Friday, 15 August 2008

wasabi peas and memes

At work, I have a google alert set for the keyword 'wasabi peas' and I get several hits everyday. It's fun to see how many people write about wasabi peas - all different contexts, all different parts of the world. Food blogs, restaurant reviews, diet tips. But mostly just random mentions among other thoughts.

The point is, this week the author of verygoodtaste.co.uk posted his Omnivore's Hundred, a list of 100 things he thinks every omnivore should try at least once, including wasabi peas (number 31). My hit count has gone way up. And I thought it might be fun to try it, too. I've never done a meme. If you want to share how many of the 100 you have tried, consider yourself tagged.

Here goes.

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment on VGT linking to your results.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:
1. Venison: only once. not my fave.
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile: had alligator once. not quite the same, but close enough.
6. Black pudding: pass!
7. Cheese fondue: yum
8. Carp: i've eaten gefilte fish. it's ok.
9. Borscht: mamasita loves beets and borscht. unfortunately, i don't.
10. Baba ghanoush: i do love eggplant/aubergine, however.
11. Calamari: fried calamari, as well as raw squid
12. Pho: had this recently. actually asked them to send it back to the kitchen and cook the beef. the raw pink of the meat just put me straight off my meal. it was lovely once it was cooked, but i'm aware that this is a horrible food faux pas. it won't happen again.
13. PB&J sandwich: absolutely! i still love these. guilty pleasure.
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart: not sure that i have actually had a hot dog from a street cart, come to think of it. do vending stations at baseball games or costco count?
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle: er, had white truffle. not sure about black.
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes: there was blueberry wine in the area where i lived in japan. very sweet.
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream: another of mamasita's favorites. i quite like it, too!
21. Heirloom tomatoes: not unless they were cooked. no raw tomatoes :(
22. Fresh wild berries: we had a blackberry bush in our backyard when i was growing up. does that count? if not, i have definitely eaten my share of fresh berries elsewhere.
23. Foie gras: i'm not against it for political or ethical reasons. i just think it sounds, looks, and smells nasty.
24. Rice and beans: many times, many ways.
25. Brawn, or head cheese: no, thank you!
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper: i don't think i've tried it, but it sounds good.
27. Dulce de leche: not straight, but in ice cream
28. Oysters: had raw oysters once. i gagged. sorry, no more for me!
29. Baklava: mmm...
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas: yes, i've had them, packaged them, branded them, sold them...
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl: i prefer chili in a sourdough bowl. not a big fan of clam chowder.
33. Salted lassi: not salted, but lassi, yes
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float: mamasita and i agree on this: yum!
36. Cognac with a fat cigar: cognac yes, but noooo cigars
37. Clotted cream tea: not sure if i can count this, but i'm sure i will have it at some point in my long years residing in england.
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O: managed to miss out on the jell-o shots in college. not sure how or why.
39. Gumbo: i'm not sure if i have ever eaten it, but i did wash s and b's famously disgusting gumbo pot years ago when they were roomies in LA. b made gumbo at thanksgiving. i visited over new year's. the pot was still in the sink since no one could face washing it. truly awful.
40. Oxtail: i think i'm too squeamish for this.
41. Curried goat: curry yes, goat? no, i don't think so.
42. Whole insects: managed to avoid them in japan.
43. Phaal: sounds good, but i haven't tried it yet.
44. Goat’s milk: does goat's cheese count?
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more: not knowingly
46. Fugu: it's ok
47. Chicken tikka masala: i lurve this!
48. Eel: ate enough eel in japan. i'll eat it if it's served, but i don't go out of my way to order it.
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut: reminds me of the 2002 salt lake city olympics, my highest krispy kreme consumption ever.
50. Sea urchin: twice in one day. 'you liked it so much at lunch, we ordered it again for you at dinner!' gee, thanks.
51. Prickly pear: seems like something i ate long ago at walden school.
52. Umeboshi: i love umeboshi. we have a jar in our office and i eat them straight from the jar.
53. Abalone: after prawns, the first seafood i actually enjoyed eating.
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal: never had a big mac. i prefer the chicken sandwiches. but having said that, it has been years since i last went to mc d's.
56. Spaetzle: if i haven't had it yet, i'm sure i can rectify that during our bike trip. (three weeks!)
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips: another walden food.
61. S’mores: who hasn't had a s'more?!
62. Sweetbreads: by accident. my sister and i thought they sounded good - sweet, bread. ha. our parents told us the next day...
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs: i have to rule this out on the basis of my lifelong love of kermit the frog.
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis: again, too squeamish.
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini: remember the scene in big with the caviar? that was me.
73. Louche absinthe: i have always wanted to try absinthe, just not gotten around to it yet.
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill: (he must have been getting hard up toward the end of his list, eh?)
76. Baijiu: i have had japanese shochu; not quite the same
77. Hostess Fruit Pie: never. can you believe it?
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong: didn't really like it...
80. Bellini: liked the bellini, though!
81. Tom yum: yum, indeed
82. Eggs Benedict: i prefer my eggs fried over hard.
83. Pocky: another popular item that my company can't keep in stock.
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant: not to my knowledge.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare: only ate rabbit once, in france, during a homestay when i was 14. je ne l'aimais pas.
87. Goulash
88. Flowers: japanese kogiku
89. Horse: not just horse, but raw horsemeat (in japan)
90. Criollo chocolate: never met a chocolate i didn't like.
91. Spam: had spam musubi in hawaii. it's awful.
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa: i don't think so, but it sounds good.
94. Catfish: once, if memory serves.
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox: i'm not a big fan of lox. call me a bagel purist.
97. Lobster Thermidor: had lobster many ways, but strictly speaking, i'm not sure if i have had lobster thermidor.
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee

Wait! Where's #100? Click over to see what it was. Those who know me well will know why I did not only strike through it, I struck it completely off the list.

So now, the big question is: will my blog show up on my google alert message Monday morning? (Update: it was there! Freaky...)

2 comments:

Magpie Nest said...

Oxtail is good! Braise the crap out of it and it's perfect winter food. You're missing out.

Sara said...

oo, I am absolutely going to consider myself tagged for this one! Fun!

(and also, a public THANK YOU for cleaning B's gumbo pot. Yeeeuck...)