View Full Version : Weird Food - Care to share?
Tog Tan
04-13-2009, 12:53 AM
I am starting this thread so that we can share some insights of the various food cultures of the people from different places. Just read it for fun and if it offends you, let it be. There's nothing we can stop what people do for centuries before us. In a way it's good to know what's happening out there.
Ok, here goes;
One of my pals was a guest of honour at a dinner in the Philippines and they served up this big plate of stuffed meat. It's bloody gross to most of ya - a puppy stuffed with rice! Please don't get put off here, it's a culture's way of interpreting fine cuisine.
He told me he had a hard time putting the rice in and he's a chink too. Apparently, the pup was purged clean (empty tummy and hungry) and then fed a good quality cooked rice but it was in turned cooked. I think it was roasted. Maybe Chong can tell us more.
Bon apetit! :ha:
lorax
04-13-2009, 12:57 AM
I'll contribute a grilled kebab of giant palm-beetle grubs on a bed of fresh cress. This is an absolute delicacy among the Shuara.
Chironex
04-13-2009, 01:00 AM
I would imagine that dog meat is like any other meat, but the psychological stigma attached to eating what we view as domesticated pets, makes it difficult to swallow.
If we were blindfolded and were not told, the reaction would be much different as everyone can imagine. Fido'nt tell 'em, you will!
And what if we truly liked the taste - oh my! "Bone appetit"
lorax
04-13-2009, 01:05 AM
Oh, right. I forgot - we eat rodents here! Slow-roasted Cuy (pronounced COO-ee, it's Guinea Pig) is fantastic, but it kind of freaks me out that it's served head on, with it's little death's head grin. Roast swamp rat is also quite yummy.
We've already discussed the larger rodential options (Guanta agouti meal? Come to Ecuador!)
Chironex
04-13-2009, 01:22 AM
Wait until I get to the street market in China. I am sure there will be some truly tempting tidbits there! I have seen a few on the Food Channel, like roasted scorpion, crickets, sea slugs, cat, grasshoppers, starfish on a stick, etc.
Here's a nice video Chinese Food & Cats - Video (http://www.metacafe.com/watch/yt-P4oy1Jtij-c/chinese_food_cats/)
Tog Tan
04-13-2009, 02:03 AM
Live Termite Queen
I have tried this and it taste just like custard or durian without the pungency. Why do we eat it? It is a very heaty food and supposed to be good for people with asthma. What we do is we dig up the termite mound and then take out the royal chamber and keep it till we want to eat the queen. The faster eaten the better cos the workers cannot get to feed her once out of the nest. The chamber is then broken and the queen gets her head torn off and in it goes into the mouth. Sometimes we find dark brown color queens and those are supposed to be better. I tried it a couple of times out of curiosity. I once ate a couple at a go and boy, my body heated up like in a fever.
There are people who keep the queens in Chinese wine. It is supposed to be an aphrodisiac too.
I love dogs and I haven't tried it cos I didn't go looking. But if it's on the table, I will have a go. The people here believe that once you have eaten dog meat, the dogs seem to know it and don't get friendly.
I find it really interesting how different cultures can interpret the word fine cuisine.
Beth, the palm grub is an aboslute delicacy in Borneo and there's festival for them. Here, the people don't go for it.
Cuy is a much valued pet here and not cheap to eat but the women eat it with herbs as post birth food. It is highly nutritional for them. The other rodent eaten here is the Moon Rat. But it's fully protected and not many gets around.
bepah
04-13-2009, 08:38 AM
I really like frog's legs.....
and they do not tast like chicken
lorax
04-13-2009, 09:07 AM
Cuy is a much valued pet everywhere except Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia (ie the former Incan Empire). Here it's a tasty meal, and we have a festival for it in the highland city of Mocha, where the best Cuy are raised. I'd venture to say it's where the best Cuy are cooked, as well.
Oh, we also have a soup called Jaguarlocro (Kichua name, meaning literally "blood soup"), which is a thick potato and sheep's blood potage with avocado. It's much tastier than it sounds, and incredibly hearty. It's what one traditionally eats before attempting to summit a volcano. Traditionally it should be made with the blood of an Alpaca, but very few places still do this. Sheep are cheaper.
Dog, in my experience, is very greasy meat. Not quite so greasy as bear, but getting there.
I thought it was only me with the food disorder! I don't think I can top scorpions and dog but, I like the fried front portion of Botan Ebi , and monkfish liver is a seasonal favorite here. Raw quail eggs are ok, I guess uni is my favorite. Frogs legs are ok if prepared well. The scariest thing I think I've eaten was a pre made frozen Chinese hot pot, extra spicy hot with some things I couldn't and didn't care to identify. I'll think of more by the time I get home.
Tog Tan
04-13-2009, 09:29 AM
Cuy is a much valued pet everywhere except Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia (ie the former Incan Empire). Here it's a tasty meal, and we have a festival for it in the highland city of Mocha, where the best Cuy are raised. I'd venture to say it's where the best Cuy are cooked, as well.
Oh, we also have a soup called Jaguarlocro (Kichua name, meaning literally "blood soup"), which is a thick potato and sheep's blood potage with avocado. It's much tastier than it sounds, and incredibly hearty. It's what one traditionally eats before attempting to summit a volcano. Traditionally it should be made with the blood of an Alpaca, but very few places still do this. Sheep are cheaper.
Dog, in my experience, is very greasy meat. Not quite so greasy as bear, but getting there.
Are the Cuys for eating different in size to the pet store variety?
The only blood consumed here is curdled chicken blood. When chicken is slaughtered, the blood is mixed with a slight salt solution. It is then cut into cubes like tofu and is usually used in soups. Traditionally it was a food for the barbers as the clotted blood is supposed to be able to take out the tiny bits of hair which gets inhaled while at work.
I have tasted bear's paws considered a food for the emperor, it tasted like ox tail!
lorax
04-13-2009, 09:50 AM
Tog, they are the very same Cuy that are purchased in pet-stores outside of the Incan Empire. Maybe ours are a bit bigger, but then again, we feed them well. It's customary, if you're living in a traditional highlands house (ie an adobe construction with dirt floors) to keep two or three Cuy in the kitchen to keep it clean. You just throw your compost to them, and they snaffle up everything right down to breadcrumbs. Sweep once a day for the kakitos, and you're good. They're better than vaccuums.
Next time I'm at the free market, I'll grab a pic of the live Cuy for sale. A full-grown 5-pound Cuy costs about $7 at current prices. They're right next to the bunnies and the ducklings in the live-animals section of the market; the guy who sells them sometimes also has turkeys.
Tog Tan
04-13-2009, 10:01 AM
I really like frog's legs.....
and they do not tast like chicken
Bepah, up till now not many people are aware that M'sia has the biggest edible frog species in the world. The Giant Rock Frog, Rana smithii syn macrodon grows to 5 kg (that's 11lbs) and has been eaten into near extinction. Nowadays, we get only the 200-300gm ones and they are great anyway you cook them. I had a 1+kg specimen as a pet and it is a very calm animal. You should see it gulp down rats and medium sized chicks.Awesome!
Tog, they are the very same Cuy that are purchased in pet-stores outside of the Incan Empire. Maybe ours are a bit bigger, but then again, we feed them well. It's customary, if you're living in a traditional highlands house (ie an adobe construction with dirt floors) to keep two or three Cuy in the kitchen to keep it clean. You just throw your compost to them, and they snaffle up everything right down to breadcrumbs. Sweep once a day for the kakitos, and you're good. They're better than vaccuums.
Next time I'm at the free market, I'll grab a pic of the live Cuy for sale. A full-grown 5-pound Cuy costs about $7 at current prices. They're right next to the bunnies and the ducklings in the live-animals section of the market; the guy who sells them sometimes also has turkeys.
5 lbs! And you call it a bit bigger.... Our pet shop ones are only 1+lb and cost like $7.
I like the noise they make...queee...queeee...:ha:
Michael_Andrew
04-13-2009, 10:39 AM
My wife is Lebanese. First time I ate with the family they had this awesome spread. There was this plate of what looked like raw hamburger. Well all the kids were begging for it. I figured it was something sweet like a desert so I ask for some. My wife took a big scoop and plopped in my plate and said "You like raw meat?" So there I was choking down raw lamb acting like I liked it. It’s called Kibbe and I eat it all the time now. Take some Syrian bread put the Kibbe in it and put an onion on top. Of course I get the grape leaves, cabbage rolls, and all that Lebanese food. When I met her I weighed 150 lbs. lol
lorax
04-13-2009, 10:51 AM
5 lbs! And you call it a bit bigger.... Our pet shop ones are only 1+lb and cost like $7.
I like the noise they make...queee...queeee...:ha:
My cousin has a 3lb one that she calls a Skinny Pig, and it makes that noise at night. It creeped me right out - I'm used to eating them, not hearing them talk to themselves....
Chironex
04-13-2009, 11:58 AM
Raw beef tartar is commonly served at deer hunting camp in Northern Wisconsin. I have had it many times. Oxtail is also excellent.
Bob, hot pot typically is a dish originally made by the poorer farming people of China using whatever they could find. Chicken feet, pig feet, all of the left-over parts. It is in high demand in Chongqing and the Sichuan province. Quite spicy, too.
There is also a Mongolian hotpot, but I have not yet tried it.
Sixwing
04-13-2009, 12:06 PM
Ooh.. I'd like to try guinea pig (other name I've heard is cavy, around here.)
I agree with Bob; sushi is wonderful. The fried shrimp head part of Ama-ebi is one of my favorites. Uni is OK; it's really really bad if it's not fresh, though, and it's hard to get fresh seafood here. Whole pickled plums (ume-boshi) are a joy. Natto (fermented soybeans) is something of an acquired taste, but I really like it; it's savory-salty-slippery-sticky and generally fun to eat. The smell is somewhat offputting to anyone who hasn't had it before.
I'm also a fan of roasted, stuffed heart; grouse hearts and gizzards are a popular hunting-camp treat.
Beef tartare is a treat I've only had once... would try again. Yum.
The Irish pub downtown also serves steak and kidney pie, and black (blood) and white (bone meal) pudding (sausages). They are fantastic.
Patty in Wisc
04-13-2009, 12:27 PM
Raw beef (ground round) spread on rye bread w/ black pepper & sliced onion - YUM. Very popular here esp Christmas & New year.
I love frog legs. I made them grilled or breaded & deep fried. I heard there's something wrong with eating them & don't see them in stores anymore. I thought they tasted like chicken! :)
I'll never eat grubs - esp live. Aren't those the short fat maggot looking things that squirm a lot? EEEUUUW
Anyone hear of 'blood sausage'? My family made that.
I love sushi & all seafood. I boil octopus & eat in oil & vinegar dressing...YUM.
Patty, are you in an area where they eat lutefisk(sp). It's one of the few things I probably wouldn't try.Octopus is one of my favorites as well, called "taco" at the sushi bars . Put up your recipe! A guy from work brings me blood sausage from his Portuguese father. Come to think of it for Easter yesterday I made for my mother traditional Irish breakfast that includes "black pudding" another blood sausage....Good stuff!
Tog Tan
04-13-2009, 02:29 PM
Sheesh, I am just sitting back and imagining eating the stuff you people talk about. I am a Beef Tatare fan but there's no blood sausage or haggis here for me to try...shucks...
Bob, have you eaten a live octopus? Should try it, real fun with the suckers all over your mouth!
Patty, the palm grubs are the size of the thumb. Mostly roasted but also great raw. It taste like fragrantly sweetish custard. Put a blindfold on and do it.
The frog legs are ok to eat but not the abdomen area as frogs are nasty carriers of parasites. You should try it steamed with Chinese Rice Wine. It's fabulous.
alpha010
04-13-2009, 02:30 PM
Tog...You must've been reading my mind! I was watching Bizarre Eats marathon yesterday and one episode was Malay cuisine and I laughed and thought......what does Tog see around town in a day!?! My entry in this is plain simple and to the point.......................Durian. 'Nuff said.
Shaggy
alpha010
04-13-2009, 02:32 PM
Patty, are you in an area where they eat lutefisk(sp). It's one of the few things I probably wouldn't try.Octopus is one of my favorites as well, called "taco" at the sushi bars . Put up your recipe! A guy from work brings me blood sausage from his Portuguese father. Come to think of it for Easter yesterday I made for my mother traditional Irish breakfast that includes "black pudding" another blood sausage....Good stuff!
Just the thought of Lutefisk and blood pudding is enough to send me packing. But I don't eat it and wasn't raised to eat it so my opinion on that stuff is just that, My Opinion.
Shaggy
lorax
04-13-2009, 02:39 PM
Patty, Tog's grubs are small! Our grubs are about the size of both your thumbs placed together. Raw, the texture and flavour are like custard. Cooked, they take on a nutty flavour as well. They're usually found in Morete (Mauritia flexuosa) and Chonta (Socratea exorrhyza and S. dactylorrhyza) palms.
Caloosamusa
04-13-2009, 02:40 PM
I don't know if it's considered Weird food, but I like raw salmon (farm raised), Grilled Alligator meat, Frog legs, and Soft shelled turtle soup with swamp cabbage (hearts of Sabel palmetto). I stopped eating Sushi because wild caught fish has a much higher mercury content than farmed raised fish. :2239:
lorax
04-13-2009, 02:43 PM
Ah, sushi! I don't consider it weird anymore - but I do like fine slices of fresh tuna sashimi.
Tog Tan
04-13-2009, 02:52 PM
Tog...You must've been reading my mind! I was watching Bizarre Eats marathon yesterday and one episode was Malay cuisine and I laughed and thought......what does Tog see around town in a day!?! My entry in this is plain simple and to the point.......................Durian. 'Nuff said.
Shaggy
Hey Shaggy, it really isn't that bad with the durian. Do you know that many Chinese won't eat beef or mutton cos of the meat's odour? Pork, they love but not other meat.
Everytime I watch the shows like Fear Factor with the stuff like bull testicle being eaten and the squirmy faces, I laugh. If you put a Chinese there, he will finish off in a jiffy and ask for more! :ha::ha::ha:
saltydad
04-13-2009, 03:05 PM
Eating kosher would put a severe crimp in eating adventurously. No blood, shellfish, meat only from animals with cloven hooves that chew their cud, no mixture of milk and meat, etc. Can't say I'm overly strict here; love crab, lobster, shrimp. Oh well, I guess I won't have to worry about being cold in the next life. :ha:
Tog , before anyone accuses you of being critical of the Chinese diet: A few years ago a buddy of mine brought his wife(Chinese) to my hunting camp (ugh!) during the late season. We got a few deer that day on drives and after cleaning them we generally leave the guts and the pile will be gone by next morning(coyotes and bear). She was kind of put off and asked "are you just going to leave that there?" After replying "yeah" she casually mentioned "In my country we'd clean it up and eat it." So I know you're not kidding. I'll eat the heart and liver of a small one but that's about it.
