700 2002 1571874 0 berkleybabe 2 1571905 Was it the menudo itself, do you think (never tried it--may postpone) or tripe in general? My thrifty Irish mother used to prepare tripe occasionally, to a chorus of howls, but I have enjoyed it recently at Babbo and at Pastis very much. I liked it Hunan style at the Shun Lee Cafe a couple of weeks ago, too, but it did reappear and dispatch itself rather neatly during the intermission at Contact. Not sure if it was the dish or if I was having an off day. It wasn't the show. Thu Aug 01 14:41:49 -0700 2002 1571891 0 Deb Van D 3 1571914 Tripe can be stupendously wonderful. It can also be wretchingly awful. I've had fabulous menudo. I've also had terrible menudo. My advice: don't categorically reject tripe because of a few bad experiences. Pity those that, for example, don't experience the heady pleasure of eating Gino Angelini's tripe at Osteria Angelini in Los Angeles. Thu Aug 01 16:35:05 -0700 2002 1571905 0 Tom Armitage 4 1571972 I grew up across the road from an Agway farm supply store, and spent college living in a farmhouse, so there are certain cow-related smells that I find familiar and ... homey. I also spent about fifteen summers with my arms up to the elbow in fresh shucked clams or oysters, so there are squishy foods that I find familiar and .. homey. Nevertheless, it took a few tries before I grew comfortable with tripe. My aunt Gert once told me about a new fancy supermarket in town that sold pickled tripe. When she exclaimed, "Oh! Pickled tripe is my middle name!" I knew I had to try it. I bought some, nibbled at it, found it not pleasant but I determined to "get the taste for it." I ate a half pound without getting the taste for it, and called Gert to tell her so. She was disappointed: "How did you cook it?" Cook it? There's a lot of cool tripe in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Good Chinese restaurants provide that fine-grained tripe at dim sum, and no one should die without trying it; the texture is fascinating and complex. Many Spanish/Cuban restaurants near me serve menudo with a wider-grained tripe. Something that puzzles me about tripe diners, though. It seems that fancy people insist that tripe be divested of all its native flavor, and souped-up with other spices and sauces. Blue collar tripe eaters often seem to appreciate a tripe that knows where it's from, and retains some of that cow-related essense I remember from the farm. If you get my meaning. I don't find a little of that flavor unpleasant. By God, I like it, within limits. So what's the origin of the two types of tripe -- the Chinatown fine-grain vs. the Italian mama wide-wale? I've heard that fine-grain trip is intestine and wide-wale is stomach. Is this true? Fri Aug 02 12:22:40 -0700 2002 1571914 0 Clams247 5 1571973 Honeycomb tripe is my favorite. Cows have two stomaches and tripe is used from both. I'm only familiar with honeycomb, but it's possible that tripe from one of the other stomaches would be a "fine grained" variety. I would think that by definition, there'd be no "tripe" in intestines. I like it a lot. I recently had a tripe filled tortilla that was fit for gods. Fried tripe in a sandwich is darned good too. Fri Aug 02 12:45:56 -0700 2002 1571972 0 Pat Hammond 6 1571981 Actually, that would be 4 stomachs. Rumen, omasum, reticulum and abomasum. Don't know which corresponds to which tripe though, sorry. Fri Aug 02 14:29:44 -0700 2002 1571973 0 chibi 7 1571985 Wow! Four stomachs, a chowhound's dream! I guess that means more tripe for everybody. Sorry about the misinformation. My knowledge of cow anatomy is clearly lacking. Fri Aug 02 14:46:07 -0700 2002 1571981 0 Pat Hammond 8 1572025 I suppose you can't tell one cow's stomach from the udder. Sat Aug 03 08:19:14 -0700 2002 1571985 0 Pat Goldberg 7 1571987 Wow, I'm impressed. Are you a vet ? Fri Aug 02 14:51:56 -0700 2002 1571981 0 ju 3 1571989 I can't say if it was the tripe--but it's put me off tripe in any form... Fri Aug 02 15:21:23 -0700 2002 1571905 0 berkleybabe 2 1571922 Calves eggs ... is that a euphemism for testicles?? (vbg) Thu Aug 01 17:17:22 -0700 2002 1571891 0 Sarnie 1 1571911 Apologies to the South Africans on the board. The South Africans make a baked casserole concotion called Babootie, which is, in my opinion, just nauseating. Its main ingredients seem to be some sort of eggy custard, fruit chutney and ground beef. Its not that any of these are so bad individually, but the combination