Welcome to World Blog Surf Day, featuring food!
As an expat, or even as a traveler, you quickly learn that Americans are fairly finnicky eaters, and in the beginning of my expatriate life, I was no exception. I will never forget the look my newly-acquired (by marriage) Spanish Aunt gave me as I carefully separated the fat from the meat on the lamb chop she had just prepared for me. Little did I know that this one indiscretion would brand me forever as “the Americana who discarded the best part of the meal.”
After that, I fully intended to bravely tackle any sort of food placed before me. I would become “the Americana who will eat anything.” It didn’t take long to put this goal to practice. We were visiting the DH’s brother and his family in Logroño, a city in the heart of the La Rioja wine region. The narrow streets of Logroño’s old quarter are lined with restaurants and tapas bars. Every establishment has its specialty, from quail eggs to stuffed red peppers. It is a foodie paradise. One afternoon we stopped in a small eatery for lunch. (Side note: in the evenings you usually grab a small bite and drink standing up and move from bar to bar frequently.) I found a table while the DH scooted off to the bar to order a few snacks. He returned with a big smile on his face and soon enough dishes were delivered to our table. Everything looked delicious, as it almost always does in this region, and country for that matter.
I spied a familiar looking shape – fried mushroom on a slice of white baguette. Superb! I love the meaty mushrooms of La Rioja. Before the DH could say anything, I took a huge bite. But wait, what was this strange texture? Mushrooms usually melt in the mouth but this one was hard and chewy. The DH laughed. He had ordered pig ear. Pig ear! Was that ever difficult to swallow. It was easily the worst thing I had ever eaten.
Oh, how I’ve grown. Living in China has provided me with countless food adventures. I’ve eaten scorpions, grasshoppers and silk worms. I am no longer shocked to see animal stomach, intestines, throat and other parts floating in my stew. What would a chicken dish be without the head on the plate, staring at me?! I even ate a webby duck foot, as my friends looked on, eagerly anticipating my reaction. I don’t think that is something I will repeat!
I have come to understand that in the US’s sanitized, pre-cut, individually-wrapped world we are perhaps missing out on some real delights! Or not! Haha. I have to admit that 10 years ago I avoided fat like the plague, but now I love the flavor of jamon iberico with it’s strip of fat or the wonderfully fatty pork belly famous in China as a favorite of Mao Zedong. And while I did not love the way those grasshopper legs got stuck in my teeth, I had the best time laughing about it with the DH and a group of Chinese friends. Andrew Zimmern I am not, (Holy cow, that guy is brave!) but I am a lot closer to my goal of being the Americana who will eat anything. I will never, however, sink my teeth into a fried mushroom again without a little investigation!
What kind of “strange” things have you eaten?
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To continue your foodie tour of the world, see Camille’s blog! He’s writing about food in one of my favorite countries, Thailand. And I must agree – hole in the wall restaurants typically produce the best food, true here in China, too!
Posting about World Blog Surf Day on Twitter today is our reporter, Thandelike. Anastasia Ashman (Thandelike) is an American cultural producer based in Instanbul, and is a creator of Expat Harem, the anthology by foreign women about modern Turkey. Her Tweetstream focuses on women, travel and history, and she shares resources for writers/travelers, expats, Turkophiles and culturati of all stripes.
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{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Global Gal,
You’re very brave! Much braver than me! Pig’s ear! That would be a very had one to swallow, indeed! The “strangest” thing that I’ve tried was tongue in Japan. They had it looking like some great pieces of beef, which it was! Loved it!
Have a great day,
Sher :0)
Sher´s last blog ..Adventures with Czech Cuisine
I’ve had beef tongue in Costa Rica and I didn’t really enjoy it, but recently I had ox tongue at a Japanese restaurant in Hong Kong and it was really tasty! I’m a convert now.
PS The next link should be to Camille at: http://samui-weather.blogspot.com/
Thanks!
Sher :0)
Sher´s last blog ..Adventures with Czech Cuisine
First, you now do have an iron stomach. Chinese eat everything!
Second, I have not had the experience of weird foods in my adult life. To me, eating chicken feet is not strange as I ate that in Trinidad when I was a child. But it is strange to Italians and Americans.
Third, I am glad I found your blog. China has always interested me and I like how and what you write.