Caloosamusa
04-13-2009, 03:38 PM
The other day I cooked mutton, we had unlevened bread and bitter herbs. I really would like to have cooked mutton the way my friend did from United Arab E., Mohammed. Best mutton I've ever eaten! I just wish I knew the herbs he used to "spice it."
Most of the mutton was cut into peices mix in a huge pile of rice. On top of the very large platter was the head. As guest of honor I was offered an eyeball. Being North American I was a bit squimish at first. When I did taste it, I just wish Mohammed had prepared two of them, it was good! :2239:
Tog Tan
04-13-2009, 04:08 PM
Most of the mutton was cut into peices mix in a huge pile of rice. On top of the very large platter was the head. As guest of honor I was offered an eyeball. Being North American I was a bit squimish at first. When I did taste it, I just wish Mohammed had prepared two of them, it was good! :2239:
One of my friends was the guest of honour at an Orang Asli gathering in the jungle. He got the best piece for the night - the whole head of a roasted monkey. He wasn't keen on it at all but had to take it in his stride as he held the thing with a banana leaf and picked it all off as the night dragged on. No, he didn't enjoy it! Should have asked him to save the eyeballs for you Ken. :ha:
Caloosamusa
04-13-2009, 05:26 PM
When it comes to monkey it depends on how it is prepared and cooked. Thanks for thinking of me Tog Tan.:2239:
Chironex
04-13-2009, 06:16 PM
I ate some McDonalds double cheeseburgers! But no eyeballs came with it......that I know about anyhow.
Caloosamusa
04-13-2009, 07:21 PM
Now that is weird food especially when you consider the fat content! I'll stick with grilled foods. Some of the best grilled chicken I've had was in Mexico and Puerto Rico. :2239:
Caloosamusa
04-13-2009, 07:28 PM
Oops, I better get back to weird food, tonight I made a medley soup from leftovers, mutton and chicken, I added rice and brocolli, with a hint of spices. My wife liked it.:2239:
Patty in Wisc
04-13-2009, 11:07 PM
Bob, what is 'Lutefisk'?
Also, I never buy "fresh" octopus here as I know it cannot be fresh! I've seen it fresh in the mart but it has to be leftover from day before I assume (if they didn't sell it then) & originally thawed out.
I buy frozen, thaw it & then clean the head out. Then simmer for 20-30 min depending on size. Turn off heat & let it set for few minutes & put cold water in & rinse. Cut into bite size pieces. Sometimes I cut extra fat off (seems like fat to me). I make a It. dressing of half olive & half canola oil, vinegar (reg & sometimes w/cider vin, wine vin etc), italian seasoning, bay leaf, lemon juice, salt, pepper & lots of chopped onion. Let it marinate overnight - although I sneek some to taste test before.
Eat it as is or on a lettuce salad.
Caloosa, there is a diff between mutton & lamb. Mutton is older lamb & it smells bad...it STINKS. Lamb is much milder & tastes better. Get young lamb... YUM. Oooh, leg of lamb on grill!
Monkey Brains??!!
Reminds me of "Hannibal"...when he was eating someone's brain right out of his skull. So did Johnny Mathis with monkey brain!!!!!
I was young & remember seeing him on Johnny Carson show & he said he went to a country to perform (don't know where) & the HOT thing to eat was monkey brains. He said he ordered it in a restaurant. The skull was cut so he could eat it right out of the skull & it had to be served fresh (meaning they just killed the monkey).
Tog, I'm sure you know if this is true...I'm sure it is, cuz I think Johnny Mathis is too stupid to not keep this to himself. Great voice but no brains -- why he was eating them..to get some for himself! I think he lost lots of good popularity because he mentioned this. I have not seen him on any talk shows since! He said 'A lot of ppl won't like this , but....'
Some of you would be surprised what some of our markets sell. In Mexican & black side of town, cow tongue, chicken feet, pig feet, cow brains, bull nuts, whole pig heads, pig & cow intestines & I can't remember others. No insects or bugs though.
Ya know, ppl in China are prolly more healthy than us Americans as we tend to be obese (I am not) because of Krispy Creme donuts & too many sweets & junk foods!
Thanks for starting this Tog...interesting & fun!!
mskitty38583
04-13-2009, 11:43 PM
Bob, have you eaten a live octopus? Should try it, real fun with the suckers all over your mouth!
.
i love it! its great. talk about playing with your food while you eat it. tasty tasty. i lovemudfish. its really good.
alpha010
04-14-2009, 06:25 AM
Bob, what is 'Lutefisk'? ..........
........Thanks for starting this Tog...interesting & fun!!
Lutefisk from what I've seen is whitefish that started decaying and then was cured, dehydrated, left to sit for a long time, reconstituted and then warmed up and served. Supposed to be very ummmm pungent to say the least.
Let's see if Bob can add more to this.
LOL @ Tog, chinese can be a funny bunch with food.......Then again so are white people. Everything is all dependant on how you were raised and what you were brought up on.
My walk on the wild side is eating at the Pizza Hut I used to work at! (Trust me, if you ever worked fast food, you know exactly what I am talking about!)
Shaggy
I ate some McDonalds double cheeseburgers! But no eyeballs came with it......that I know about anyhow.
That's the scariest thing I've heard yet!
Patty , lutefisk is fish(shark or cod I forget) that is preserved for 6 months in lye. It was from the days before refrigeration. The reason I asked about it was because I saw Andrew Zimmern on Bizarre Foods eating it in Wisconsin. In any case no one who has eaten it on TV has anything good to say about it other than its an old traditional food.
lorax
04-14-2009, 08:56 AM
It's cod, Bob. Lutefisk is an acquired taste, just like Gefilte fish, or headcheese, or any of the European or Scandahoovian traditional foods.
"Pungent" is putting it very lightly.
Tog Tan
04-14-2009, 09:27 AM
Boy, am I enjoying this thread.... Somebody should give it a rating in the interest of culture exchange! :ha:
Ken ; What you cooked with the mixed meat is the typical food of the Isan (pronounced E-sarn) region of Thailand. This place is the worst place in Thailand and probably one of the worst in the world. The soil is poor and everything is bad. In order to populate and have it developed, the Kingdom of Siam, in the olden days sent all the exiles there. It also included the bad guys, witches and so forth. That place is their only chance to start over again instead of rotting in prison or facing the death penalty.
Since Isan is such a bad land, they ate whatever they could to stay alive and have since developed a very unique cuisine of whatever that's available.
They will cook whatever at hand and nothing is ever wasted. Here are some of the more interesting examples of the stuff I have eaten from there;
B-b-q cow's teats - Whoa! Like chewing gum with a milky flavor. Goes with a very nice and spicy dip.
Marinated Raw beef and liver - Pretty tasty if you are not squeamish. Just don't let the blood put you off. Highly spicy.
Fermented Vege - A cow has 4 stomachs, rite? The vegetation is taken out from the 3rd one before it becomes turd. It is stir fried and is bitterish. You won't die if you don't think its turd!
Mixed soup - Very little traces of meat (cos hardly available) but all you can think of in a cow, pig and goat. It is spicy and crunchy and squashy, weird combo of soft and hard parts and the mixed flavor of the various meats.
It's very much a Tom Yam kind of soup, spicy.
All sorts of insects : I will come to this later.
Bob, Pat - Lutefisk? You guys like soy sauce? Do you know what is fish sauce? It is way beyond soy sauce in taste and once you have tried it, you won't go back to soy sauce. Know how it is made? It comes from fish fermented (this is a kind word), or rotted in earthen jars. Meaning the death juice of the fish. But it's very fragrant. I will come to another similar Lutefisk thingy from here later.
Pat - Eating monkey brains was an in thing and no longer in vogue. I don't think much of it and haven't the desire to try it. The actual procedure is this; a monkey is strapped to a high chair and then the head goes thru a piece of wood with a hole just enough for it to protude. The scalp and then the skull is skillfully knock off while the darn thing is still alive. Herbal rice wine is poured on the area and the *******s eat it off with spoons. Bloody stupid.
You are right about mutton stinking but that's all we get here. In fact, prior to getting decent mutton, local goats were eaten. Strong in smell though tasty, that's where the spices comes in. It knocks off the odour and what not and also help to tenderize the meat. Spice plays a big part in Malay and Indian cooking. The Chinese use a lot of herbs.
Come guys, more.....:ha: Lovin' it! Now I am finding out what weird things White folks eat! :ha::ha::ha:
lorax
04-14-2009, 09:34 AM
Hey, Caloosa!
The best way to knock the smell of mutton back is to rub the meat in cumin and mint, marinate it in beer for 3 or 4 days, then roast it (on a spit, if possible) over open flames, basting it all the while with a paste of butter, cumin, salt, mint, and coriander. Serve immediately with a sauce of tomatoes lightly sauteed with parsely and red onion. And pita. Don't forget the pita - if you don't make your own, you can toast them over your flame to make them poof up.
Equally, if you've got a cut that isn't terribly boney, you can bash it with a tenderizing hammer for about half an hour, cut it into cubes and then subject it to the above treatment. This is cooked kebab-style on the BBQ.
My Syrian friend Hafeez, who is a professional chef, taught me this, and I'm never going back to rank stinky sheep roasts again.
john_ny
04-14-2009, 09:48 AM
Being of 100% Norwegian ancestry, I have to put in my 2¢ about Lutefisk. Dried cod is used (like Italians use for Bacala). It is reconstituted, rehydrated, with water, and "cooked" with lye, instead of heat, I'm not sure if it was soaked in plain water first, and then had the lye added, or if the lye was put in from the beginning. It is not decayed. The cod is preserved by drying, and the lye does the "cooking", not preserving. It takes several days, or a week, or so, not months.
My bother had owned several Scandinavian delis, and made a couple of hundred pounds of it, each Christmas. I was never inclined to try it.
Patty in Wisc
04-14-2009, 10:05 AM
I have fish sauce in my fridge. It is made w/ anchovies & I LOVE anchovies. It's just more salty & fishy tasting than soy sauce.
I've seen (on TV) dried fish in markets. I believe anchovies are salted & then dried... not fermented (?)
I will try just about anything, but no GRUBS or bugs for me. I find Iris borers when I clean the tubers. I freak when I see them...UGLY - almost 2 inches long & fat. Chinese might eat them.
Tog Tan
04-14-2009, 10:07 AM
Tog , before anyone accuses you of being critical of the Chinese diet: A few years ago a buddy of mine brought his wife(Chinese) to my hunting camp (ugh!) during the late season. We got a few deer that day on drives and after cleaning them we generally leave the guts and the pile will be gone by next morning(coyotes and bear). She was kind of put off and asked "are you just going to leave that there?" After replying "yeah" she casually mentioned "In my country we'd clean it up and eat it." So I know you're not kidding. I'll eat the heart and liver of a small one but that's about it.
I would love to reply as many of the stuff I read but there's just too much!
Bob, I can truly understand the frustration of your friend's Chinese wife. Venison is like gold to the Chinese and the innards, like platinum. The tongue, liver, ears, intestine and the bones(soup stock with herbs) would be the finest of food for them. She will probably go home and say what wasteful people White folks are. :ha:
momoese
04-14-2009, 10:29 AM
This thread is making me queasy. I love raw fish, raw beef, menudo, tounge, many fermented items like fish sauce and kimchi,.......but dog, cat, live monkey brain, grubs of any sort, eye balls, insects http://www.bagophily.com/images/barfsmiley.gif no thanks
Tog, I actually consider the stock to be the best part of the deer. Coincidentally I'm having French onion soup tonight made with venison stock.
I'm lucky here to have every ethnic food known in America within 10-15 mile of me. I have some Fish sauce from Viet Nam. I think it's nuoc nam(?) but not sure. tastes like liquid anchovies. I haven't used it in a recipe yet though. Just as part of a dipping sauce.
Mitchell, you never ate the worm in the tequila?
momoese
04-14-2009, 10:58 AM
Mitchell, you never ate the worm in the tequila?
Nope, not me! The grub is found in cheap Mezcal and it's a hoax. There is nothing special about the grub except that it helps to mellow the overly smoky flavor that cheap Mezcal tends to have. I have had the liquid from the same bottle, but not the grub!
Patty in Wisc
04-14-2009, 11:18 AM
I heard that too Mitchel. Used to be that Mexicans would kill for that worm. It was a halucinagenic (spell?). Now they put any ol' grub in there.
A REALLY GOOD dipping sauce is soy sauce (or fish sauce) mixed w/wasabi paste. YUM! Try that Bob.
My fish sauce tastes like liquid anchovy. I LOVE anchovies on pizza.
Patty in Wisc
04-14-2009, 11:21 AM
Bob, my brother gave me 2 young deer & helped me dress them. I gotta say the loins were the best part. Made on the grill...we cut it with a fork - so tender.
Tog Tan
04-14-2009, 11:24 AM
Tog, I actually consider the stock to be the best part of the deer. Coincidentally I'm having French onion soup tonight made with venison stock.
I'm lucky here to have every ethnic food known in America within 10-15 mile of me. I have some Fish sauce from Viet Nam. I think it's nuoc nam(?) but not sure. tastes like liquid anchovies. I haven't used it in a recipe yet though. Just as part of a dipping sauce.
Mitchell, you never ate the worm in the tequila?
Is the stock from the bones? Makes me want to have your soup now.
Bob, it's a very popular thing to have snakes, preferably venomous ones in Chinese herbal wine. Seems to have 1,000 good uses.( not RedBull but BigBullSht) The snake in it is a novelty really, this is according to a friend who does snake blood/gall bladder. It's the good herbs which makes it of value.
This thread is making me queasy. I love raw fish, raw beef, menudo, tounge, many fermented items like fish sauce and kimchi,.......but dog, cat, live monkey brain, grubs of any sort, eye balls, insects http://www.bagophily.com/images/barfsmiley.gif no thanks
Hey Mitchel, please don't be offended by some of the descriptions here as we just want to share the insights of what we eat in the different places.
just to let you know there are only a few dickhds who go for monkey brain thingy. Most of the Chinese are against it.
Chironex
04-14-2009, 11:25 AM
Lutefisk, what a God-awful food. Tastes like cardboard soaked in pee. Yikes!
I think they also served fresh monkey brains in an Indiana Jones movie, and eyeball soup. That was my first exposure and I remember thinking "No freaking way!" My Laotian fishing buddy, Lith, introduced me to many of their delicacies. Like quail eggs and fish sauce. That stuff is horrible smelling. I think they cut the aroma with lemon grass, but use it in quite a few Lao recipes.
