The Omnivore's Hundred

Oooh look, a new post! Excellent!

Don't get too excited just yet... since I've spent the better part of the day lying on an orthopedic pillow icing my neck and upper back (thank you, mutinous trapezius), a meme is about all the creativity I can muster at the moment.

This one's fitting for me, though, since I've spent much of the last couple of months changing my eating habits, reading about the industrialization of the food chain and the development of our counter-intuitive Western Diet, and re-thinking my whole concept of food and what part it plays in my life.

Why yes, there will be more posts about that in the future.

But for now, I've picked up this meme from Andrew Wheeler over at  Very Good Taste:

Here’s a chance for a little interactivity for all the bloggers out there. Below is a list of 100 things that I think every good omnivore should have tried at least once in their life. The list includes fine food, strange food, everyday food and even some pretty bad food - but a good omnivore should really try it all. Don’t worry if you haven’t, mind you; neither have I, though I’ll be sure to work on it. Don’t worry if you don’t recognise everything in the hundred, either; Wikipedia has the answers.

Here’s what I want you to do:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile (No crocodile, but I have had alligator)
6. Black pudding (Not just no, but HELL NO. Ick.)
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses (Mmmm, cheese)
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper (Ouch!)
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters (Why are these an aphrodisiac? Briney slime: not sexy.)
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda (Warm and delicious garlic, mmmmmm...)
31. Wasabi peas (I have a bag in my cabinet right now, actually)
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi (Meh, I prefer the Americanized mango version)
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar (Ooh, yes)
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects (Not unless I'm stranded in the wilderness)
43. Phaal (I love hot food, but even I'm intimidated by phaal)
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu (Still haven't worked up the nerve to try this one yet...)
47. Chicken tikka masala (This might be the dish I miss most now that I'm not eating meat)
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut (Too sweet)
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi (Once was enough, thanks)
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine (Cheese? Gravy? Fries? This is nothing but goodness.)
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin (Eating dirt? Why? I'm sure there's enough on my food already)
64. Currywurst
65. Durian (Not bad if you can get past the overpoweringly awful smell)
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis (This may be the food of my people, but I don't need to eat it again. Ever.)
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill (Eew)
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong (I tried this in Hong Kong and wasn't as impressed as I was hoping to be)
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Apparently I'm a bit more a foodie than I thought; not too many unbolded items on the list!

Comments

[Dave2]

The one thing I thought for sure would be on this list, but isn't, is natto.

[Chana]

Trust me and cross off #50. We had sea urchin as part of an incredible meal in SF (before my allergies... it was all seafood) and we both gagged. It's a very base-metal taste. If you like sucking on pennies, sea urchin may be for you.