Weird Food
Lately I’ve been going a little snap-happy with my camera phone in some of the grocery stores around here. I just keep seeing all kinds of interesting things that I never even knew was a food.
Plus… the pumpkin obsession continues. The food and beverage marketers really took off with that this year.
That got me thinking about some of the weird foods I’ve eaten… and some I haven’t.
Uncommon (mostly gamey) things I’ve eaten:
- frog legs (No, they don’t taste like chicken. That’s what I was told. But, no.)
- caviar
- smoked oysters
- rabbit soup (Pretty much like chicken.)
- squirrel gumbo (Also very much like chicken.)
- pig brain in scrambled eggs (My dad pulled this on us as kids. We just thought it was sausage until after we’d eaten it. Ugh!)
- barbecued goat meat
- bison burgers
- bear roast
- moose meatballs and jerky (yum!)
- plus more common game meats such as deer and elk
One of the weirdest things I’ve ever been offered is a balut duck egg.
This past spring when I was in Alaska, Sheila (my friend and co-worker) and I often went out for coffee. Sheila is good at finding the best coffee shops around. One morning she said, “You gotta with me over to this Asian market for coffee.” I thought that was a strange place to go for coffee, but I trusted her judgement so I went. It was just down the street a bit from our hotel.
At first it appeared to be a typical grocery store with a coffee shop in one corner. We sat at a table and enjoyed our coffee. Then Sheila said, “Let’s go over in the store. I want to show you something.” What she had to show me were these bright pink eggs. Dozens of them.
“Why are they pink?” we wanted to know. “And is that their natural color?” Turns out they are dyed that color so you won’t mistake them for regular eggs. Because they aren’t regular eggs. They are baby duck eggs. As in, duck embryos. Hard-boiled duck embryos.
The grocery clerk standing nearby was amused at our horror. He offered to let us try one. We declined.
So okay, it’s a delicacy. I get that. Not interested, but I understand. Still… $1.99 each… and they had dozens of them. Dozens! Who buys that many?
I don’t consider myself a picky eater, but there are just some things I’d have to be very hungry to eat.
I’d like to know…
- What’s the weirdest food you’ve ever eaten?
- What’s the weirdest food you’ve ever been offered but not eaten?
8 Comments
Brianna George
Escargot (snails). Tripe (lining of cows stomach). And many of the ones you mentioned above.
KarlaCook
Ewww… and ewwww… Yeah, those would be on my list of things to not knowingly try.
Janet
Yes–amusing, horrified expression here. I don’t think I could handle kangaroo meat. Yikes! I was tricked into trying octopus once, though. Tasted like chewy potatoes–until I learned what it was.
KarlaCook
Did you notice the kangaroo meat is from Nevada? I would have thought Australia, but nope. Apparently there are kangaroo farms in Nevada? Who knew?
I would not want to try octopus either. *shudder* And while calamari doesn’t look too bad, I don’t think I care to try it.
Anonymous
I’m NOT an adventurous eater. I have not tried any of the foods you have listed and certainly not the balut eggs we saw! My most adventurous foods are fennel, artichokes, prickly pear. Fruits and veggies I guess.
Sheila @ Making the Most of Every Day
Dang. When I try to answer on my phone I cannot get it to log in and it posts as anonymous. It’s me, in case you are wondering…
KarlaCook
I did figure that out. The first time it happened I clicked on the IP address and it matched it to your previous comments. (I didn’t know it would do that!) And this time I knew it was you because you talked about the balut eggs.
KarlaCook
The funny thing is you have actually had more “exotic” dishes if not ingredients. I had never had tabbouleh until you made it in Florida. Or hummus. Now I eat both any chance I get.