I have to confess to eating some things for which he could not tell me the ingredients due to his limited English vocabulary. This might have been a blessing.
When faced with eating some of this bizarre food, I will try it if I watch someone else eat it first. It seems to take away the ewww factor. hahahaha
That reminds me of a bit by comedian David Brenner. When he was in school, the teacher asked the class who they felt was the bravest person in the world. Some said "Astronaut", the "President", "Policeman or Fireman" - but David said "the first person to drink milk." The teacher asked him why he thought that, to which he replied, "Well, think about it. Two cavemen were eying some cows one day, and one of the cavemen says to the other - You see those things hanging under that animal? I am going to run down there an squeeze them - and I will drink whatever comes out."
Back near where I lived in Illinois, there is an annual Turkey Testicle Festival. They cook-up a huge amount of turkey testes and drink lots of beer. They are quite delicious, especially when you're drinking heavily.
Venison back straps are the best part for me.
Tog Tan
04-14-2009, 11:31 AM
I heard that too Mitchel. Used to be that Mexicans would kill for that worm. It was a halucinagenic (spell?). Now they put any ol' grub in there.
A REALLY GOOD dipping sauce is soy sauce (or fish sauce) mixed w/wasabi paste. YUM! Try that Bob.
My fish sauce tastes like liquid anchovy. I LOVE anchovies on pizza.
The anchovies are sun dried (not fermented) and there are many grades and sizes. When we were kids we eat them uncooked by the handful like cornflakes. Here many people deep fry it with a coating of sugar as an alcohol drinking accompaniment. I love the 1in long Blue colored ones when I go eat Malay food.
Patty in Wisc
04-14-2009, 11:32 AM
Venison back straps are the best part for me.
I think that's same as loin isn't it? There were 2 - on each side of the backbone.
lorax
04-14-2009, 11:50 AM
Bacalo
Bacalao!! I totally forgot all of the weird salt-cod preparations we do down here. We just got through the Fanesca season. Fanesca, for the uninitiated, is a very thick soup made of liquified milk-reconstituted Bacalao, squash, pumpkin, and something like 10 grains (peas, 3 kinds of bean, corn, lentils, rice, barley, quinoa, etc etc etc.), with garlic and onion and achiote and butter and cream. It's served with bits of deep-fried Bacalao that has been reconstituted in beer, and slices of fried banana. Kind of like a big, steamy yellow bowl of coronary malfunction. I love it.
Chironex
04-14-2009, 11:51 AM
I always thought loin was inside of the thighs. But, I am not a butcher, so I am uncertain. Either way, they are delicious.
I always thought loin was inside of the thighs. But, I am not a butcher, so I am uncertain. Either way, they are delicious.
Tenderloins are inside the cavity attached to the spine behind the stomach. They are generally consumed the day the deer was dispatched because they dry out so quickly. Backstrap is the muscles along the spine and would be "filet"if you were talking about a cow. Both are the best cuts.
Bacalao!! I totally forgot all of the weird salt-cod preparations we do down here. We just got through the Fanesca season. Fanesca, for the uninitiated, is a very thick soup made of liquified milk-reconstituted Bacalao, squash, pumpkin, and something like 10 grains (peas, 3 kinds of bean, corn, lentils, rice, barley, quinoa, etc etc etc.), with garlic and onion and achiote and butter and cream. It's served with bits of deep-fried Bacalao that has been reconstituted in beer, and slices of fried banana. Kind of like a big, steamy yellow bowl of coronary malfunction. I love it.
lorax, is Ecuador a Portuguese speaking country? The guy who makes me the blood sausage also makes this many ways and is Portugese. (as opposed to Bacala which is popular in Jersey) I'm going to have to see if I can duplicate these recipes but doubt I can find an "achiote". I'll have to look it up.....
lorax
04-14-2009, 01:37 PM
Ecuador speaks Spanish, Kichua, and Shuara (and a host of other smaller languages), the best salt cod comes from Chile, but all of South America uses the Portuguese word for it. Go fig.
I can send you the full recipe for Fanesca if you like. It makes 50 bowls.
Sixwing
04-14-2009, 01:39 PM
Aww, venison backstrap...
I'm looking forward to hunting season. Totally agree that the stock is one of the best parts, too. Cabrito, or young goat, also makes fantastic stock - it's almost jelly-like when cold, but heats to one of the most warming, filling broths I've ever had.
On the matter of bull testicles, we call them Rocky Mountain Oysters and devein, slice, bread and deepfry them. Less frequently, we eat crawdads with them for "redneck surf 'n turf!" Boil them just like lobsters, or throw them in with sausage, any vegetables you have around, and sausage for a Crawdad Boil.
Chocolate-covered mealworms and crickets, too - some day I'd like to try the Chinese stir-fried variety, but that's impossible to find here. Chocolate-covered crickets taste like... well, crickets. Once you've had one, there's no other way to describe it. Chocolate-covered mealworms forcibly remind me of Kit Kat bars, and I might just prefer the mealworms.
Chironex
04-14-2009, 01:39 PM
"achiote"
Gesundheit! :ha:
Chironex
04-14-2009, 01:42 PM
Kichua
Must be cold season!
chong
04-14-2009, 02:35 PM
. . ............................. (as opposed to Bacala which is popular in Jersey) I'm going to have to see if I can duplicate these recipes but doubt I can find an "achiote". I'll have to look it up.....
Bob,
Achiote seeds[Bixa Orellana] are even available in the Spanish section of Safeway grocery stores in the West Coast. They come in small plastic bags with other dried spices used in Mexican cooking. So it is not that uncommon. In Asian stores, look for the "Atswete" water in a small bottle (probably 2 or 4 oz.), from the Philippines. It is water that was soaked with Achiote seed, and the seeds removed. In the Philippines, it is used for food coloring, although recipes calling for Achiote will not taste the same if "chemical" food coloring is substituted.
The plant is also called the lipstick tree.
Chong
lorax
04-14-2009, 02:38 PM
The other name that you might find it under is ANNATTO.
In Ecuador it's used for both colour and flavour, as it imparts a subtle, somewhat peppery flavour to foods in which it is used.
momoese
04-14-2009, 02:57 PM
The other name that you might find it under is ANNATTO.
In Ecuador it's used for both colour and flavour, as it imparts a subtle, somewhat peppery flavour to foods in which it is used.
Yes, I have a huge container of Annatto seeds and use them for my Bacolad Chicken recipe which I believe I shared in the recipe section? If not I'd be happy to share it.
momoese
04-14-2009, 03:00 PM
Hey Mitchel, please don't be offended by some of the descriptions here as we just want to share the insights of what we eat in the different places.
just to let you know there are only a few dickhds who go for monkey brain thingy. Most of the Chinese are against it.
No offense taken. I actually watch the strange food show with the guy that eats all the weird gross stuff from around the world. It makes me queasy as well but I still watch ;)
lorax
04-14-2009, 05:00 PM
Achiote seeds[Bixa Orellana]
Yup. They're named for Spanish explorer Francisco de Orellana, who "discovered" the trees in the Amazon basin of what is the present-day Ecuadorean province of Orellana.
Patty in Wisc
04-14-2009, 06:00 PM
I hope this is not offensive to Chinese ppl, but I found a place for this pic.
I think photobucket found the pic offensive. Said it is not in terms of use. Guess I better read that again...sorry
Chironex
04-14-2009, 06:04 PM
It probably would be considered as offensive, but I still think it's funny!
Tog Tan
04-14-2009, 11:31 PM
I hope this is not offensive to Chinese ppl, but I found a place for this pic.
Offensive? :ha::ha::ha::ha::ha: I think this guy's honest he didn't whack the cats though he didn't say anything about the dogs! :ha: Trust the Chinese! Any of them complain, send them to me. I will give them the necessary counseling.
Tog Tan
04-15-2009, 12:22 PM
Bugs galore in Thailand!
This is how they sell deep fried bugs in Thailand. In the foreground on the left are Chiang Mai bamboo worms, on the right are silk worms with grasshoppers and other stuff the background.
<a href=http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=16663&ppuser=3823><img src=http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=16663&size=1 border=0></a>
Yuckkk! My daughter Stefie trying to put a big grasshopper into her mouth as a dare. Of course she didn't make it! This proves not all Chinese are bad grubbers like me! :ha:
<a href=http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=16664&ppuser=3823><img src=http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=16664&size=1 border=0></a>
It's kinda fun walking around Thailand and see the street side vendors selling these snacks. A small plastic bag of them is approx 45 cents. They are eaten with a sprinkle of the famous Thai fish sauce, Nam Pla.
Blindfold taste test of some of them :
Grasshopper - Just like crispy anchovies! Pat?
Silk worm - Softish and slightly salty. I give 6/10 for this.
Cicadas - Nothing to rave about. Make sure you tear off the wings first otherwise, you have a mouth full of it. Annoying.
Scorpions - Leather! Very little pulp in it. Boring....
Bamboo worms - Yummm... Taste like a butter stick and sweet!
Ant's eggs - Crispy caviar! Guudd!
Patty in Wisc
04-15-2009, 12:27 PM
Crispy anchovies - YUM. I'd have to close my eyes.
Tog, seeing how you are on here now, what time is it there? It is 12:27PM here.
Tog Tan
04-15-2009, 12:32 PM
Crispy anchovies - YUM. I'd have to close my eyes.
Tog, seeing how you are on here now, what time is it there? It is 12:27PM here.
Pat, it's 1.30am. The diff is 13 hrs. I don't knock off till about 4-5am. Lousy sleeper....:waving:
Patty in Wisc
04-15-2009, 12:46 PM
Thanks. 13 hours my time & 14 - 15 hours diff in CA.
Your daughter is a cutie! That's as close to putting a grasshopper in my mouth as I'd get.
lorax
04-15-2009, 12:47 PM
Ah, but those are the tasty ones! It's locusts that are strong-flavoured.
Tog Tan
04-15-2009, 12:58 PM
Ah, but those are the tasty ones! It's locusts that are strong-flavoured.
I was the local distributor of canned insects for reptiles in the past when I was in the reptile business. We had crickets, mini caterpillars, locust, silk worms and wax worms. I guess me and my friends ate more of the stock out of curiosity than I sold them! The locust was not bad. Tasted like beef stock. They came in not crispy but moist. The mini caterpillars were a treat - tasted just like peanut butter!
I supplied lots of them for the Asian Fear Factor show when I was the game master. I gave them the weirdest ideas to torture the contestants with tons of live smelly cockroaches. :ha:
Sixwing
04-15-2009, 01:02 PM
That's a lotta toasted bugs! 0_0
They sound tasty, though, especially the silk and bamboo worms and ant eggs.
I saw once a picture of stir-fried cockroaches, don't think I could do that. The smelly little buggers invaded an apartment I lived in, once. Euggghh.
Edit: your daughter is cute.
saltydad
04-15-2009, 01:06 PM
Related to the Chinese sgn:
Cat in the Kettle at The Peking Moon (http://www.guzer.com/animations/chowmein.php)
Tog Tan
04-15-2009, 01:45 PM
Related to the Chinese sgn:
Cat in the Kettle at The Peking Moon (http://www.guzer.com/animations/chowmein.php)
Howard, the old time Chinese do eat cats but much less than dogs. My mom told me they prefer old cats and make a stew out of it. Seems it's the oly way cos they have tough meat.
I have tried the meat of the Leopard Cat and the Pandan Civet Cat. Both of them taste great but the Civet has to be stewed for at least 5 hrs. Very delicious and I can't find words to describe it.
Caloosamusa
04-15-2009, 03:44 PM
:2200:SaltyDad, where is the Peking Moon? I'm gonna go have lunch there tomorrow!!!:2239:
I think that place would just be Perrrrfect!
P.S. Locust are a Kosher food!
I've tried mountain lion balls(not testicles) at an anual game dinner I go to. The dipping sauce was better than the meat. I guess that counts as cat.
saltydad
04-15-2009, 05:53 PM
I've tried mountain lion balls(not testicles) . ????
lorax
04-15-2009, 06:24 PM
He means meatballs made with carne de puma.
Patty in Wisc
04-15-2009, 08:14 PM
Sorry, but what is carne de puma?
lorax
04-15-2009, 08:16 PM
Mountain lion meat. (Sorry, lapsed into Spanish there.) We have a traditional dish based on it, which is basically ground Puma sauteed with onions on flat bread. Can't say I like the taste much.
That's exactly it. They weren't the best game meat but I always try all the new stuff I can at these dinners. People who hunt all over the place bring back and donate food to a huge Game dinner that takes place at the Jersey shore once a year. I've probably tried about everything legal in North America.
Tog Tan
04-17-2009, 08:31 AM
Why the controversial Shark's Fin Soup taste so good
I am going to let the cat out of the bag about this dish which has made such a ruckus worldwide by the conservationists.
The shark's fin is basically a cartilage or the way I look at it, an edible plastic thread. It hardly has any taste on its own. So what is the big deal about it?
The soup! Actually the soup stock. The chefs were using the python meat as the soup base. The meat is thrown away after it is made. Up till today this has not been revealed.
I came to know about this when I was visiting the python skinners looking for the odd colored snake. The meat was a useless thing in the past after they remove the skin. However, some smart aleck came up with the idea of using it for soup stock and in the trade it is known as Superior Soup never as python! They fillet the meat in strips of 10in x 4 in x 1/2in and export it as scrap meat to Hong Kong for this purpose. Locally, they also turn the python meat into meat floss but marketed as Pork meat floss! If you don't know what it is, it's very good tasting.
I use to buy python meat for feeding my big monitor lizards and it is an extremely tough meat and has a high uric acid base. It looks like chicken but is much sweeter and has to be stewed for a long time to be softened and you need lots of herbs to knock off the smell.
Python meat on its own is extremely tough and the main way to cook it is by shredding it into strips and made with a starchy soup like the shark's fin soup. In Chinese, it is known as Sae Karng. Supposedly great for health. I once had the soup of the python in a hill resort which was like 60F and I felt I had a fever after drinking 2 bowls of it.
Patty in Wisc
04-17-2009, 09:15 AM
I just heard heard about sharkfin soup. Sad part is the fishermen catch the shark, cut the fins off & throw shark back in to sink to bottom & die. Shark steaks here sell for $12.00- 16.00 per lb. but all they want is the fin.
I wouldn't even try sharkfin soup just for that reason.
Chironex
04-17-2009, 12:06 PM
As a long time student of marine biology, I have to say that it saddened me to see the "Reef Rapers" come to collect live coral, sea shells (with the animals still alive inside), sand dollars, shark jaw collectors, conch, you name it. Most of the time it was to make money from selling these things to tourists. Every morning I would find several carcasses lying on the beach with jaws cut out. It has died down since the movie Jaws - and its sequels, but still prevalent. Black and Red coral necklaces, sea shells and sand dollars are still being sold. Please don't buy these things, it only supports the purveyors. Pass the word.
