\"The strangest things I've eaten are....\"

One of them was deep fried pork intestine. I was at a Chinese restaurant with a friend and decided to eat something from the 'Chinese language only' section at the back of the menu.

I pointed at a series of characters and asked a waiter what it was. "Liver," came the reply. "Beef?" I asked. "No. Pig liver. Liver."

When the dish arrived my game changed from 'try something unusual at the back of the menu' to 'try and guess just what the hell you're eating'.

"It's tubular. Liver doesn't look like that."

"What's are those spongy things inside? Do you think it's lung?"

"No," *chews* "No I don't think so. It might be chopped up but it's the wrong shape." *smacks lips, tests palette* "It's crispy on the outside and soft inside. It's sweet, but it's got a mild essence of fart to it."

"I don't think I can eat much more."

"Yep." *dips meat in plum sauce "It's .. Getting difficult."

I'm not sure when we figured out what it was. I think the the meats whisperings about a life associated with poo finally made us realise what it was. The dish wasn't unpleasant. It was unusual. An acquired taste.

Turns out the plate I had was mild. In had the same dish in another restaurant. That time I was assaulted by the flavours of the meat. I was eating part of a forest inhabited only by wild boar with chronic flatulence; it tasted gamey - except the game had got serious and declared war.

I don't know how I'd have coped without the plum sauce.

Let''s see.

My dad cooked escargot pizza once. That''s was really good, actually.

Umm, cold boiled chicken with salsa at penang-that''s a seriously acquired taste.

Anyone ever have Beaver? Nasty, oily meat.

I''ve had ''field mouse'' on a arctic survival trip while in the Coast Guard.

I''m trying to think of a witty retort to the Beaver question and find myself stuck in 7th grade mindset. You asked If I''ve ever eaten beaver.
YES! Just not when Aunt Flo was visiting.

"mateo" wrote:

Anyone ever have Beaver?

YES I HAVE.

Rocky Mountain Oysters (bull balls), calf fries (calf balls) with gravy and Tabasco, wild turkey fries (balls off a gobbler wild turkey)...ummmm sea urchin a a sushi place...love steak tartare and carpaccio (raw meat)....

"SkippyLeBeef" wrote:

Rocky Mountain Oysters (bull balls), calf fries (calf balls) with gravy and Tabasco, wild turkey fries (balls off a gobbler wild turkey)...ummmm sea urchin a a sushi place...love steak tartare and carpaccio (raw meat)....

Steak tartare is not ""weird"". Just undercooked!

Actually, my brother and I went to this korean place and ordered the equivalent of carpaccio, which was interesting, and deadly.

Kobe beef served with kimchee, chili paste and raw eggs.

Yum.

mmm. kimchee.

It''s amazing how you people can bring any discussion down to balls and beavers.

Myself, I ate something at a Burgerking in Newark, NJ once.

"Gorilla.800.lbs" wrote:

It''s amazing how you people can bring any discussion down to balls and beavers.

What can I say? Its a gift.

"mateo" wrote:
"Gorilla.800.lbs" wrote:

It''s amazing how you people can bring any discussion down to balls and beavers.

What can I say? Its a gift. :D

That''s not a gift, it''s a superpower.

I haven''t really eaten anything too wierd. Just thinking about anything involving internal organs makes me want to heave so I stay far away from that crap.

Squirrel is the oddest thing I''ve eaten while growing up in the wilds of Wisconsin. Tastes like rabbit, which doesn''t taste like chicken at all.

I''ve also tried ostrich steak once but it was way too tough and rare in the center. Nasty stuff that I won''t be adding to a dinner menu anytime in the forseeable future.

Alligator sausage.

"Rat Boy" wrote:

Alligator sausage.

Gator sausage po-boy''s are good stuff. Didn''t really figure them to be exotic though. In that case, Frog legs, Nutria steak, Conch fritters, Crawfish heads, softshell Crabs, and backstrap. Those seem to be relatively local dishes others may not have had. Though I hear that we''ve got nothing on the Chesapeake in the Crab department!

"1Dgaf" wrote:

It''s sweet, but it''s got a mild essence of fart to it.

Funny, most of my ladies look for that in a guy.

I haven''t eaten anything too strange myself, but I have great respect for those who take a culinary hit for the team in the name of science.

Also, this may have made an appearance on these boards before, but damned if I don''t wince every time I think that they actually make the stuff.

"buzzvang" wrote:

Didn''t really figure them to be exotic though.

Really? So eating centuries-old, man-eating, car-sized reptiles is commonplace for you?

"Rat Boy" wrote:
"buzzvang" wrote:

Didn''t really figure them to be exotic though.

Really? So eating centuries-old, man-eating, car-sized reptiles is commonplace for you?

At least on this planet. I tried Gator Jerky while on a vacation in Florida. Tasted like a regular beef one.

"Rat Boy" wrote:
"buzzvang" wrote:

Didn''t really figure them to be exotic though.

Really? So eating centuries-old, man-eating, car-sized reptiles is commonplace for you?

Well, since you put it that way..

"Rat Boy" wrote:
"buzzvang" wrote:

Didn''t really figure them to be exotic though.

Really? So eating centuries-old, man-eating, car-sized reptiles is commonplace for you?

Essential part of real chili-bit chonks o'' gator. Or snake. Or turtle.

