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I got this from Leeenda…. I’m pretty willing to try most things, I even tried Stinky Tofu when we were in China but I did not attempt the street food that resembled rat tails (the manservant did and he survived but I think his stomach is cast iron). The things I’m least likely to try are sweet things that come in packets, I’m not a big cake, cookie or candy eater except for Chocolate – and then I’m sort of fussy about the chocolate I eat.
Bold what you’ve tried:
1. Abalone: When I was young we’d go to the beach for summer holidays. My much older cousin would dive for abalone & spear-fish off the rocks of Dee Why beach and he’d bring back hessian bags of abalone. I don’t remember how they were prepared and I don’t remember if I liked them.
2. Absinthe: I don’t think so.
3. Alligator: No, but I’ve had crocodile – does that count? I didn’t like it at all. I was on a first “date” with someone after my divorce and we’d gone to a fancy restaurant. I thought the crocodile was so awful I had to swap it for his meal which I think was a steak that he’d been really looking forward to.
4. Baba Ghanoush – *love* it! but then I like all those sorts of Middle Eastern dippy things.
5. Bagel & Lox – Yes, on my first trip to New York (first trip to US) in 1999 – I think I tried everything that I’d ever read about or seen in a movie.
6. Baklava – absolutely- it’s so deliciously bad for you. A Turkish guy at work makes it and shares it.
7. Barbeque Ribs – yes, but I don’t really like them – too rich and too messy.
8. Bellini – yes, I’ve tried a lot of cocktails – I’ve been legal drinking age for a very long time.
9. Bird’s Nest Soup – no, despite eating some weird unidentified foods in China I don’t think I’ve had Bird’s Nest Soup.
10. Biscuits & Gravy – as you know we Aussies call cookies “biscuits” so the first time I saw a sign advertising Biscuits & Gravy I fell about laughing at the thought of how disgusting it must taste. I’ve still not tried it even though I now know that biscuits are actually like savory scones.
11. Black Pudding – absolutely! My father used to occasionally fry it up with bacon and eggs for breakfast. When in Spain I got it every time I saw it on the menu (morcilla) and I’ve bought it a few times here in DC but it doesn’t taste as good as when dad cooked it.
12. Black Truffle – nope
13. Borscht – yes, and I’ve made it a few times.
14. Calamari – yep – it tastes the best deep fried and eaten while enjoying a nice white wine.
15. Carp – my grandfather used to fish for carp in the Macquarie River and mum would lightly fry fillets. I think they’re considered a pest now (the carp; not mum & papa).
16. Caviar – yes but not the fancy expensive type they probably mean.
17. Cheese Fondue – yes my parents used to have fondue parties in the 70’s and one birthday in the last decade I made 3 of my friends eat at a Swiss Fondue restaurant. We felt like slugs for days!!
18. Chicken & Waffles – this doesn’t sound very nice – is it similar to my mistaking biscuits & gravy?
19. Chicken Tikka Masala – yes and I’ve made it myself.
20. Chile Relleno – I don’t know what it is.
21. Chitlins – yes – here in DC. I didn’t mind them but then I like black pudding!
22. Churros – yes – the first time I had them was at Disneyland.
23. Clam Chowder – yes on the harbour in Baltimore.
24. Cognac – yes but didn’t like it much. I was young – perhaps I should try it again……
25. Crab Cakes – absolutely – one of the “must have” things in this area – Maryland Blue Crabs are famous.
26. Crickets – no but I’ve tried Witchetty Grub – it was sort flavorless.
27. Currywurst – sounds like it belongs to the bratwurst/liverwurst family – I’ve had a few of them.
28. Dandelion Wine – no
29. Dulce De Leche – is there a downside to caramel.
30. Durian – no, and I think the smell would put me off – says she who put Stinky Tofu in her mouth!! 🙂
31. Eel – my father used to buy smoked eel when we went on those summer holidays to Sydney. It was a special treat for him as it was expensive. I remember it being oily and salty.
32. Eggs Benedict – yes – it was something I had to learn to cook when I did Commercial Cookery classes.
33. Fish Tacos – no
34. Foie Gras – not the expensive fancy kind they probably mean.
35. Fresh Spring Rolls – yes
36. Fried Catfish – yes
37. Fried Green Tomatoes – made by me and they were really good – it was the first time the manservant had eaten them too. The first year in this house we grew tomatoes and had a huge crop. As the first frost was about to hit I picked all the green tomatoes and sought ideas on Vox for what to do with them. I also made an “apple” pie.
38. Fried Plantain – about once a year from the Sweet Mango Cafe.
39. Frito Pie – I don’t know what it is but it doesn’t sound good.
40. Frogs’ Legs – a couple of times; once in Sydney and once in Brussels. The Belgium ones were better.
41. Fugu – I’d be scared of dying.
42. Funnel Cake – I’ve not been to a county or state fair yet….
43. Gazpacho – yes but I’m not really a fan of cold soups.
44. Goat – yes in curry from Jamaican jerk chicken place
45. Goat’s milk – yes – relatives used to keep goats on the cliffs above a beach. They’d milk them as one daughter was allergic to diary. I thought the goat’s milk was disgusting – haven’t tried it since but I love goat cheese.