Shark cartilage is desirable for its purported anti-cancer qualities. NCI Cancer Bulletin for July 26, 2005 (HTML) - National Cancer Institute (http://www.cancer.gov/ncicancerbulletin/NCI_Cancer_Bulletin_072605/page4)
Sharks have one of the lowest incidences of cancer of any living creature. They have evolved over millions of years and are a necessary part of the food chain.
Tog Tan
04-17-2009, 12:45 PM
Scot, it not only happens on your side. Many foreigners come to the M'sian waters and take what they like, especially the Tiger Cowries which are very beautiful. They take suitcases back with them. I have seen this happen on our east coast beaches.
About the shark's fin soup, it has been around for centuries(much more) as a traditional festivity dish for the Chinese and there was no threat to the sharks then as it was taken off sharks that were to be eaten. However, with the CITES and conservations' alert about 20 yrs ago, it created a curiosity among the people in general. This has caused the price to go up thus making it a must taste and a niche food. Many people in the illegal trade are actually happy when it comes to a ban on any species. It just makes the price go higher. This is what they tell me.
There are several canned shark fin soups at my local Asian markets. Do you think they are from python stock? I'll look when I go again for Superior soup as a clue but, a lot of these things have no English on them. I had it once at a restaurant special because I had to try something new, didn't care much for it though.
Tog Tan
04-17-2009, 02:01 PM
I don't think the canned ones are made with the python stock or even the ones in the restaurants out of China, M'sia and S'pore. The Thai makes them lousy there. Anyway, this dish has gone to the dogs due to commercialization.
Whatever the world may say, it's still a must for every wedding dinner and any official function(including those hosted by the govt). It's culture.
One thing I must add, this is part of a man made evolution for the sharks. In the past, they only take the fish with the biggest fins. Then when that ran out, they took fish with big fins. Do you realize that the fish with the small fins are not touched? When times comes for the fish with the big fins are gone, only a genetic pool of small finned sharks with interbreed and will result in many or only small finned sharks. If the collection persists, there many be sharks with a stub due to inbreeding. This is what happened to a rattle snake on an island and the only food there are the birds. Those with rattles will alert the birds and never got food. They died off. In time (long, long time) they became rattle-less rattle snakes as inbreeding set in.
Caloosamusa
04-17-2009, 03:29 PM
Good afternoon Tog Tan, I don't think it's a weird food but do you eat green mangos (soft seed)?
I just picked some today first of the season. When eaten with a hot pepper, salt, hing mix they are really good.
How do you view these?:2239:
Tog Tan
04-17-2009, 03:51 PM
Good afternoon Tog Tan, I don't think it's a weird food but do you eat green mangos (soft seed)?
I just picked some today first of the season. When eaten with a hot pepper, salt, hing mix they are really good.
How do you view these?:2239:
Good morning Ken (4.40am here!) Pls call me Tog! Too many Tans around. :ha:
Hey, we eat unripe mango here with a sauce made of thick sticky prawn paste, sticky black bean sauce, sugar and cut chili. Real nice.
The Thai like it with a spicy sugar. They have a special variety of mango which is meant to be eaten unripe. Very crunchy and nice.
They also have a fantastic chili paste dip made with very thin strips of ripe mango. It's call Nam Prik Mua Muang. With this as a dip comes an array of salad indigenous to Thailand. Extremely spicy and a fantastic appetizer to the main meal.
lorax
04-17-2009, 05:05 PM
Green mango and chili powder forever! The roasted seed kernel is also very tasty.
Caloosamusa
04-17-2009, 05:40 PM
Awesome Tog and Lorax!
Tog, how do I get those recipes? They sound really good!! I think I can figure out the black beans with sugar and hot peppers, but how do you prepare the prawn paste?:2239:
Thank you!!!:2200:
Chironex
04-17-2009, 05:46 PM
Use Bob's method, same as for making biochar. Throw a bunch of shrimp into a burlap bag and run over it with the truck a few times.
Voila! Prawn paste! :ha::0517::02::0519::rollerbananadone:
Caloosamusa
04-17-2009, 05:53 PM
Chironex,
There would probably be too much silicate added to the mix, and I notice you did not enlighten me about the secret ingredient, spices! :2239:
Chironex
04-17-2009, 06:01 PM
Ok, throw in some limes, cilantro, white pepper and red pepper. Run over it a couple more times to toss well.
Caloosamusa
04-17-2009, 06:05 PM
Chironex your revised recipe sounds more like a caribbean mix than a SE Asian mix. :-) :2239:
Chironex
04-17-2009, 06:11 PM
I like cilantro on everything! Ok, also add some of those tiny Asian red peppers, that oughta set you free!
Caloosamusa
04-17-2009, 06:24 PM
:2196:I use cilanthro mucho! as well as many different hot peppers, curry, and Indian spices as well. Sometimes I get lazy and just buy prepared items from different ethnic stores.
Praise God for diversity!:2239:
island cassie
04-17-2009, 09:06 PM
Woohoo!! the big green mangoes have just come onto the market - early this year as last year they weren't here until June. My favourite and I am going to buy some tomorrow and indulge big time!!! Don't phone me as I will have juice running down my chin!!
Ok, throw in some limes, cilantro, white pepper and red pepper. Run over it a couple more times to toss well.
Good combination, you could probably add that to(insert your own expletive) and it would taste good.
Dalmatiansoap
04-18-2009, 08:12 AM
This isnt weird but we cannot imagine any major events, familly reunions, cellebrations etc. withouth lamb prepared "on a stick". Ufff.., young onions, red wine.....
<a href=http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=16714><img src=http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=16714&size=1 border=0></a>
bon apetite
:woohoonaner:
lorax
04-18-2009, 08:48 AM
Tasty! I've always thought that "on a stick" is the only way to cook lamb.
Dalmatiansoap
04-18-2009, 08:59 AM
Hehe..
deffinitly isnt only way to prepare lamb but for dormices I belive it is.
This is also very nice way to prepare lamb. It is calld "peka".
a href=http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=16715&ppuser=4565><img src=http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=16715&size=1 border=0></a>
Lorax,
You are wellcome for dinner:)
:woohoonaner:
lorax
04-18-2009, 10:56 AM
Next time I'm in Europe I'll look you up! The invitation goes both ways - if you're ever in Ecuador, I'll roast a cuy for you.
Chironex
04-18-2009, 12:54 PM
Lorax,
You are wellcome for dinner:)
:woohoonaner:
Beth on a stick! I guanta try some. Be careful though she's not agouti two shoes!
lorax
04-18-2009, 02:40 PM
I wish I had an emoticon for smacking Scot with a flounder.
Dalmatiansoap
04-18-2009, 03:00 PM
Hmm...
Scott
Chironex
04-18-2009, 03:00 PM
Ben, lookie what I found! Fish slap emoticon by *eunos on deviantART (http://eunos.deviantart.com/art/Fish-slap-emoticon-5078908)
I wish I had an emoticon for smacking Scot with a flounder.
If I'd only known I caught one this afternoon and could have sent airmail.
lorax
04-18-2009, 07:28 PM
Beth on a stick! I guanta try some. Be careful though she's not agouti two shoes!
I taste just like chicken. However, I'd advise against trying it since I fight rather ferociously and am not afraid to bite the hand that cooks me.
Chironex
04-18-2009, 07:32 PM
I taste just like chicken. However, I'd advise against trying it since I fight rather ferociously and am not afraid to bite the hand that cooks me.
Watch out for those feet too, they are registered weapons!
Patty in Wisc
04-20-2009, 10:37 PM
You 2 are cracking me up
:):):):)
Patty in Wisc
04-20-2009, 10:44 PM
Thanks Scot...only you would find this LOL
Go get 'im Beth!
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y202/Patty_in_Wisc/Fish_slap_emoticon.gif http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y202/Patty_in_Wisc/Fish_slap_emoticon.gif http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y202/Patty_in_Wisc/Fish_slap_emoticon.gif
Patty in Wisc
04-30-2009, 11:23 PM
Chong, what is this "food of kings"?
harveyc
04-30-2009, 11:34 PM
Durian?
chong
05-01-2009, 01:26 AM
Chong, what is this "food of kings"?
Patty, you had to ask, didn't you??? I don't really know if I should describe what it is here in this b-board. It is very graphic, even when described in words. Let's just say that it is bordering . . . . I can't even say it. I don't know if even Tog will want to do(describe) it.
It was meant to gross out unsuspecting GIs on R&R from Vietnam, since anything served in urban setting would presumably be mild compared to their experience in the jungle. Reportedly, there were a few that actually enjoyed it. This was freely talked about back in late 60s until the mid-70s before the age of political correctness.
No, Harvey, it doesn't come from a tree or plant. It is not snake meat, nor snake blood in wine. I've tried snake meat in Taiwan, but not the blood thingy. They actually sell snake products in the public market, where they would have demonstrations on the butchering of the snake in front of 25 or 30 people, in several places (locations in the market place).
I can tell you, though, that one of my sisters-in-law makes a mean "Food of the Gods" cake. It is made with chestnuts (I think) and dates. But she doesn't make it for just anybody though, much less give out the recipe.
lorax
05-01-2009, 01:33 AM
Ick. I know what you're talking about.
harveyc
05-01-2009, 01:40 AM
Does it bring about peace and happiness?
Tog, please rescue this thread; I'm going to bed. :)
momoese
05-01-2009, 01:41 AM
Poop?
chong
05-01-2009, 02:20 AM
Beth, since you know what it is, do you think it should be posted? Do you think that most people will have the stomach for it?
Harvey, as I said, I have heard from my draftsman at the time, who was a Vietnam Vet, and was still in the AF Reserves as a QM, that some people actually enjoyed it. But I don't think it brought them prosperity.
Mitchel, it is served in some regular restaurants, albeit the more exotic ones. So, by most health standards, it (the food) has to meet a certain level of hygiene.
It is kinda like sashimi, only fresher and more land based (hint, hint). No, it's not like the Rocky Mountain Oyster, either.
A lot of the people who were actively promoting it, have themselves never tried it, but only witnessed it. And they would brag about it when they got back to Vietnam from Thailand, telling other soldiers about to go to Thailand, that they should really, really order it as soon as they can get to such and such a restaurant.
Tog Tan
05-01-2009, 03:44 AM
Beth, since you know what it is, do you think it should be posted? Do you think that most people will have the stomach for it?
Do it! You have done enaf teasing.... or you can do it on the Weird Food thread. Yeah, I think the Weird Food thread should be better so we have a record of all the crap people eat and no one has the right to be offended as the thread's title is what it indicates.
Would someone please PM me and tell me what you're talking about.
Lagniappe
05-01-2009, 08:41 AM
Would someone please PM me and tell me what you're talking about.
Peace, love, and bananas....I think. At their age, you can never really tell.
momoese
05-01-2009, 08:49 AM
Must be live monkey brains?
momoese
05-01-2009, 08:51 AM
Or is it the still beating snake heart?
Tog Tan
05-01-2009, 09:38 AM
Must be live monkey brains?
Or is it the still beating snake heart?
Mitchel, quit it! Can't you see you are giving Chong the utmost pleasure out of his foxy teasing... :ha: I can't imagine the smirk on his face when he sees your 2 posts.
momoese
05-01-2009, 10:31 AM
I would guess that whatever it is it's served or should I say removed from something that is still alive. There is a funny video of a Man eating fresh sashimi from a fish taken out of a tank, and while he's eating he noticed that the chef had put the fish back in the tank to let it swim around with no flesh!
Btw I'm sure Harvey will be along anytime now to kick us out of hippie thread!
harveyc
05-01-2009, 10:42 AM
Chong, I'm chilled out okay but may have to report you to a moderator. Don't you think you can start a "weird food" thread? :ha:
momoese
05-01-2009, 11:06 AM
It must be one of the things on this list!
Top 10 Disgusting Foods - Listverse (http://listverse.com/miscellaneous/top-10-disgusting-foods/)
chong
05-01-2009, 02:59 PM
It must be one of the things on this list!
Top 10 Disgusting Foods - Listverse (http://listverse.com/miscellaneous/top-10-disgusting-foods/)
You got it, Mitch - It is #5 on the list, and served with condiments while still warm(Not from cooking. Remember I said more fresh than shashimi?), with the crown cut-out exposing the "meal" (hence the king reference)!
I'm surprised that 'Balut' is #2, and snake blood is #1. I would have thought that #5 would be tops!
The picture of balut in that article is an exageration though. The duckling of that size, plus hardboiled egg yoke and the "stone" (hardened eggwhite, like white rubber), cannot possibly all fit inside the eggshell.
Snake blood is used in alternative medicine in many places in Asia. I told about my experience in Taiwan public market where they actually have live demonstrations of the collection of its blood. But I didn't describe the details of the process. In Japan, some Japanese businessmen actually serve snake blood to very important clients.
Re: #8, I personally prepare Bird's Nest Soup. While the author describes it in a more dramatic way, my soup does not come out as he describes. The bits of "nest" in my soup look like slivers of hard Knox gelatin. In fact, my guests often asks for seconds or thirds of this. I was able to do this back when I could get really cheap. Now, as the the article states the cost is just prohibitive for me.
I have experience with something similar to #9, though it wasn't from an Ox. It was that of the Tiger. On the last night of my business trip to Fukuoka, Japan, the Contractor I was working with took me to a swanky lounge after he sent his interpreter home. When we got there, there were other guests, but soon they all left, and the 7 hostesses(all gorgeous) then converged around me pumping me up(no pun intended) with 18-year old Dunhill Scotch Whiskey (a favorite in Japan). I didn't realize that my host had sent his interpreter home because two of the ladies spoke fluent English, whom I detected from their accents, must be Filipinas. When I joked about the ratio of the girls to the boys, and that if I continue to drink whiskey, I might lose control and may need Viagra. When the two Filipinas laughed out loud, the Owner(dressed like a Geisha) asked what was so funny. After hearing my response in Japanese, she laughed so hard as well, and motioned for me to wait, with both her hands. She came back with an assistant, who was holding a very large jar of Suntory whiskey with tiger penises marinating in it. She insisted that I drink that instead and aptly poured a couple of shots in a glass. Everyone was egging me to drink it, and afterwards, she offered me more (big wide smile on her face). I declined. I mean, it wasn't bad. But it's the thought that counts, you know.
chong
05-01-2009, 03:29 PM
Must be live monkey brains?
Or is it the still beating snake heart?
