great god pan

[interstice]

Here's one of those meme thingies. I stole it and g-d willing I'll never do one of these again. Mostly I'm doing it to brag about the only aspect of my life in which I have an adventurous demeanor. The ones I've eaten are in bold. The ones I've personally prepared are italicized (and counting preparation as the hardest part of preparing the distinctive part of the dish within reason; e.g. I've brewed lapsang souchong, but it's not different from brewing any tea, and I've not smoked it myself, so it's not italicized). If I've had them in a culturally-significant context, they're underlined. I am pretty picky about it; e.g. Chinese food from Chinatown is not enough.

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
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 (NYC bèbè)
16. Epoisses (I had to look this one up, but I had eaten it. Stinky cheese from Burgundy. And I had it in Burgundy.)
17. Black truffle (only the obligatory little tiny flecks analogous to those bits in vanilla ice cream, so not really.)
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes (tomato and watermelon. both were shit.)
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries (self-picked in Pacific NW)
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper (WTF?!)
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Dosai
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly (jello shot)
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more (sigh)
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut (hot off the conveyor belt around midnight)
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi (embedded in a riceball)
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle (mit speck)
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine (although it wasn't very good, nor authentic...)
60. Carob chips (some people use this instead of chocolate. I've never understood those people.)
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads (srsly. It was delicious.)
63. Kaolin (Apparently this is the kao in kaopectate. Is it referring to the clay that people eat in places like Haiti and South Carolina?)
64. Currywurst
65. Durian (only in a custard, but it was foul enough...)
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or and funnel cake (although I never got around to frying my own Mars bar or twinkie...)
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette (With moutarde a l'ancienne, it is incredible. Just trust me and don't look it up on wikipedia before you try it.)
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe (I've had louche fake-absinthe, but no wormwood so no dice.)
74. Gjetost, or brunost (the one and only cheese I will never eat again. Velveeta before gjetost!)
75. Dumpster-dive bagels (I changed this from roadkill... seriously, WTF?!)
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail (aside: on a Customs declaration form, there is a question: "Are you importing live snails or active germ culture?")
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant (not quite yet)
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers (although mostly as edible garnish; I've never had a flower salad or anything. I include it because I got the pure sensory experience, however brief.)
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa (although harissa, yes of course)
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor (why bother? Just serve the damned crustacean with butter. If you have to fuss about it, clarify the butter yourself or something. Sheesh.)
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee (and I hated it; compared to other coffee varieties, it was like pickle juice)
100. Pigeon

Comments

[suicide-sam-e.livejournal.com]

What ones have you had not represented which you would add to the list?

I'm disappointed dog and cat weren't part of the meme.

and I would recommend venison. It's like everything beef wished it was. (At least, all of the prepared venison I have had has left me wanting more.) I can only assume deer are not more widely farmed because "fattening" isn't part of deer behavior. (Deer probably cannot be "watered" either before market and slaughter.)

Oh, awesome post title.

[random-walker.livejournal.com]

I added pigeon and dosai, which replaced snake (SNAAAAAAKE!!!) and foie gras. I've not had either of those though I've had other slightly less cruel patês.

I'll post in the comments some more addenda, real soon now.

Deer: I think you're right. Part of the goodness of venison is the fact that it is unfarmed, kind of like wild game or boar. I've had very little wild meat... should rectify this. I once looked for NYC restaurants with even wild game, and found precious few.

[suicide-sam-e.livejournal.com]

Maybe you can get in on some kind of hunting trip? I'm not suggesting taking up hunting, because it would be a counter-productive investment (even if the food distribution network collapses tomorrow, you'd be better off hunting people and their food than primary sources of food). But maybe there are 'chartered hunts' or something? (You know, as FL has chartered fishing trips where the vessel, tackle, food, and fishing licenses are all covered — only with hunting.)

Also, as I understand hunting (whether fish, fowl, or fauna) to work, if at least someone gets some meat, at least a portion of it is usually divided up with the non-productive members of the party. So as part of a group your chance of getting venison increases. (But then again, maybe that's just some kind of "gentleman rule" I have been repeatedly exposed to and so now take as granted.)

[hfwolfe.livejournal.com]

I also recommend an experience hunting. Its some of my best memories. But, Yo Yo Yo, don't just go on _any_ old chartered hunting trip. For a grand and half, you can go on a "Pork Slam" with Ted-Freaking-Nugent:
http://www.tednugent.com/hunting/huntwithTed/
"Primo Adventure Guaranteed!"

Alternatively, if you go to a farmers market in a few months, you might be able to find quality wild game. The one in Madison had wild deer throughout the season. Pricey, but goo-oo-ood If there were one in Myakka City, I bet it would have wicked catfish. Or ask your local fleischmonger. You never know what meaty-connections these people have until you ask.

[random-walker.livejournal.com]

I just watched the PETA episode of "Bullshit!" with Ted Nugent. Weird. He's a psychopath, or at least plays one on TV. There's no way I'm handing him my hard-earned (or at least borrowed) $$$.

[hfwolfe.livejournal.com]

Really? The "Motor City Madman," The author or the critically acclaimed "Wango Tango," everyone's "Uncle Ted" is a psychopath? I refuse to allow you to libel that fine citizen.

[random-walker.livejournal.com]

I should ask around at the local farmers market; there is a free-range turkey farm there at least.