46. Goulash – mum used to make this about once a month for dinner.
47. Gumbo – yes in New Orleans during a long long-weekend.
48. Haggis – yes – complete with some ceremony that involved carrying the tray of haggis around the table and toasting each time the tray stopped. I suspect we were well lubed up on alcohol by the time we actually ate it and so unable to remember the taste.
49. Head Cheese – does this mean the yellow stuff out of prawns/shrimps/crabs?
50. Heirloom Tomatoes – yes, from the Farmer’s Market – lovely sliced on sourdough bread with some basil and crushed black pepper.
51. Honeycomb – if you ever get to Mudgee in Australia go to Honey Haven – they have the best of honey-everything.
52. Hostess Fruit Pie – is this one of those things you find in a packet at gas stations? The manservant says I would starve on a road trip because I won’t eat anything like that.
53. Huevos Rancheros – something the manservant gets for breakfast on occasional weekends. I’ve had some off his plate – I’d never be able to get through even half a plate to myself.
54. Jerk Chicken – from the Sweet Mango Cafe – it’s good but I prefer their curried goat.
55. Kangaroo – grew up on kangaroo tail soup which was really more like a stew. In those days not a lot of the meat was eaten as it was thought it was infested with worms – I guess cooking the tail for many hours got rid of them! As an adult I’ve had kangaroo steak a number of times – it’s very low in fat so has to be carefully cooked so it’s not overdone and tough.
56. Key Lime Pie – yes.
57. Kobe Beef – I don’t think so.
58. Lassi – I hope that’s not a mispelt version of the dog…. I haven’t tried the drink either.
59. Lobster – yes but I don’t think my stomach liked it very much.
60. Mimosa – yes, it involves alcohol…..
61. MoonPie – no, it’s another one of those things in packets isn’t it.
62. Morel Mushrooms – dried ones added to cooking. I don’t like mushrooms much.
63. Nettle Tea – yes – didn’t like it. I always associate nettles with nasty stings on my legs.
64. Octopus – yes marinated & added to a Greek salad – very nice.
65. Oxtail Soup – something else I grew up on. Something else to make me anxious to leave home!
66. Paella – in Barcelona – it was wonderful. There’s now a Spanish restaurant not far from home and they make a very passable paella – we get it to serve on special occasions.
67. Paneer – yes, I love the Indian curry which has paneer, spinach and potato cubes.
68. Pastrami on Rye – no, I don’t like pastrami.
69. Pavlova – of course – I’m Australian and I’ve been to many backyard barbies and social events in the community hall!
70. Phaal – no but I think it’s a curry and I like curries.
71. Philly Cheese Steak – yes in Philadelphia – it was actually the manservant’s which I took a bit of. I’d asked a local where to get the best one – I don’t remember the name of the place now.
72. Pho – yes – there was a huge Pho craze here for awhile.
73. Pineapple & Cottage Cheese – yes something my mother used to mix up to go with lunch. I think you can buy it pre-mixed now.
74. Pistachio Ice Cream – yes – I’m not a big ice-cream fan though so I wasn’t really impressed.
75. Po’Boy – yes in New Orleans the same long weekend as I had Gumbo – and a lot of Hurricanes (the drink).
76. Pocky – seen them but never tried them. Not sure why not – they have chocolate!
77. Polenta – have had nice ones in restaurants but my one effort at cooking it was a disaster.
78. Prickly Pear – no
79. Rabbit Stew – yes another of those growing up staples. Mum used to add a lot of red wine – I always hoped I’d get drunk.
80. Raw Oysters – yep love them. And I’ve shucked them right there on the rocks around Myall Lakes and eaten them on the spot.
81. Root Beer Float – nope – got root beer and ice cream – yuck.
82. S’mores – once and I didn’t see what all the fuss was about – perhaps you have to grow up having them around campfires.
83. Sauerkraut – oh yes, something else from my childhood. This went with the cold left-over corned beef. Horrible stuff.
84. Sea Urchin – yes from the sushi menu (uni).
85. Shark – yes – also called Flake, it was the main ingredient of fish & chips in Australia. The best fish & chips were those that came wrapped in newspaper with a few slices of lemon and vinegar over the chips.
86. Snail – the common garden variety no; the gourmet variety – yes once.
87. Snake – yes barbecued by that same older cousin who used to dive for abalone. It wasn’t too bad. He made the skin into a belt for himself.
88. Soft Shell Crab – yes, once – it was weird to eat the shell.
89. Som Tam – I had to look at my Thai menu to see if this was the papaya salad. I usually order by numbers.
90. Spaetzle – don’t know what it is.
91. Spam – yes, disgusting stuff! My dad used to eat this – still does – mum smuggles it into the nursing home – though I think he gets the “reduced” salt version now.
92. Squirrel – no, they look too cute to eat.
93. Steak Tartare – learnt to prepare it while doing the Commercial Cooking course – I prefer my meat cooked.
94. Sweet Potato Fries – seems like something I should’ve tried but nope….
95. Sweetbreads – yes – I grew up on a farm – nothing much was wasted.
96. Tom Yum – yummy soup.
97. Umeboshi – not sure what this is.
98. Venison – don’t think so.
99. Wasabi Peas – yes. We put them out when we have guests – we like them; not many of our guests do. 🙂
100. Zucchini Flowers – yes stuffed ones made by me – back in the days when I used to cook fancy things.
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