I would guess that whatever it is it's served or should I say removed from something that is still alive. There is a funny video of a Man eating fresh sashimi from a fish taken out of a tank, and while he's eating he noticed that the chef had put the fish back in the tank to let it swim around with no flesh!
Btw I'm sure Harvey will be along anytime now to kick us out of hippie thread!
Ha! Ha! You were right on! Both with the food and Harvey kicking us out! What a KJ!
Sorry, I didn't see all of your posts earlier. But I was up until 3:00AM looking for a job, and they weren't there when I checked before I zonked out. When I looked the first time this morning, it opened on the following page starting with the "10 disgusting..."
momoese
05-01-2009, 03:33 PM
Just the thought of the cruelty involved is horrible.
In the comments section someone posted a link to a penis restaurant and tiger penis was on the menu. Good for you not drinking that stuff!
I have a new most disgusting food that's not on the list but someone mentioned it in the comments. I'm not getting into it, but if you search through the comments you'll find it.
Maggot Cheese is pretty disturbing too!
Lagniappe
05-01-2009, 03:34 PM
Chicken....THAT's a weird food!!!
Ever watch the stuff chickens eat? Nasty creatures indeed.
Besides, why do we even consider cooking an animal that eats with it's pecker?
chong
05-01-2009, 03:37 PM
Very funny, Pete! Had a great laugh with that.
harveyc
05-01-2009, 03:46 PM
I like chicken; better than eating the bugs directly myself!
Thank for making the move of posts, Chong. Good luck with the job hunting!!!
Sixwing
05-01-2009, 06:01 PM
re: Chicken - Har!
... and we eat them all the time, head to feet. 0_0 I know where those feet have been. (in the soup, if some folks I know have got anything to say about it.)
Haven't checked this thread in too long. Some of the stuff on that list looks great, but I think monkey brain is waaay more gross than bee larvae. The author's priorities seem a little strange... and where's the thousand-year egg? Or is that an urban legend?
chong
05-01-2009, 06:26 PM
re: Chicken - Har!
... and we eat them all the time, head to feet. 0_0 I know where those feet have been. (in the soup, if some folks I know have got anything to say about it.)
Haven't checked this thread in too long. Some of the stuff on that list looks great, but I think monkey brain is waaay more gross than bee larvae. The author's priorities seem a little strange... and where's the thousand-year egg? Or is that an urban legend?
That was why I was hesitating to describe it in the People thread and as Mitchel aptly said the cruelty factor just made it too sensitive to even just imagine. But with the article, it was easier for me to describe. I didn't want to expound on the snake beating heart thing, except to say that that was one of the things that was being demonstrated in the marketplace in Taiwan.
It's called "Century Egg", and it's usually served fresh. No, not an Urban Legend, it's for real! Who wants some? All it is, is regular duck eggs soaked in lye water (Sodium Hydroxide)then hard boiled after a few days. The best time to eat them is after it is chilled immediately after boiling. The color of the egg becomes black, with the yolk black cheesy texture, while the white looks like light translucent licorice. Great with beer! Anybody want some?
Then there's the other preserved egg - the Salted Egg. This one is plain duck egg (chicken egg is sometimes substituted, but the texture is not as firm as the duck's) that is soaked in brine for several weeks, then hard boiled. The taste of this is like Caviar, without the fishy taste. Very good with salads, or just sliced or chopped tomatoes. Anybody want some?
That wasn't so bad, was it?
momoese
05-01-2009, 06:26 PM
How about a plate of this lovely corn fungus, otherwise known as Cuitlacoche or Huitlacoche? Yum....not
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7qrC24MxaYY/SW-8lEsl-uI/AAAAAAAABNU/g1Bn 7ZGsIrs/s400/fullcanbrandediv9.jpg
momoese
05-01-2009, 06:31 PM
Anybody want some?
Thanks but no! I'll just eat my popped corn and be happy! :lurk:
If you want to see the beating heart there are videos on youtube. Pretty freaky!
chong
05-01-2009, 06:40 PM
Thanks but no! I'll just eat my popped corn and be happy! :lurk:
If you want to see the beating heart there are videos on youtube. Pretty freaky!
Some of those videos probably came from the markets in Taiwan. In fact, during the demonstration, they had a camera with a macro lens trained onto the procedure and they were piping the close ups over several monitors.
It was a little squeamish for me, even though, as a kid I used to butcher live chickens from our own yard. I won't go into details on that either. It's hard to imagine that I had blood on my hands at one time.
momoese
05-01-2009, 06:47 PM
I've killed chickens and ducks for food while on a farm for 6 months with my uncle. He taught me the neck twist method after I failed with the axe! What a mess that was!
Speaking of chicken.....
http://stuff4restaurants.com/blog2/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/canned-chicken.jpg
Patty in Wisc
05-01-2009, 06:53 PM
I watched the video "Faces of Death". The link was just under the 10 worst foods Mitchel posted. It shows the monkey brain ritual. I had to look away from some parts of the movie. YUK
We just talked about the monkey brains couple months ago but I forget what thread. I mentioned that Johnny Mathis said he ate this in some country (maybe 30 yrs ago) & Tog explained how they did it.
momoese
05-01-2009, 06:57 PM
Patty you'll be happy to know that the creator of faces of death later admitted that the monkey brain scene was staged, according to some blog person I read anyway.
chong
05-01-2009, 07:01 PM
Does that have the bones in it? It must be like the bones in sardines - soft.
Butchering a chicken, I used a sharp knife, and I pluck the area of the neck clean because the blood had to be saved for a certain recipe. I don't remember exactly, but I think I was successful on first try. I remember having a foot on the its feet, a knee on the wings, left hand firmly holding the head to expose the plucked area, bowl with uncooked rice to catch the blood. (Oops, I lied didn't I? I just went into detail.)
chong
05-01-2009, 07:08 PM
Talk about videos/movies, get yourselves a copy or rent the 60s movie "Mondo Cane" (It's a dog's world). They show a lot of kinky food in that movie that made famous the song, "More".
momoese
05-01-2009, 07:08 PM
LOL Chong the chicken killer!
From what I understand that can is full of home style goodness!
Taylor
05-01-2009, 07:12 PM
How about a plate of this lovely corn fungus, otherwise known as Cuitlacoche or Huitlacoche? Yum....not
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7qrC24MxaYY/SW-8lEsl-uI/AAAAAAAABNU/g1Bn 7ZGsIrs/s400/fullcanbrandediv9.jpg
It tastes very good right from the cob. We get about 5-10 clumps of this fungus on random corn plants each year. (We only grow ~10 rows total and each row is ~30 feet in length if I am remembering right. Maybe 50 foot)
Maybe it is supposed to be cooked, but just out of curiosity I have tried it raw a few times!
chong
05-01-2009, 07:14 PM
Patty you'll be happy to know that the creator of faces of death later admitted that the monkey brain scene was staged, according to some blog person I read anyway.
Maybe in his article, they did. The picture in your link shows the full body. In the "food of kings", they show the "objective" through a hole in the table, just slightly larger than the cutout crown. After the objective is consumed, the rest is cleaned and cut up, and cooked into a stew. And the drinking continues.
I don't care, but I still think that it's the thought that counts.
Tog Tan
05-02-2009, 08:06 AM
Goodness! I had to wait for the monkey business! I was going to say something which is not so believable and I think it will top any list, but after 2 lines, I gave up. It's so gross, if you must know, please PM me for it. Ptui! Totally sick!
Bird Nest soup from the swallow species is a truly delicious dish as Chong said if one knows how to prepare it. These days it's if one can afford it! Here it is just a hot item that it is even sold in small bottles. Now they are all cultivated with buildings which replicate their nesting conditions. However, they are not as high quality as those from the wild. The birds are still free ranging but return to these man made roosts for the night.
Heard of Cobra's bile, blood and venom with wine?
I think this was also a Vietnam war era thing. The locals believe that the first two items are great but with the venom thrown in it's the best. Word of caution though, if you have a break in your gastrointestinal tract, the venom can get into your system. I have said in an earlier post, it's not the bile or the blood which does any good, it's the herbs in the wine. Cobra's blood is one of the filthiest. It has lots of parasites it got from eating frogs. Guess not many people know about this, ha?
Patty in Wisc
05-02-2009, 10:52 AM
I read that part too Mitchel, but I wonder if the creater just said that. It sure looked real to me!
Now I remember where it was posted about the monkey brains thing. On my old thread about "backyard critter trappings"! Started out with cooking squirrel, coon & possum & then it got hijacked & Tog started this thread ha ha.
[Tog]:
..."Goodness! I had to wait for the monkey business! I was going to say something which is not so believable and I think it will top any list, but after 2 lines, I gave up. It's so gross, if you must know, please PM me for it. Ptui! Totally sick!"
C'mon Tog, say it! Curious minds want to know!! Do you think the monkey brain scene was real?
It tastes very good right from the cob. We get about 5-10 clumps of this fungus on random corn plants each year. (We only grow ~10 rows total and each row is ~30 feet in length if I am remembering right. Maybe 50 foot)
Maybe it is supposed to be cooked, but just out of curiosity I have tried it raw a few times!
Man, I've always wanted to try corn smut(what it's called here) and never had any plants develop it. Considered a huge delicacy in Mexico. Maybe I'll put some feelers out at the farmers market when they start up. Then again flights south of the border are probably going cheap nowadays.
Tog Tan
05-02-2009, 12:12 PM
C'mon Tog, say it! Curious minds want to know!! Do you think the monkey brain scene was real?
This how I feel about this, knowing how cheap animal lives are there and the zero concern for their well being, money will give you any slaughter scene.
Sometime back I sent some pix of the slaughter house for snakes in the reptile skin trade to Orang Puteh aka Bob. To most of you, the pix looks very sick. To me those pix were nothing more than PG rating for a film. I have walked into such places at 10.30am and the floor already have a 2 inch thick carpet of clotted blood. They do like 1,000 -2,000 reptiles a day. So what's 1 monkey life worth? :waving:
momoese
05-02-2009, 12:17 PM
Tog, I believe what your talking about involves cannibalism. Yes, very disturbing!
Tog Tan
05-02-2009, 12:20 PM
Can someone explain to me in detail about this Cuitlacoche or Huitlacoche? How does the corn develop it or can it be cultured on the corn?
First time I heard of it. How is the taste when raw as Taylor said. And how is it cooked and what is the taste then? Kinda cool thing which maybe I can do here for fun.
Tog Tan
05-02-2009, 12:28 PM
Tog, I believe what your talking about involves cannibalism. Yes, very disturbing!
Mitchel, not unless you compare simian genetics and ours. Are you ready for this.... please take it lightly and don't fall off.
I was at a Karaoke lounge many years ago and they had a bunch of Chinese mainland girls working there illegally. Somewhere through the conversation on eating weird stuff one of the girls said in their village, it is a belief that very young children are given cooked human flesh to boost their health, etc.. she admitted that her mom told her when she grew up she was fed it. I wasn't shocked cos I thought I am a seen it-heard it all type of guy but felt kinda weird about her and her group of friends from the same village.
Ok, if you guys can't take this post, say it and I will delete it. Just want you guys from the west meet the east head on. If y'all are curious out of cultures' sake, there another story I can add.
Goodness! I had to wait for the monkey business!
Heard of Cobra's bile, blood and venom with wine?
I think this was also a Vietnam war era thing. The locals believe that the first two items are great but with the venom thrown in it's the best. Word of caution though, if you have a break in your gastrointestinal tract, the venom can get into your system. I have said in an earlier post, it's not the bile or the blood which does any good, it's the herbs in the wine. Cobra's blood is one of the filthiest. It has lots of parasites it got from eating frogs. Guess not many people know about this, ha?
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=17036&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=17036&ppuser=4095)
Get me the recipe.
Can someone explain to me in detail about this Cuitlacoche or Huitlacoche? How does the corn develop it or can it be cultured on the corn?
First time I heard of it. How is the taste when raw as Taylor said. And how is it cooked and what is the taste then? Kinda cool thing which maybe I can do here for fun.
It's a fungal disease of corn that turns kernals into something resembling a mushroom. Never had a chance to eat it though.
Tog Tan
05-02-2009, 01:50 PM
:ha::ha::ha::ha::ha: Cool :ha::ha::ha::ha::ha:
I mean the pix of you and the stuffed cobra!
Thanks for the corn fungus intro, I need more info...
Patty in Wisc
05-02-2009, 01:50 PM
:drum: Let's hear it. Nothing wrong with posting what other cultures do. It's educational....parents, keep your kids away.
Tog Tan
05-02-2009, 02:23 PM
:drum: Let's hear it. Nothing wrong with posting what other cultures do. It's educational....parents, keep your kids away.
"Altered" Chinese Meat Dumplings aka Char Siew Pau
This is a true story from the '70s and it happened in Macau. There was a small eatery in the suburbs which sold really great tasting steamed Minced Pork Meat Dumplings or in Chinese, Char Siew Pau. It was sold out everyday by mid morning. No one would have found out what was in there if not for a little slip from the then owner. The police were on a missing person case of a person who worked at the eatery. After being questioned a few times, the owner cracked up and try to get away and was caught by the police. At that time, there was no such thing against police brutality and he had the confession beaten out of him within an inch of his life.
The story was revealed as that the current owner was actually an employee who killed the whole family of the original owner amounting to 7 (I think) people. It was over a misunderstanding of the working cheating in a mahjong game. What this guy did was, he took the bodies apart and got rid off the bones in the trash. The meat, he made it into the fillings of the steamed dumplings and the organs as side dishes for the dim sum. He tried to plead insanity and they couldn't nail him to the crime. However, they put him in the prison where the murdered owner's brother was serving time. It's like the cops wanted it to be sorted out on its own. This guy was so badly beaten up night after night that he committed suicide by sawing his wrist with the lid of a can. There was a movie made with the gruesome detail of this case. Quite realistic I must say.
After this incident, another similar case came about in China where someone was using the meat of corpses from the mortuary for the fillings of the steamed dumplings. The authorities found out when members of the family of the deceased found missing portions from the corpses they claimed for burial. Capitalising on the Macau incident, some idiot thought it would be a great idea to make real tasty dumplings like that. He managed to get a worker at the mortuary to supply the meat.
So, no tasty Char Siew Pau for breakfast when you visit China?
chong
05-02-2009, 06:18 PM
Tog, I believe what your talking about involves cannibalism. Yes, very disturbing!