just sets me off. I lived in Jo'burg for 4 years, and discovered that I hated Babootie the first time I put any in my mouth. And every time after that when it was served, i would try to politely not eat any, and say that I didn;t really care for it. The host would always say "But you haven't tasted MY babootie..." and ladle a huge portion onto my plate. Thu Aug 01 16:11:46 -0700 2002 1571874 0 Terence 2 1571965 Couldn't resist...I love the stuff. Fri Aug 02 11:57:14 -0700 2002 1571911 0 GG Mora 1 1571913 This has happened to me only 3 times: 1. When I was a little kid, my parents ordered an antipasto plate and, as usual even then, I was wolfing down salami, cheese, artichoke hearts, etc and then saw my parents eating the hot little dark green peppercini. So I grabbed one, put it in my mouth, pulled off the stem, started chewing, and YOWIIEEE! It was HOT. My parents thought it was real funny. That my chowhounding instincts survived my first taste of a real pepper still surprises me. And now, of course, I love spicy foods. 2. When I tried menudo at a super authentic Mexican place in Seaside CA. I've had menudo other places and it was fine (though the broth never tastes savory enough for my taste), but this time it was huge chunks of tripe in slightly spicy broth. That's all. And I'm talking real huge chunks. I tossed the chunks (before eating them) and drank the broth, which did little for my hangover. 3. Once I was zooming along the freeway and it was in the afternoon. I'd missed lunch and had driven hundreds of miles and finally pulled off at an exit to get some fast food (OK, while driving I'm not a Chowhound). This huge sign said "Whoppers 99 cents" and that sounded like too good of a deal and hey I was having fast food anyway. Well those burgers must have been growing coliform cultures for hours in their nice warm holding area, because the rest of the day I drove with gut cramps from Rest Stop to Rest Stop. Teach me to go to Bugger King. Thu Aug 01 16:34:41 -0700 2002 1571874 0 e.d. 2 1571938 I've eaten at Booger King twice in the past 10 years, and have gotten 'intestinal upset' both times. You're a faster learner than I am! Thu Aug 01 20:49:58 -0700 2002 1571913 0 Jackie Avery 1 1571954 Homemade moonshine in northern Michigan . Tasted like turpentine with extract of habanero mixed in . I spit it out into a campfire ( big mistake ) and it LEAPT up the stream from my mouth and nearly burnt the crap out of my face . It may make you loopy , but so does hitting your head with a big rock . If anyone offers you any elixer that either : adds vigor , makes you manly , or puts hair on your chest , in any country , RUN AWAY . They are just having a good laugh at the tourists expense . Fri Aug 02 01:10:05 -0700 2002 1571874 0 GoalieJeff 2 1572004 Bad 'shine is pretty nasty, all right. Good 'shine is in a class by itself, better and cleaner than almost any booze you can buy in a store. Someone who knows what they're doing can turn out an exalted or even legendary product. Not all are made from corn (though some of the best I can recall was made from late-summer corn--very smooth, light golden color with notes of mescal, peach and black walnut). There are many recipes with herb and fruit infusions, various roasted grains. Then, of course, the homemade brandies and liqueurs...ho, ho! Great stuff, Maynard. One little tip, though. Before you drink anything, take a sniff of it first. There are plenty of friendly lunatics around with a taste for vicarious experiment. It may have been habanero-infused turpentine, for all you knew. Fri Aug 02 19:45:16 -0700 2002 1571954 0 flavrmeistr 1 1571958 Barracuda, in Cozumel. In a restaurant, no less. (It was actually very tasty.) Word of advice: Don't eat barracuda if you're in the Caribbean! I contracted an extremely nasty case of ciguatera poisoning several years ago. Ciguatoxin is a neurotoxin that comes up through the food chain from the wastes of the coral reefs, and it has long lasting effects. The toxin gets concentrated in larger fish, and nothing gets rid of it -- cooking, freezing, nothing. Apparently you can also get it from eating other large fish from tropical waters, including red snapper. When this happened I was told by a local that "we never eat barracuda." I have read that a rule of thumb is to eat no fish longer than your forearm. Apparently Pacific Coast barracuda, from the cold waters, is pretty safe. Fri Aug 02 09:19:00 -0700 2002 1571874 0 Sarah C