Monday, August 18, 2008

Playing along with The Omnivore's Hundred

I saw this on Chocolate and Zucchini today, and Clotilde got it from Very Good Taste. The Omnivore's Hundred is Andrew Wheeler's list of foods he thinks every omnivore should try at least once. He made up a little game to go with it: copy and paste the list, bold the items you've tried and cross out the items you would never eat.

My guess was that I'd be right around half and I was right, I think I counted 56 out of 100. There's a number of things I can't remember if I've maybe had, and quite a few things I'm not interested in or would rather not eat but I wouldn't refuse to try. Really the only things I don't think I could handle would be insanely hot pepper, whole insects and roadkill. I'm not sure what I'm more disturbed by with its appearance on the list; roadkill or the Big Mac Meal. And I'd cross off the Big Mac if I really thought I could deny ever having tried it, but that was a long time ago.

Here we go... what's your number?

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue (last year in Zurich in the apartment I'm about to move into!)
8. Carp (Not sure, but I can't remember!)
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari (I like it grilled better than the usual fried, chewy dish.)
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart (Can't say that I remember doing so!)
16. Epoisses
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 (I'd really rather not, but I guess I won't cross it out.)
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper (Not just gross, this would hurt.)
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. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects (I really doubt I could make myself do it.)
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk (Does cheese count?)
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more (I'd love to try some!)
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal (Why is this on the list? Weird.)
56. Spaetzle (Also in Zurich)
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV (Hooray for the Belgians!)
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads (I'd rather not.)
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis (Not interested but I'd try it.)
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill (No way, José!)
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant. (French Laundry, baby!)
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab (Mmmmm, so good!)
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Believe it or not, sweetbreads can actually be quite tasty. Mike and I had them at the Martini House because they were on the tasting menu we had our hearts set on. They were quite good, but Mike refused to let me tell him what they really were. Ignorance is bliss!

mczinn said...

I got 71! Actually including raw scotch bonnet (go figure), insects (I assume the worm I ate in Australia counts?), and crocodile. For the snails, Paul and I actually got to pick some from the rocks in French Polynesia and then they fixed them with dinner!