I didn't have the guts to say it earlier, but that was the word I avoided saying.
lorax
05-02-2009, 07:28 PM
Cannibalism is not so uncommon as you might think. The Shuara here (the apocryphal "head-shrinker" tribe) consider that it's a good idea to eat their enemies.
chong
05-02-2009, 07:32 PM
"Altered" Chinese Meat Dumplings aka Char Siew Pau
This is a true story from the '70s and it happened in Macau. There was a small eatery in the suburbs which sold really great tasting steamed Minced Pork Meat Dumplings or in Chinese, Char Siew Pau. It was sold out everyday by mid morning. No one would have found out what was in there if not for a little slip from the then owner. The police were on a missing person case of a person who worked at the eatery. After being questioned a few times, the owner cracked up and try to get away and was caught by the police. At that time, there was no such thing against police brutality and he had the confession beaten out of him within an inch of his life.
The story was revealed as that the current owner was actually an employee who killed the whole family of the original owner amounting to 7 (I think) people. It was over a misunderstanding of the working cheating in a mahjong game. What this guy did was, he took the bodies apart and got rid off the bones in the trash. The meat, he made it into the fillings of the steamed dumplings and the organs as side dishes for the dim sum. He tried to plead insanity and they couldn't nail him to the crime. However, they put him in the prison where the murdered owner's brother was serving time. It's like the cops wanted it to be sorted out on its own. This guy was so badly beaten up night after night that he committed suicide by sawing his wrist with the lid of a can. There was a movie made with the gruesome detail of this case. Quite realistic I must say.
After this incident, another similar case came about in China where someone was using the meat of corpses from the mortuary for the fillings of the steamed dumplings. The authorities found out when members of the family of the deceased found missing portions from the corpses they claimed for burial. Capitalising on the Macau incident, some idiot thought it would be a great idea to make real tasty dumplings like that. He managed to get a worker at the mortuary to supply the meat.
So, no tasty Char Siew Pau for breakfast when you visit China?
That's OK, Tog. Here in the US, they call it Ham Baw (same as Char Siew Pau, but due to predominant regional pronunciation the Pau became Baw, and has nothing to do with ham, though). "Char Siew" is roast pork or barbecue pork. But most Americans don't know that. So, unless Ham Baw is offered they have no way of knowing the other.
Talk about "grossest" of the gross, now that we've arrived in China, anything that we've talked about so far pales compared to news of what was being served in China starting several years ago. I don't know if you've heard that in the UK, some new mothers actually cook their placenta and served it to their family. I saw this in an episode of "Playboy - After Dark" series on HBO. Well, I don't think even that can top China's human fetuses on the menu. Although, Snopes claim that this is false (see link). snopes.com: Fetus Eaten by Asians (http://www.snopes.com/horrors/cannibal/fetus.asp)
However, if you read through it, you'll find that their commentary applies to reports from Taiwan, and not in Mainland China. Then the following Congressional Briefing Circular, citing references regarding the practice of human fetus in Mainland China, seems to give credence to that claim.
http://www.globalsecuritieswatch.org/Congressional_Briefing_Circular.pdf
Patty in Wisc
05-02-2009, 07:45 PM
None of the above got to me as much as the monkey brains. I don't think anyone can top that. Arrrrgggh
momoese
05-02-2009, 07:54 PM
"Altered" Chinese Meat Dumplings aka Char Siew Pau
This is a true story from the '70s and it happened in Macau. There was a small eatery in the suburbs which sold really great tasting steamed Minced Pork Meat Dumplings or in Chinese, Char Siew Pau. It was sold out everyday by mid morning. No one would have found out what was in there if not for a little slip from the then owner. The police were on a missing person case of a person who worked at the eatery. After being questioned a few times, the owner cracked up and try to get away and was caught by the police. At that time, there was no such thing against police brutality and he had the confession beaten out of him within an inch of his life.
The story was revealed as that the current owner was actually an employee who killed the whole family of the original owner amounting to 7 (I think) people. It was over a misunderstanding of the working cheating in a mahjong game. What this guy did was, he took the bodies apart and got rid off the bones in the trash. The meat, he made it into the fillings of the steamed dumplings and the organs as side dishes for the dim sum. He tried to plead insanity and they couldn't nail him to the crime. However, they put him in the prison where the murdered owner's brother was serving time. It's like the cops wanted it to be sorted out on its own. This guy was so badly beaten up night after night that he committed suicide by sawing his wrist with the lid of a can. There was a movie made with the gruesome detail of this case. Quite realistic I must say.
After this incident, another similar case came about in China where someone was using the meat of corpses from the mortuary for the fillings of the steamed dumplings. The authorities found out when members of the family of the deceased found missing portions from the corpses they claimed for burial. Capitalising on the Macau incident, some idiot thought it would be a great idea to make real tasty dumplings like that. He managed to get a worker at the mortuary to supply the meat.
There has been a few movies made about similar ideas.
This Danish film called "The Green Butchers" that was really good! My wife is Danish so she was the reason we found this one.
De grønne slagtere (2003) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0342492/)
This American classic horror film was fun too! "Motel Hell"
Motel Hell (1980) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081184/)
Awesome French film "Delicatessen" Loved this one!
Delicatessen (1991) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101700/)
And lets not forget "The Silence of the Lambs" Oh yeah!!
The Silence of the Lambs (1991) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102926/)
Oh, almost forgot "Alive"!! True story too!
Alive (1993) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106246/)
OH SNAP I just did a google search and there are all kinds of cannibalism movies I haven't seen, but I don't see the Danish film on any of the lists and I really think it's the best of the bunch! :)
Lagniappe
05-02-2009, 08:06 PM
Soylent Green
momoese
05-02-2009, 08:21 PM
Soylent Green
On my top 10 movies of all time but not on my Cannibalism list because the meat has been made into dry crackers. There just something not quite so gross about about eating a dry cracker. Now a sausage, that pretty gross!:eek:
Maybe the big food corps have learned this lesson already!
saltydad
05-02-2009, 08:24 PM
Here you go Tog.
Huitlacoche Soup (http://www.mykoweb.com/recipes/mn_mar92.html)
momoese
05-02-2009, 08:55 PM
Cannibalism is not so uncommon as you might think. The Shuara here (the apocryphal "head-shrinker" tribe) consider that it's a good idea to eat their enemies.
I've read about this, it's very interesting. Sometimes I wonder if eating the person who just cut me off on the freeway almost ending my life would taste good, but I always come to the conclusion that bad people probably taste bad!
lorax
05-03-2009, 01:09 AM
They believe that they're gaining the enemy's power and knowledge by eating him. Happily, the Shuara are unlike most other tribes that practise cannibalism - they don't eat the brain of the victims (this is taboo) so they're not affected by CJD or other prion diseases.
On the two occasions where I've been offered the chance to join in one of these feasts, I've politely declined. I do have limits to what I will eat, and pork and people are the line I draw.
Tog Tan
05-03-2009, 03:32 AM
Talk about "grossest" of the gross, now that we've arrived in China, anything that we've talked about so far pales compared to news of what was being served in China starting several years ago. I don't know if you've heard that in the UK, some new mothers actually cook their placenta and served it to their family. I saw this in an episode of "Playboy - After Dark" series on HBO. Well, I don't think even that can top China's human fetuses on the menu. Although, Snopes claim that this is false (see link). snopes.com: Fetus Eaten by Asians (http://www.snopes.com/horrors/cannibal/fetus.asp)
However, if you read through it, you'll find that their commentary applies to reports from Taiwan, and not in Mainland China. Then the following Congressional Briefing Circular, citing references regarding the practice of human fetus in Mainland China, seems to give credence to that claim.
Chong, human fetus is thought to be a regenerative food in China and it has dribbled into Hong Kong where it is smuggled down from Southern China, mostly from illegal abortion clinics. It goes sicker in the way that the incestuous fetus is the best. Think of it, it's the source of stem cells in whole.
To this point of our discussions here, I don't think many new folks will get in so I feel we can share more in depth as an exchange of whatever. We are matured to be able to grasp what is said and as long as there's no heavy sensationalism, I feel I am learning alot from the input. The only thing will stop this thread is probably Jarred if he thinks its too much and he's the boss!
Mitchel - you are weird! You can't stand the idea of cannibalism and you like the movies! :ha:
Howard - Thanks again for the link.
Patty in Wisc
05-04-2009, 09:14 AM
Don't forget the movie 'Hannibal'. It was not a good movie at all, but Hannibal Lector ate a mans brain while he was sitting up & alive. Of course it came from the monkey brain thingy. They thought the "shock value" would make it a good movie but it sucked. I turned it off at that point & never did watch the whole movie...there was no plot anyway.
If anyone is disturbed by what is written here, they shoulda stopped reading a couple pages back.
And then there was Jeff Dalmer. Why did he happen to be from here - & lived not too far away from me. What a story that was!!
momoese
05-04-2009, 02:55 PM
Ok, believe or not I was pressing the stumble button today while having lunch and this came up! Go figure!
What would you taste like to a cannibal? Quiz - - Recipe Star (http://www.recipestar.com/quizzes/view/cannibal-taste)
Sixwing
05-04-2009, 03:34 PM
Haha! Random. According to that quiz, I would taste like undercooked fish. (Hey, I like raw fish. If you're gonna cook it, do it right.)
It's called "Century Egg", and it's usually served fresh. No, not an Urban Legend, it's for real! Who wants some? All it is, is regular duck eggs soaked in lye water (Sodium Hydroxide)then hard boiled after a few days. The best time to eat them is after it is chilled immediately after boiling. The color of the egg becomes black, with the yolk black cheesy texture, while the white looks like light translucent licorice. Great with beer! Anybody want some?
Then there's the other preserved egg - the Salted Egg. This one is plain duck egg (chicken egg is sometimes substituted, but the texture is not as firm as the duck's) that is soaked in brine for several weeks, then hard boiled. The taste of this is like Caviar, without the fishy taste. Very good with salads, or just sliced or chopped tomatoes. Anybody want some?
That doesn't sound bad at all. Here I was led to believe that the thing was boiled, buried, and allowed to ferment, yech. Salted Egg sounds like something I'd like to try!
Char Siew is cha-shiu here, and sold in a single ramen shop in a city eight hours' drive from here. Barbecued pork ramen, mmmm.... Or is that barbecued PEOPLE ramen. o_o;; Other people aren't on the menu, thanks... if you are what you eat, at least to some extent, most people around here are made of McDonald's.
I just (last night!) got to try raw milk and raw cream. Oh my goodness. There's a whole world of difference from the grocery store stuff. It tastes different, it smells different, it's actually cream-colored, the cream floats and can be skimmed with a ladle.. wow. And the cream. That stuff is stronger, thicker, richer, than any cream I've ever had. I can't wait to try and cook something with it. I have encountered the glory that is real milk.
It also has a distinct aftertaste of cattle. Guess that only makes sense.
lorax
05-04-2009, 03:52 PM
Wah! Fresh cream, straight out of the cow. There is no better! It will make your recipes richer and a bit heavier, but it's worth it. A cream sauce made with fresh-skimmed cream is a revelation. Equally, the fresh cheese made with unpastuerized whole fresh milk is amazing. (And can be made at home, not difficult at all). Sixwing, did you have it at cow temperature, or chilled? The "cattle" taste isn't present when it's fresh out of the cow.
According to the Cannibal test, I'd taste like BBQ Tofu. Very strange, since I eat almost no soy of any kind.
momoese
05-04-2009, 03:54 PM
It said I'd taste like BBQ Chicken!
Oh great, I'm barbequed beef! Note to self: NEVER VISIT CHINA!
lorax
05-04-2009, 05:02 PM
Nah, Bob. You're too stringy to be worth the effort of roasting you.
Sixwing
05-04-2009, 05:32 PM
...did you have it at cow temperature, or chilled? The "cattle" taste isn't present when it's fresh out of the cow.
I had it chilled; it came to me from a friend, not direct. It wasn't nearly as strong this morning (on cereal) which makes me think either a) it's in the cream, which will get prepared anyway, probably in a sauce or b) it went away mysteriously.
Edit: I am so going to try making butter and cheese both, if I'm lucky enough to get raw milk on a regular basis. Google has shown me how. *solemn nod*
chong
05-04-2009, 06:25 PM
Nah, Bob. You're too stringy to be worth the effort of roasting you.
Are you kidding????? He's marinated (marinating) in Single Malt Scotch!!! That ought to tenderize him.
Lagniappe
05-04-2009, 06:26 PM
:ha::ha: like pickled okra!
saltydad
05-04-2009, 06:51 PM
Haha. I'm mequite chicken!!
lorax
05-04-2009, 07:23 PM
Are you kidding????? He's marinated (marinating) in Single Malt Scotch!!! That ought to tenderize him.
I was more referring to the lack of meat.
Are you kidding????? He's marinated (marinating) in Single Malt Scotch!!! That ought to tenderize him.
I was more referring to the lack of meat.
You could have lied and made a filet mignon reference but ........................"OH NO" (John Belushi voice) Not my pals !!! Chong it's true ......I'm tenderized
lorax..................You are a charmer....... lack of...........oh I'm not going there either !!!
chong
05-04-2009, 07:35 PM
I was more referring to the lack of meat.
Wooo-o-o-o-o-o-o . . . . . Hope, that didn't sting too much, Bob. I was really rooting for you.
lorax
05-05-2009, 09:51 AM
OK, I'm going to do the right thing here, and re-rail this thread. Thus far we've heard odd things relating to meat and its consumption, but what about the weirdness of fruits and vegetables?
I'll kick that off with something locally called a "Battery." To make this, slice a ripe avocado in half, turfs the pit, fill the cavity with raw brown sugar (called Panela here; the closest US equivalent is probably demerrera), add three drops of aguardente, mash it all up with a spoon, and slurp it back. It's an acquired taste, but it lives up to its name.
A single avocado eaten in this fashion provides enough energy to continue hiking for another 6-8 hours, and since avocadoes grow wild in many parts of the country, the only thing a hiker really needs to carry is a small bag of panela and a flask of aguardiente, neither of which take up much space in a daypack.
Sixwing
05-05-2009, 10:30 AM
Hee! Re-rail it is.
Kiwano horned melons are truly bizarre. They're spiky, and instead of melon flesh, they have slimy little fruit-sacs like some kind of cross between a pomegranate and boogers, and they taste like kiwi-cucumber-lime. Also, they shoot bright green juice everywhere when cut open - not what I think of as a melon at all.
That said, they're pretty good.
Patty in Wisc
05-06-2009, 10:19 PM
In the old days they saved bacon grease. My Grandpa used to spread it (chilled) on rye bread & then sprinkle a little salt on it & eat it like bread & butter. He also poured sugar into a lettuce leaf, rolled it up & ate it. He lived to be 98. He was never in a hospital untill then. He fell & broke his hip so my aunt & uncle took him to a hospital & he was prolly scared to death & died of heart attack there.