Thanks for stopping by and thank you for your kind words! Growing up I heard stories from my family about eating chicken feet, so while it was something I had never done, it was not entirely unknown to me. Still, it was strange to see chicken feet packaged in shrink wrap and sold in the snack section of Chinese grocery stores! They really do eat everything here!
You are really brave! The Chinese is really proud since you are already enjoying their dishes
While reading your posts, I could just imagine your experience could pass as one of a “fear factor” episode. Chinese foods are really flavorful… but I don’t know if I can manage to eat something strange and exotic.
czaroma´s last blog ..Explore Philippines For A Day With These Great Food
LOL, Czaroma, yes, sometimes it does feel like fear factor – especially one lunch when my DH was challenged to eat an entire baby squid, with the ink sack intact. He had to bail out of the challenge and run to the bathroom!
Oh my! You are sure brave
) I just went and looked at out dog’s treat bag to double check on his pig ears. Yup, you are brave. I could never chew on that one.
Ivanhoe´s last blog ..World Blog Surf Day
Ha!! I forgot that pig ears are usually for the dogs. That’s who I hope eats them from now on!!
In my travelling days and even or rather still nowadays, I love trying new and/or unusual stuff.
In Central America I ate Armadillo, in a Turkish restaurant in berlin I ate flek soup, a sheep head soup, including the eye (a couple of beers before the meal helped!), in Cambodia some kind of gecko/lizard curry, in Thailand and Indonesia I ate snake and in Thailand I ate all kind of creepy crealies; scorpions, grasshoppers, etc etc
My dad used to cook amazing tongue, it almost melted in your mouth, delicious.
There’s interesting stuff out there and I hope I didn’t freak anybody out, but you might as well try it, although I do have my borders or limits
Wow! Okay, you are more adventurous than me!! I agree that we might as well try what is out there. I’m not sure that I will repeat many of the things I’ve tried, but I certainly don’t regret any of the experiences! I’m curious what your limits are, though. For me it is a texture thing. If I can handle the texture, I think I’ll eat most anything. Except for dog. Popular in North China, but I just can’t go there!!
You have such a lovely style of writing! Strangest things I’ve eaten are crocodile and black pudding. Love them both.
I love the idea of eating standing up and moving from bar to bar in Spain!
Emm´s last blog ..World Blog Surf Day: a South African braai in London
Thanks, Emm! MMMmmm I, too, love black pudding, but I’ve been eating that since I was a kid. My grandmother and I used to enjoy it together while everyone else looked on in horror!
I figure I got a good headstart on “weird foods” while growing up in a Belgian / French family. We would eat tongue, kidney, tripe, liver, all manners of raw meat, horse meat, fish roe, etc.
Of course, none of that seemed strange to me, and it’s only when I started cooking for people of a different background that it struck me how much culture and habit dictate what’s normal food and what isn’t.
I draw the line at certain textures, though, so no chicken feet for me, thanks!
Emmanuelle
I have to admit I’m still a picky American. I’ll eat anything vegetable but animal makes me squeamish. People here in Argentina also eat all parts of the animal. Morcilla, a sausage of blood and rice. Kidneys. Hearts. You name it. Although, I am now used to taking a slice of the little goat cooked whole and strung up over the fire.
Kudos to you for getting over your eating “ews.” I’m still working on it.
Kudo to you! I love pig ear. Then again, I’m from Thailand of the Chinese descent family. I think the most exotic food I have had was in Beijing. We ate snake soup. I had to say it wasn’t that great. Very chewy and it does NOT taste like chicken.
)
Amy @ The Q Family´s last blog ..The White House from Afar
Loved this! All of us have had similar experiences, yet we never tire of hearing about them. I, too, love amazing the locals and watching their faces as I try their next challenge. One of the hardest things for me to try was silk worms. I just couldn’t get past the smell, and they are always so big and fat! I finally tried one when I was served a cup full of little ones. Just as I thought…not my taste! Thanks for a great post.
Corinne´s last blog ..Food and World Blog Surf Day
GlobalGal,
I experienced a lot as cook and guest, but now way to scorpio’s, spiders, dogs and cats..)
Nıce posting
Kindest
hans
Hans´s last blog ..World Blog Surf Day – Turkey – June
I don’t think I’ve ever eaten any insects at all! I’m still not brave enough to try kokorec here, a kebap made with sheeps intestines (that may say more about what kind of places serve it though!)
Yazarc´s last blog ..A scone, a goat and the Conor Pass