Monday, August 25, 2008

The Omnivore's Hundred

I stumbled upon the omnivore's hundred while killing time (and nursing a summer cold) this weekend. Even though I don't usually go in for viral memes, this one just seemed too fun to pass up. Started a little over a week ago by Andrew of the UK food blog Very Good Taste, hundreds of food and drink bloggers have already participated. So, here's to piling on for a little trivial grooviness.

If you'd like to participate as well, here are the ground rules:

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 at Very Good Taste linking to your results.

5) Optional MFWT-extra: If you read about it here first (perhaps unlikely at this point) and you decide to participate, post a comment linking to your results here as well. And, whether or not you participate, please feel free to respond with expressions of surprise, delight or disgust.

Without further ado, the MFWT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp*
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

* * *

That's 79 80 out of 100. Not bad, I suppose. It seems only fit to make a few notes and clarifications.

* Updated from 79 to 80 based on a comment from a helpful reader. Don't know why I didn't realize gefilte fish is typically made using carp.

The only item I scratched off my list:

26. Raw scotch bonnet pepper: I'm assuming this means straight-up, not in a salsa or other condiment of any kind. I like spicy food but I have no interest in burning my mouth raw just for the sake of bravado.

Things I haven't eaten:

30. Bagna cauda: I've been to Piedmont, where this is a traditional dish, but never had the chance to try it.

42. Whole insects: Unless you count little flying bugs inadvertently sucked down while out for a road ride, I've never chosen to eat a whole insect. Wouldn't rule it out, though.

43, 63, 74, 76, 80 & 90. I don't even know what these are and I decided it would be cheating to use Google or Wikipedia to find out.

75. Road kill: Part of me wants to scratch it out. Another part thinks, "Ok, you're in the middle of nowhere and you just hit a deer. Why just leave it on the side of the road?" Of course, I hope never to find myself in that scenario.

Things I have eaten:

36. Cognac and a fat cigar: Even though I've written about my dislike for smoking here before, I have to admit to having succumbed to the temptation of a little XO Reserve and a cigar on one or two occasions.

37. Clotted cream tea: I dated an anglophile.

55. McDonald's Big Mac meal: Not in about 30 years.

68. Haggis: Um, my last name is McDuff. For real.

89. Horse: I told you I've been to Piedmont.

100. Snake: Rattlesnake, to be exact.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

If you've eaten gefilte fish, odds are you have eaten carp, McDuff.

Joe Roberts said...

Aww, man, what about caribou?

here I thought I was cool having eaten that... :-P

David McDuff said...

Thanks, anon. Duly noted and updated from 79 to 80.

What can I say, Joe? I didn't make the list. Caribou, elk moose.... I suppose the author felt that deer adequately covered the category.

Anonymous said...

i don't get it. what's the point?

David McDuff said...

Bill you old grouch,
I'm not sure there is a point really. Some guy just made up an arbitrary list of 100 food items, some wacky, some not, and thought it would be fun to have people chime in with their own experiences with the same list.

Actually, I think fun was the point. That and getting hundreds of other bloggers to send visitors his way....

Anonymous said...

i wasn't being grouchy, well maybe a little, i just wanted to make sure i wasn't missing some new internet sensation.

Unknown said...

I hate memes too! As you probably know.

But this one is a lot of fun.

BTW, get over that cold.

Darwin said...

why not durian? :)

David McDuff said...

Ok, Bill. I guess I'll let you slide.

Thanks, Terence.

Sugarpond,
Why haven't I tried it yet? Or why didn't I scratch it off the list?

I think Durian is the only thing I've ever seen Andrew Zimmern actually spit out. Even so, I'd be up for trying it. Just haven't had the opportunity.

Anonymous said...

H-Mart in Upper Darby carries Durian, but it's frozen. I guess that's the only way to subdue its infamous fragrance.

David McDuff said...

Anon,
I think I'll hold out for the fresh stuff so I can smell it coming. Of course, that may require a trip to SE Asia....

Joe said...

Very funny. I am amazed that you would only scratch one off the list - impressively adventurous. I also found a lot of things I think I should try. I feel the same way about roadkill (who knows, maybe the elk/deer/moose/reindeer I've tasted was roadkill), but I have a thing against insects...

Of course, you now have to post a perfect pairing for each and every one of those!

David McDuff said...

Hey Joe,
The insect thing, for me, falls mainly into the survival food category. At the right moment, though, curiosity might just be enough.

As to your wine pairing suggestion, that's quite a challenge. We'll see....

Joe said...

Sorry, that's a big task, didn't mean to dump that in your lap! Let me know if you need some help :)

Sonadora said...

I played! I'm not a very good foodie though...http://www.wannabewino.com/2008/09/omnivores-hundred.html

Anonymous said...

Gjetost is a caramel colored cheese from Scandanavia... I only know that because once, many years ago, I worked at Hickory Farms. We had it in the case, but never sold an ounce as far as I remember.

David McDuff said...

Joe,
I'll let you know....

Sonadora,
Glad to see you participate. It's not a competition, so I wouldn't worry about being "foodie" enough. Just think of all the things you can look forward to trying.

Thanks and welcome, Kathy.
Hickory Farms... that brings back memories of Xmas mornings long past, with cheese and smoked sausage samplers under the tree.

KJ said...

Yay Food!
http://slakethythirst.blogspot.com/2008/09/omnivores-hundred.html

I nicked three off the list, offal is just awful.

Jon

David McDuff said...

Great list, Jon. Not that dissimilar from mine aside from the offal exception. I'm not at all averse to organ meats, though I'm far from clamoring for a second helping of andouillette.

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