Lagniappe
05-06-2009, 10:21 PM
In the old days they saved bacon grease. My Grandpa used to spread it (chilled) on rye bread & then sprinkle a little salt on it & eat it like bread & butter. He also poured sugar into a lettuce leaf, rolled it up & ate it. He lived to be 98. He was never in a hospital untill then. He fell & broke his hip so my aunt & uncle took him to a hospital & he was prolly scared to death & died of heart attack there.
Wanna really tick off an old Southern woman? Just pour bacon grease in her fish grease!!!
Patty in Wisc
05-06-2009, 10:25 PM
Never heard of fish grease. What do they use it for?
Lagniappe
05-07-2009, 12:41 AM
Never heard of fish grease. What do they use it for?
Fryin' fish :P
Patty in Wisc
05-07-2009, 12:50 AM
OK, you got me there Pete :)
I figure if bacon grease comes out of frying bacon, then fish grease comes OUT of fish. So, where does fish grease come from - what is it? Just regular cooking oil?
Lagniappe
05-07-2009, 12:51 AM
OK, you got me there Pete :)
I figure if bacon grease comes out of frying bacon, then fish grease comes OUT of fish. So, where does fish grease come from - what is it? Just regular cooking oil?
Sure, but with all the wholesome goodness of fried up fish juice and crispy corn meal.
chong
05-07-2009, 02:04 AM
OK, you got me there Pete :)
I figure if bacon grease comes out of frying bacon, then fish grease comes OUT of fish. So, where does fish grease come from - what is it? Just regular cooking oil?
Sure, but with all the wholesome goodness of fried up fish juice and crispy corn meal.
Patty's question and Pete's response bring me back to when I was about 10 years old and just learning to cook. We use the cooking oil several times until it gets really dark brown. But the rules of saving them followed a hierarchy. Oil used for frying veggies, nanners, or eggs are used over and over for those particular uses. But once they are used to fry fish or meat, the leftover is saved into pertinent separate containers. When oil for frying fish becomes low, the oil for meat is added first, then if still short, the oil from the veggies is added next, rather than adding new oil outright. However, if oil for frying meat becomes low, only the veggie oil, then new oil are added. If oil for frying veggies, etc., becomes low, only new oil is added. Oil used for sauteing may be from new oil, veggie oil, or meat oil, depending on the dish. Once oil is used for fish, that all that it will be used.
My wife won't let me cook much anymore, so sometimes, I do really miss cooking. I remember how good it felt when I insisted that I cook for our FVW Post's Friday night snacks, just before Thanksgiving last year. The members who were there couldn't believe it was me who cooked the soup. It was chicken-asparagus-pasta soup served with garlic bread. Many of them were surprised with the chicken-asparagus combination. Anybody want to hire an unemployed engineer for a cook?
In the old days they saved bacon grease. .
" Bacon grease is proof that god loves us" I think Ben Franklin said that .......or maybe it was me. I'm going on vac next week to an area with limited supplies. The first thing we do is cook up a big breakfast and save the grease for the rest of the week. Been doing this for years and always come home having lost weight. Good stuff.
lorax
05-07-2009, 10:48 AM
Ah, the realm of odd sandwiches. My Grampa instilled a great love of butter and black pepper sandwiches (on fresh bread, still hot from the oven), as well as the nasty habit of pouring out a large bowl of maple syrup and then mopping it out with fresh bread. I could never bring myself to do the bacon grease thing, though. Pig products do funny things to me.
On the concept of culture-shocking:
I constantly find myself amazed that Ecuadoreans haven't figured out Borscht and other things that I as a food-afficionado expat Canuck take for granted. Pancakes and Waffles are dessert foods here, and nobody ever thinks of baking anything. Hence, last time I had friends over and served them a stuffed, oven-roasted chicken, they went nuts. They couldn't believe that it was as simple as putting the dang thing in the horno with some veggies and a bit of water. They've also never heard of biscuits or dumplings (to the point that Ecuadorean Spanish doesn't even have words for these concepts; I have to say "Pan Casera" (homemade bread) and "Pan de Seco" (stew bread), and I shudder inwardly at making my first batch of bannock, because I'll never be able to hear the end of it. Equally, my friends were aghast on my last fishing trip when I just gutted out the trout and stuffed it with limes and herbs, then wrapped it in mud and threw it in the coals. Despite this being the proper way to cook a breadfruit, they had never extended it to fish.
Sixwing
05-07-2009, 11:31 AM
My husband loves to take a bowl of maple syrup, stir it up with peanut butter, and eat the resulting mess with a spoon. I prefer crackers for my syrupy-goodness delivery method.
I save bacon grease (or more likely, the grease from a roast.) There is no particular heirarchy to cooking grease, but then, we don't reuse it - though that would probably be more environmentally friendly..
We also render down bones of almost anything (fish, poultry, beef, goat) and freeze the resulting broth in separate containers. Fish broth is good for other fish, beef and goat for rice and vegetables, poultry for cooking almost anything that needs broth, and all of it's good for noodle soup. I don't know if that qualifies as weird; it's such a staple that I can't imagine not doing it.
The first thing we do is cook up a big breakfast and save the grease for the rest of the week.
Brilliant.
Tog Tan
05-07-2009, 11:45 AM
Raw juvenile crabs in soy sauce
There's something which the older generation of the Teochew Chinese do here;
They buy up the small crabs that are about 1inch in body size which are culled from the main catch. Then they will just soak it in soy sauce and let it marinate for a while like a couple of hours. It is eaten, shell and all. What's left, is eaten over the next day or so. This is something I have not tried cos to me, it's too darn salty with the soy sauce! It seems it is eaten as a health food.
Patty in Wisc
05-07-2009, 02:23 PM
I LOVE soft shell crab -- but cooked.
Lagniappe
05-07-2009, 02:26 PM
I LOVE soft shell crab -- but cooked.
YES!!! It's one of my favorites, along with softshell crawfish. My mom got one with lots of baby crabs tucked under it's shell. That was the last time she ate crab.
lorax
05-07-2009, 02:30 PM
As we're on the whole "raw marinated seafood" thing, I should mention Ceviche. This is chunks of fish marinated for several days in cold conditions in a combo of lime juice, hot peppers, and onions. It's done when the fish looks cooked (although it's technically still raw.) Variations of Ceviche are made with conch, clams, squid, octopus, and shrimps; the latter is the only on where the seafood is cooked before being marinated. Among the best Ceviches that I've ever eaten was one based on octopus and squid, which was made by a friend of mine. Basically, she speared the tentacled critters, whapped them on a rock to tenderize them, chopped them up, and two days later, voila!
Tog Tan
05-07-2009, 02:39 PM
As we're on the whole "raw marinated seafood" thing, I should mention Ceviche. This is chunks of fish marinated for several days in cold conditions in a combo of lime juice, hot peppers, and onions. It's done when the fish looks cooked (although it's technically still raw.) Variations of Ceviche are made with conch, clams, squid, octopus, and shrimps; the latter is the only on where the seafood is cooked before being marinated. Among the best Ceviches that I've ever eaten was one based on octopus and squid, which was made by a friend of mine. Basically, she speared the tentacled critters, whapped them on a rock to tenderize them, chopped them up, and two days later, voila!
There is a similar local appetizer known as Chincaluk of which small shrimps or squids are bottled up uncooked and marinated with chili and lime with lots of finely chopped onions thrown in. Looks a scary pink mess to most people, but real appetizing as a side dish to a main meal. If the bottle is kept in a hot place, the gas build up will blow the cap away. Messy...messy...
Dang! I eat anything raw! Yummy :ha: Would certainly love to try the Ceviche.
"There is a similar local appetizer known as Chincaluk of which small shrimps or squids are bottled up uncooked and marinated with chili and lime with lots of finely chopped onions thrown in. Looks a scary pink mess to most people, but real appetizing as a side dish to a main meal. If the bottle is kept in a hot place, the gas build up will blow the cap away. Messy...messy..."
Sounds really good!
"Dang! I eat anything raw! Yummy" :ha: ......figured that( so do I).
"Would certainly love to try the Ceviche."
It's really easy and you can do it. Just get some cleaned fish, add whatever spices happen to turn you on and add citrus juice(I like Lime best) till the color changes to opaque . I haven't tried other things mentioned so don't know. There's no set recipe but, it always seems to be good. Really if you're at all handy in the kitchen just do it.
Tog Tan
05-07-2009, 03:32 PM
It's really easy and you can do it. Just get some cleaned fish, add whatever spices happen to turn you on and add citrus juice(I like Lime best) till the color changes to opaque . I haven't tried other things mentioned so don't know. There's no set recipe but, it always seems to be good. Really if you're at all handy in the kitchen just do it.
If it's like this, then I have eaten it many times over albeit differently then.... Us, Chinese love to have raw Grass Carp, Ctenopharyngodon idella with hot plain rice porridge. Some will squeeze lime on it but it goes best with silvers of ginger and a dash of sesame oil and soy sauce. However, I go the whole 9 yards and have all the pork stuff in the porridge like the kidney, meat, stomach, meat balls, deep fried intestine and a raw egg thrown in. Oh yes, always a double helping of the raw fish! Just talking about it makes me very hungry now.
momoese
05-08-2009, 11:42 AM
This had to be posted in this thread! :03:
An american was touring Mexico. After his day's sight-seeing, he stops at a
local restaurant. While sipping his wine, he notices a sizzling, scrumptious
looking platter being served at the next table. Not only it looked good, but
the smell was wonderful. He asked the waiter, "What was that you just served
the gentleman at the next table?"
The waiter replied, " Ah, senor, you have excellent taste! Those were the
bull's testicles from the bull-fight this morning. A delicacy!"
The American was momentarily daunted when he learnt the origin of the dish.
But then he said, "What the hell? I am on vacation! Bring me an order!"
The waiter replied, "I am sorry, senor. there is only one serving a day,
since there is only one bull-fight each morning. If you come early tomorrow
and place your order, you will be sure to have this delicacy!"
The next morning, the American returned, placed his order, and was served
the one and only special delicacy of the day. after a few bites, he called
the waiter and said, "These are smaller than the ones I saw you serve
yesterday!"
The waiter replied, "Se señor, I know. But sometimes the bull wins."
Chironex
05-15-2009, 09:55 PM
Back from China - had some tempting treats while there:
Crocodile, Crocodile Head Soup (the whole head was in the pot!), Snake, fish heads, chicken heads, and a few other things that I could not figure out. Didn't see any dog, cat or bugs for sale. My camera was stolen, so no pics unfortunately.
lorax
05-15-2009, 09:56 PM
Welcome back, Scot! Too bad about your camera, but tell us more about that soup.
Chironex
05-15-2009, 09:59 PM
Beth, Thanks for the welcome back!
It looked like a broth with cream and something yellow, not quite sure if it was butter or just the coloring from the croc skin. I ate it and would describe the taste as strong, but not too bad. It didn't taste like chicken.
lorax
05-15-2009, 10:00 PM
I'd say the yellow was something out of the croc. Caiman soup here turns yellow from what the locals charmingly refer to as "Lizard lard."
Chironex
05-15-2009, 10:02 PM
Yummy! When I first saw it, I thought "Wait til the bunch hears about this!" I wouldn't order it again though.
momoese
05-16-2009, 01:28 AM
Yummy! When I first saw it, I thought "Wait til the bunch hears about this!" I wouldn't order it again though.
So of all the things you consumed there what would you order again?
Simply Bananas
05-16-2009, 05:08 AM
We have a party every year and the ceviche is always gone first.
Cube some fresh, quality salmon in 1/2"cubes
Chop some onion
Marinate with lime and orange juice and a little salt for 3-4 hours.
In the mean time, roast some poblano chiles, skin them and chop the flesh.
Chop some cilantro
chop a fresh jalapeno(if bold, use a habanero, seeds removed)
cube a fresh ripe avocado.
section two oranges, halve each section.
Drain fish and onions when fish is translucent
combine all ingredients and let sit in fridge til well chilled
taste and adjust seasoning--then serve with crackers, chips or nothing
The orange and avocado smooth out the lime.
NotherNana
05-16-2009, 06:26 AM
I love smoked octopus. My wife's uncle married a Japanese lady who turned me onto this. It's sooo tender, and really delicious. I feel bad about eating such an intelligent animal though, so only have every few months. But if I didn't have the feelings, I'd eat it every single night :)
Gino
Tog Tan
05-16-2009, 12:57 PM
Beth, Thanks for the welcome back!
It looked like a broth with cream and something yellow, not quite sure if it was butter or just the coloring from the croc skin. I ate it and would describe the taste as strong, but not too bad. It didn't taste like chicken.
Welcome back big bro! Glad you made it back with good food in your tummy. So now you should be immune from asthma cos that's croc meat does! :ha::ha::ha:
NotherNana
05-16-2009, 03:59 PM
yuuuuuuuuuummmmmmmmmmy!! I love smoked alligator too! I forgot all about this until you brought it up.
Nichole and me moved to Vegas in 1995. After going up through Florida, we stopped at a little place in Louisiana. Inside, they had fresh smoked gator tail. The lady gave me a piece to try, because I didn't know if I'd like it. After the 'taste test', I bought EVERY bit she had, about 65.00 worth. i ate it all the way to Los Vegas and then some :)
You couldn't find this in Los Vegas, and on our way back to Florida in 1997, I stopped back at the same place and bought them out again :)
Now I have hard time finding it as good as I did in Louisiana, and if not smoked, I don't like it. But the Gods have definitely said to me.... "GATOR IS GOOD" :)
Gino
Chironex
05-16-2009, 11:01 PM
So of all the things you consumed there what would you order again?
I can't say that any of the odd food was good enough that I would feel compelled to re-order.
Chironex
05-16-2009, 11:03 PM
Welcome back big bro! Glad you made it back with good food in your tummy. So now you should be immune from asthma cos that's croc meat does! :ha::ha::ha:
Thanks! It is agouti be back. Definitely guanta go again soon. :ha::ha::ha:
Chironex
05-16-2009, 11:05 PM
yuuuuuuuuuummmmmmmmmmy!! I love smoked alligator too! I forgot all about this until you brought it up.
Nichole and me moved to Vegas in 1995. After going up through Florida, we stopped at a little place in Louisiana. Inside, they had fresh smoked gator tail. The lady gave me a piece to try, because I didn't know if I'd like it. After the 'taste test', I bought EVERY bit she had, about 65.00 worth. i ate it all the way to Los Vegas and then some :)
You couldn't find this in Los Vegas, and on our way back to Florida in 1997, I stopped back at the same place and bought them out again :)
Now I have hard time finding it as good as I did in Louisiana, and if not smoked, I don't like it. But the Gods have definitely said to me.... "GATOR IS GOOD" :)
Gino
Gator IS good, I had it at the Orlando airport years ago (late 70's) with a honey mustard sauce. Excellent!
bananimal
05-17-2009, 03:20 PM
Here is a pic I found of a street vendor in Ecuador serving up roasted Cuy (guinea pig). It's the national dish -- yum yum. Like lorax says, see their little roasted grinning mouths. Shrimp on the barbie have only one handle - the tail. The Cuy has 5 - four feets and a tail.