Let''s see...

curried goat (slightly gamier than lamb but kinda lamb-like)

moose and elk meat, which we mostly made into heavily spiced goulash type meal. my buddy in college''s dad worked for DNR and would go hunting and send us...odd meat. You have to put alot of spice and sauce with elk or moose meat. Tough and a tad gamey, but hell it was free.

You can get alligator in places that are like TGIFridays or Applebee''s down South so not sure alligator counts.

First time I had a shark steak, I thought that was a bit unusual, as it seemed more like beef than fish.

Being raised in the North (of the U.S.) I thought grits were pretty damned unusual the first time I had them.

"Roo" wrote:

Let''s see...

curried goat (slightly gamier than lamb but kinda lamb-like)

moose and elk meat, which we mostly made into heavily spiced goulash type meal. my buddy in college''s dad worked for DNR and would go hunting and send us...odd meat. You have to put alot of spice and sauce with elk or moose meat. Tough and a tad gamey, but hell it was free.

You can get alligator in places that are like TGIFridays or Applebee''s down South so not sure alligator counts.

First time I had a shark steak, I thought that was a bit unusual, as it seemed more like beef than fish.

Being raised in the North (of the U.S.) I thought grits were pretty damned unusual the first time I had them. :)

Curried Goat? Check. Very good.
Moose/Elk? Check. Elk is more like a tougher venison.
Shark? Check. Not so likey, but maybe it was overcooked.
Grits? Check. Grew up in Dallas. Dallas schools had grits for breakfast at the time. Good stuff.

How about Collard Greens?
Kale Soup?
Tandori Venison (courtesy of the fabu Tamarind in NYC)?

Crocodile (which I found to be very gritty).
Emu burgers (which were fantastic, though I was 4 or 5 sheets to the wind at the time).
Chicken hearts (which were just freaky - tasty, though).
A full packet of KD cheese. At once. Well, attempted, anyway. That stuff don''t go down too good...

Amen on the grits. I married a southerner, and she laughed at me when I almost put brown sugar on my first plate of grits.

Raised on Elk and Deer, always been tasty to me. The real treat is taking the heart from a fresh kill, soaking it overnight in brine, then frying it up! Yum!

Grouse gizzards are fun too, just pick out the rocks.

And Rattlesnake is alright.....tastes like chicken

Edit: And why am I always creeped out by the neck of the turkey at Thanksgiving?

For me it must have been the macaroni made without eggs in them and boiled in salty water. We had to upturn the dish to get them out and then we cut them with knife like the birthday cake. This was back in 93, I was on front line very close to the Olimpic ski-jump ramps close to Sarajevo. I also almost broke my tooth on the tiny mortar shell shrapnel that I got pulled out of my shoulder few days before and wanted to keep, that somehow got into the macaroni soup. It was war time though...

"el_dino" wrote:

For me it must have been the macaroni made without eggs in them and boiled in salty water. We had to upturn the dish to get them out and then we cut them with knife like the birthday cake. This was back in 93, I was on front line very close to the Olimpic ski-jump ramps close to Sarajevo. I also almost broke my tooth on the tiny mortar shell shrapnel that I got pulled out of my shoulder few days before and wanted to keep, that somehow got into the macaroni soup. It was war time though...

We have a winner.

"mateo" wrote:

How about Collard Greens?

Are you on CRACK?!?

Collard Greens, Buttermilk Cornbread, and Grits were all food handed down di-rect from God In Heaven to give the Southern Man sustenance!

We''d better not go down this road, or else we''ll start saying Brats, Philly Cheese Steaks, and She-Crab Soup are exotic...

"buzzvang" wrote:
"mateo" wrote:

How about Collard Greens?

Are you on CRACK?!?

Collard Greens, Buttermilk Cornbread, and Grits were all food handed down di-rect from God In Heaven to give the Southern Man sustenance!

Agreed, I''m just saying.

My wife is from El Salvador. The first time I made collard greens for her, she thought I was on crack.

Then again, they eat green mangos in El Salvador (think the most bitter, sour thing you''ve ever tasted, then soak it in lemon juice and salt-ugh).

Cockroaches in chocolate. It''s crunchy.

And hey! What''s wrong with green mangos? I''m eating some right now (I really am ) and they''re freakin'' delicious, with lemon and salt. Oh baby, every bite is a tiny orgasm in my mouth, and everyone''s invited!

But then isn''t all food from that region really better with salt and your choice of citrus fruit?

I guess, we love fruit with lemon and a little salt

Green mangoes are just orders of magnitude better because they''re crunchy too. Oh boy. Now that I''m out, I''m sad

Who''s up for some bull balls?! No? Goat?

"Mex" wrote:

Cockroaches in chocolate. It''s crunchy.

And hey! What''s wrong with green mangos? I''m eating some right now (I really am ) and they''re freakin'' delicious, with lemon and salt. Oh baby, every bite is a tiny orgasm in my mouth, and everyone''s invited!

I guess nothing''s wrong with it, its just a convenient illustration of cultural differences and acquired tastes.

Whatevah floats yer boat.

Me, I prefer mangoes with chili sauce, like you get outside of Shea stadium.

Fantastic.

That''s all right, different strokes ... something, something, as that small black kid used to say.

Well, you don''t have to eat the green mangoes, but your wife and I will sure keep sharing our bite sized orgasms!