Please note the 3 pups depicted under the Cuy are not for consumption!!!
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=16969 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=16371&ppuser=820)
lorax
05-17-2009, 05:49 PM
Yeah, that's the stuff. Looks like the Cuy stands in Latacunga to me.... It's always better when they have the stick still in them, because then your hands don't get all greezy.
NotherNana
05-17-2009, 07:21 PM
Now you guys are going over edge! :) !!!!
In all fairness, I guess I'd have too be OK with it though, I ate rodents too. When on timber farm in Virginia as kid, my family killed and ate squirrels, me included. :) Guinea pigs? i had a pet guinea pig. woaaaaahhh! :) It is nice to see what other cultures will eat, and what Americans will make a pet out of, too funny! :)
Gino
Lagniappe
05-17-2009, 08:56 PM
I JUST ate a big ol' plate of frog legs. No big deal, I know, but thought I would share.
Patty in Wisc
05-18-2009, 02:43 AM
I LOVE frog legs - didn't have them in years. I heard bad things about them & haven't seen them in markets here.
What's up w/ frog legs?
Tog Tan
05-18-2009, 07:19 AM
I LOVE frog legs - didn't have them in years. I heard bad things about them & haven't seen them in markets here.
What's up w/ frog legs?
Parasites in its guts! This is main reason why people refrain from eating it. :ha:
The legs are ok if you cook them well, especially with a dash of brandy. Yum...
bananimal
05-18-2009, 08:56 AM
Pete,
Did you gig those frogs yourself? I can get them here but only frozen. And they are great - esp buffalo style - ribbit!!!
Dan
Tog Tan
05-18-2009, 12:35 PM
Now you guys are going over edge! :) !!!!
In all fairness, I guess I'd have too be OK with it though, I ate rodents too. When on timber farm in Virginia as kid, my family killed and ate squirrels, me included. :) Guinea pigs? i had a pet guinea pig. woaaaaahhh! :) It is nice to see what other cultures will eat, and what Americans will make a pet out of, too funny! :)
Gino
Gino, go to page 1 and read all the way.... Maybe you will change your attitude towards food by then! :ha::ha::ha:
chong
05-18-2009, 02:33 PM
I just had to share this . . . . . Since I'm not working, I just got up at 11AM, then I checked my mail and nana messages. Dang, wouldn't you know it, my wife just came back from shopping, stayed around for a while, then back out again, but interrupted me to tell me that my breakfast was ready just before she went out the door. I say dang, because how dare she interrupt me in the middle of my banana sessions.
Anyway, I went to the table and saw what she made me: Grilled Rib-Eye steak - medium rare; two eggs - basted medium; garlic fried rice; 2 Philippine mangoes; teremisu cake; and fresh ground, brewed Kona coffee. So, I guess I will forgive her.
saltydad
05-18-2009, 02:53 PM
Does she make house calls?
Lagniappe
05-18-2009, 03:10 PM
Grilled Rib-Eye steak - medium rare; two eggs - basted medium; garlic fried rice; 2 Philippine mangoes; teremisu cake; and fresh ground, brewed Kona coffee.
It's good t' be the king.
lorax
05-18-2009, 03:20 PM
Grilled Rib-Eye steak - medium rare; two eggs - basted medium; garlic fried rice; 2 Philippine mangoes; teremisu cake; and fresh ground, brewed Kona coffee. So, I guess I will forgive her.
She made you a churrasco? You lucky dog!
chong
05-18-2009, 03:35 PM
She made you a churrasco? You lucky dog!
Weird, isn't it? That's why I thought that I'd share . . . . . in this forum, even.
chong
05-18-2009, 03:53 PM
Does she make house calls?
Yes, but only at my house. She's real finicky.
bananimal
05-18-2009, 06:00 PM
Chong,
Describe the garlic fried rice. I'm so sick of potatoes with steak. Sounds interesting.
Dan
chong
05-18-2009, 06:58 PM
Chong,
Describe the garlic fried rice. I'm so sick of potatoes with steak. Sounds interesting.
Dan
Gladly Dan,
Ingredients:
- Crushed(really hard) 2 or 3 cloves of garlic. Removal of husk is optional.
- 3/4 tablespoon cooking oil (bacon grease optional)
- 4 - 5 cups of leftover cooked rice from refrigerator. (Or newly cooked rice, but you will find out why it's better if it's cooled down. Though, after some practice and the right tools, you will be able to use newly cooked rice right out of the pot.)
- pinch of salt to taste
- Optional, 1 egg
Procedure:
- (Wash hands first!) With wet hands, crush the lumps of chilled rice to separate the grains. Wet hands as often as needed to keep the grains from sticking (family secret!). Do not pour water directly into the clumps of rice unless you know exactly how much to put in without making the rice too soggy.
- Place wok or dutch oven(Pre-spray with Pam, optional) on stove and set heat to low-medium. Add oil and spread oil in wok with rubber spatula, or by tilting the wok around until the oil covers most of the wok surface.
- Add garlic and turn often until light golden brown.
- Increase heat to medium to medium high. Add rice and salt, and stir/turn over quickly until oil has been distributed, more or less evenly. Reduce heat to medium and cover.
- Reduce heat further if the rice get too dark too quickly(burned). Stir/turn over often, or as soon as the cover gets hot (or sooner), until the rice is hot.
If one has the patience, e.g., like my wife, you can keep the heat at medium-high, but you have to keep turning the rice over every few seconds to prevent the rice at the bottom from getting burned.
OPTIONAL:
Just prior to removing from the stove, increase the heat to medium high, and crack an egg over the rice, then continue turning over the rice quickly and evenly to spread the egg around the rice. Remove from the heat as soon as the egg is no longer transparent.
- Serve hot.
Note: This is probably why you may not see very many Philippine restaurants around. Although uncomplicated, the procedures are so lengthy and so much drama, even for a simple fried rice recipe. Imagine what it's like for our version of the Spanish Paella, or the Leche Flan. Then there's one of my favorite cakes, no flour in this one, Gateau Sans Rival. The name says it all. I'm so glad I taught my wife to cook!
I thought this thread was for Weird Food?
lorax
05-18-2009, 07:21 PM
To the uninitiated, Churrasco is a weird food, and to many North Americans, the idea that it's a breakfast meal, as opposed to a lunch or dinner, is definitely weird.
Chong, I think you're bang on for the reason for not so many Filipino restaurants, and I'd add to that that it's the reason you don't see many Bolivarian Andean (ie Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia) restaurants either. People here are used to good food served slowly, but everywhere else it's go go go! I personally think it's better to linger over dinner, but then again, I'm weird when I'm in NorAm.
If you'd like, Dan, here's the Ecuadorean take on Garlic Fried Rice, called Chaulafan Al Ajo. Watching it being done properly is like good theatre.
- Crushed (hard) 3-4 cloves of fresh garlic, husk removed,
- a dash of achiote-flavoured oil
- as much leftover rice as you have in the fridge (and here it's always the leftovers)
- a pinch of salt
- green peas, about a handful
- an egg (optional, but usual)
- any of the bits of chugchucarra or fritada you might have laying around.
Crumble the rice with clean wet hands into separate grains. Toss in the peas and the bits of pork.
Heat the copper bowl (or wok) to medium with the achiote oil and until the oil crackles when you flick water in, then throw in the garlic and sautee until it's golden-brown.
Now, increase the heat, throw in the rice mix and salt, and toss it until it's evenly coated (with the achiote oil, this is easy because it stains the grains a red-brown colour). Keep tossing until all the grains have a uniform colour, then return the pan to the flame, reduce the heat back to medium, swirling (but not tossing), until everything is hissing and spitting. If it gets crispy at the bottom too fast, reduce the heat and add a bit more oil. Remove from the heat and serve immediately.
The egg option is done in the same way as Chong describes, except that since this whole exercise is done without utensils in Ecuador, you throw the egg in and then toss the rice to coat it. This is why a large copper bowl is used - the two big handles make it easy to flip the contents about.
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Chong - is the Leche Flan something to the effect of layers of cream and gelatine with a bit of cakey stuff? If it is, then it's the same thing that we call Tres Leches here. Muy yummy!
chong
05-18-2009, 07:50 PM
To the uninitiated, Churrasco is a weird food, and to many North Americans, the idea that it's a breakfast meal, as opposed to a lunch or dinner, is definitely weird.
Chong, I think you're bang on for the reason for not so many Filipino restaurants, and I'd add to that that it's the reason you don't see many Bolivarian Andean (ie Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia) restaurants either. People here are used to good food served slowly, but everywhere else it's go go go! I personally think it's better to linger over dinner, but then again, I'm weird when I'm in NorAm.
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Chong - is the Leche Flan something to the effect of layers of cream and gelatine with a bit of cakey stuff? If it is, then it's the same thing that we call Tres Leches here. Muy yummy!
Beth, you didn't explain Churrasco. So here what I know about it. There are Brazilian restaurants in the Orlando area and they specialize in them. Churrasco is simply broiled meat, more specifically beef steak, but can also be applied to other meats. So, that's why I didn't think it weird but for the breakfast part, if that. If my wife were to have served me the dried fish, e.g., sardines, filleted sheephead(fish), bacalao, jack mackerel, etc., which she usually does, those might be considered weird.
Leche Flan is made from Eggs, Milk, scrapings of lime rind, and Caramel. There is no flour, gelatine, nor starch. Picture Cream Brulée . . . .it's close. I hate it everytime my wife uses starch, thinking that I wouldn't notice it.
You didn't ask about the cake Sans Rival. I'm going to tell you what they're made of anyway - Eggs, butter, cashew nuts, and sugar. No flour, starch, or gelatine, either. Because of the butter, this cake needs refrigeration. Very rich!
But then, again, these two aren't weird, huh?
lorax
05-18-2009, 09:54 PM
Ah, see, and here Churrasco is specifically a Rib-eye steak, grilled or fried, with two eggs broken over it sunny-runny, served on top of a mound of fried rice of some description, and with a side of either potatoes or patacones.
I knew about the Sans Rival, it's one of my favourites ever.
saltydad
05-18-2009, 10:05 PM
There's a wonderful Brazilian place in the Wash., DC suburbs (or at least there was). They come around with huge pieces of various grilled meat on skewers, and slice your choice(s) on to your plate. Delicious, but you have to starve for a day to be able to eat all you can.
www.greenfieldchurrascaria. com (http://www.greenfieldchurrascaria.com/)
Patty in Wisc
05-18-2009, 11:31 PM
I want a bowl of honeynut cheerios w/ my still frozen raspberries & fresh sliced bananas on top REAL bad!!!
Cornchex is good too:)
Lagniappe
05-18-2009, 11:34 PM
I add a little Nestle quik or a lil coco pebbles to my cheerios. I figure that cholesterol doesn't need to drop too very fast.....wouldn't want to go into shock.
Patty in Wisc
05-19-2009, 12:17 AM
I add a little Nestle quik or a lil coco pebbles to my cheerios. I figure that cholesterol doesn't need to drop too very fast.....wouldn't want to go into shock.
LOL Pete, do you remember :........
"How do you do, I'm the blue kangaroo! ...Boing boing",
cerial commercial?
These are REALLY WEIRD FOODS here LOL
Lagniappe
05-19-2009, 12:20 AM
Member boo-berry? What the heck happened to those? asbestose?
Patty in Wisc
05-19-2009, 12:32 AM
Yeah, I remember boo berry LOL. Do you rememer Count Chocula?
Lagniappe
05-19-2009, 12:42 AM
I think Frankenberry was the best of the monster cereals.
bananimal
05-19-2009, 10:21 AM
Chong -- I can't believe you eat Bacalao for b-fast. I eat it today but when I was a kid had to get out of the house when my mother cooked it (boiled). Like at least a block away.
Beth -- What the heck is chugchucarra??? From the sound of it -- parece como algo que caye del parte posterior de Lassie! lol
Howard -- I loved the rodizio Brazilian restaurant we had in Charlotte , NC. Sure to be some here but much further south than PSL. The chicken and beef served off sqewers right off the grill was the best!!!
Dan
Lagniappe
05-19-2009, 10:28 AM
Pete,
Did you gig those frogs yourself? I can get them here but only frozen. And they are great - esp buffalo style - ribbit!!!
Dan
Dan,
These were at a Chinese restaurant and there's no telling where they came from, but heveans they're tasty!
I gigged them when I was a kid and lost a lot. When I was older, a friend taught me to keep the light on them and the motor going.....The sound of the motor coupled with the spotlight keeps them still and you can just grab em'.
Tog Tan
05-19-2009, 10:38 AM
I think this is weird about 'naners which I found out recently;
Burmese Steamed and Sun Dried 'Naners
I was talking to a Myanmar Vet who works at my friend's pet clinic and he told me back home, they would first steam a ripe 'naner and then put it to dry under the sun. It is then kept in plastic bags and consumed later. Apparently it is a very popular snack there. I forgot to ask about the name of the cultivar used....
Pseudostem Heart of Musa acuminata subsp malaccensis
According to the kampong folks on my last trip to the Belum forest reserve, they will take the trouble to remove the heart of the p-stem which is the size of the little finger from the centre of the p-stem. Since it is very laborious, it is only done for the festivities. It is then cut up into 1 inch long pieces and cooked with beef bones and meat into a soup. Seems it tastes really good. Sometimes they cook it in a curry but they say the beef bone soup taste better. They use any plant of any age/size except those which are fruiting cos this p-stem heart will be missing then.
You guys have anything similar?
lorax
05-19-2009, 11:01 AM
CHUGCHUCARRA
Take one pig. Pull it and let it drain. Wash out the tripes, stuff them with ripe banana, and toss them in flour. Slice bits off of the now pulled pig, starting with strips of crackling and working your way into the meat.
In a separate giant copper bowl, mix Achiote oil, dark Panela (sugar), and garlic. Once this is spitting, throw in the tripes and toss until the coating goes crispy. Then slow-cook the meat and skin in the resulting fat/sugar/oil concoction. If it doesn't take you 5 hours to cook it, it's not good Chugchucarra.
The name itself derives from the Kichua for "All Pig Parts" - the dish is normally served with Mote (corn) and Ullcus (Oxalis tubers) and a hefty avocado.
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Tog, we do heart of palm here with S. exorrhiza.
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