Years ago my company rewarded me for coming up with a seemingly impossible solution to a process they had struggled with for years before they hired me. I was rewarded with a dinner for two at any restaurant I could find and told "find the finest restaurant you can find and cost is no issue".
I always wanted to try a 5-star restaurant and the only one within a half hour of where I lived was in Ithaca, NY called L'Auberge Du Cochon Rouge (no longer in business).
As I pondered over the menu with my wife, I noticed a couple next to me who had ordered Escargot. The presentation was beautiful as it was served in bright red, yellow, and white ornamental sea shells. So I thought to myself, "hey, the company is picking up the tab and they told me to go all out so why not experiment?"
So I ordered them and lo and behold it tasted exactly like eating slugs from the back yard cooked with butter and spices. It was horrendous - nearly made me want to puke. Never again.
Eating that crap put a pause in my enthusiasm to trying "everything once". I have a niece who tells me that sea urchin is delicious and I must try it. I told her, "Liatt, I will NEVER EVER try it and you can't trick me into trying it". Anyway...
Anyone here ever try Escargot and like it?
Anyone here ever eat something they wish they hadn't?
I love Escargot properly prepared. It has a unique flavor. There is nothing I can think of that I wouldn't eat. Just curious, do you eat raw clams and oysters? Rattlesnake or Alligator?
I've had escargot and thought it was very good. If you don't like garlic, however, don't bother. Bob
Quote from: Ed Vette on June 26, 2021, 09:57:26 AM
I love Escargot properly prepared. It has a unique flavor. There is nothing I can think of that I wouldn't eat. Just curious, do you eat raw clams and oysters? Rattlesnake or Alligator?
I am deathly allergic to certain shell fish: scallops, clams, and oysters. Been terribly sick enough times after trying each of them that I know it wasn't an anomaly. Interestingly, I can still eat crab, lobster, crayfish, etc., with no problem. Short answer, I do not eat raw clams or oysters.
Never tried rattlesnake, but I would if it was available somewhere. Have eaten plenty of alligator, turtle, etc. Don't love it, but don't hate it.
In the 80's when I was stationed in Greece, a buddy and I rented motorcycles for a ride north from Athens along the coast. We stopped at a small restaurant. We knew enough Greek to order a beer, say hello and goodbye and ask for the bathroom. We ordered the Octopus, they asked how many we said 2. 10 minutes later we each had 2, 6 foot tentacles on a plate in front of us. Most disgusting thing I have ever eaten.
Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on June 26, 2021, 10:10:32 AM
I am deathly allergic to certain shell fish: scallops, clams, and oysters. Been terribly sick enough times after trying each of them that I know it wasn't an anomaly. Interestingly, I can still eat crab, lobster, crayfish, etc., with no problem. Short answer, I do not eat raw clams or oysters.
Never tried rattlesnake, but I would if it was available somewhere. Have eaten plenty of alligator, turtle, etc. Don't love it, but don't hate it.
Jolly: My sister is the same way. For example, she can't eat shrimp but can eat lobster. Bob
Quote from: philo43 on June 26, 2021, 10:30:43 AM
In the 80's when I was stationed in Greece, a buddy and I rented motorcycles for a ride north from Athens along the coast. We stopped at a small restaurant. We knew enough Greek to order a beer, say hello and goodbye and ask for the bathroom. We ordered the Octopus, they asked how many we said 2. 10 minutes later we each had 2, 6 foot tentacles on a plate in front of us. Most disgusting thing I have ever eaten.
philo: I eat squid at least twice each year, including the little tentacles. As Ed said regarding escargot, if properly prepared squid is very good. Bob
The chocolate cream pie at some random restaurant in Lancaster, PA back in the late '60s, when I was probably 10 years old.
My parents took my brother and I and my grandmother on a mini vacation down to the "Pennsylvania Dutch" region on PA. The last night there for desert I was the only one to order a slice of that pie. I woke up in the middle of the night feeling the Bataan death march in my stomach. I had a pounding headache and threw up countless times, and had the dry heaves most of the way home the next day. My dad finally stopped at a small town bar to see if he could get me a glass of water. The bartender gave him a shot of whiskey to give to me telling him it should help. I slowly sipped it all before we got on the road again. We soon stopped at a rest area where I promptly fell asleep under a shade tree. I woke up feeling somewhat better and was able to make it the rest of the way home without further incidence. To this day I still remember large chunks of that trip like it was yesterday. And it took me years before I was able to eat chocolate cream pie again, but every time I do I still think of that trip.
I love escargot and find myself ordering it frequently when I see it on a menu. I also love good sea urchin. I have tried a number of weird things in my life. I have had haggis, tripe, frogs legs, and other somewhat weird foods. None really bothered me, and some I actually liked. One that I regretted though was durian. I tried that several years ago when I was in Singapore. For those who don't know, durian is a fruit found in that part of the world. It looks like a spikey cantaloupe. When opened, the fruit has a yellowish color and a custard-like consistency. It sounds inocuous enough, but man is it vile. It is one of the most foul-smelling foods I have ever come across. Some say it smells like gross feet. I would liken it more to badly rotting onions. It doesn't taste good either, although it's the smell that is really the worst. And yet it is considered a delicacy by many in Asia. Different strokes for different folks obiously. I'm sure they find certain western foods disgusting, such as cheese.
One thing I have not tried yet is insects. I think I probably draw the line there. I have friends that have tried Mexican style grasshoppers before. They are found in Oaxaca Mexico and are called chapulines. They're cleaned, cooked, and seasoned. I'm told it's basically like eating a chip or a sunflower seed, and that it's no big deal. I am just not sure I could do it. With that said, 50-100 years from now insects as cuisine could become much more commonplace, if not sooner than that.
Quote from: philo43 on June 26, 2021, 10:30:43 AM
In the 80's when I was stationed in Greece, a buddy and I rented motorcycles for a ride north from Athens along the coast. We stopped at a small restaurant. We knew enough Greek to order a beer, say hello and goodbye and ask for the bathroom. We ordered the Octopus, they asked how many we said 2. 10 minutes later we each had 2, 6 foot tentacles on a plate in front of us. Most disgusting thing I have ever eaten.
LMAO...I had a similar experience in Madrid, but it wasn't disgusting. I met up with my sister who flew up from Tel Aviv. We both knew just enough Spanish to get into trouble. So we decided to order of a Spanish-Only menu to take a chance. My sister was dressed to the nines as she had to meet up with some important people and looked like a million dollars. She ordered something called ma
In my 'younger' days while I was serving in Germany, I had the 'pleasure???' of eating chocolate-covered grasshoppers. A bit crunchy but if I didn't know what they were, I might have enjoyed them a bit more.
As I said in a thread a while back on foods you hate, I HAVE eaten some green beans once and I thought I would puke. I HATE green beans. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
Quote from: LennG on June 26, 2021, 01:44:33 PM
In my 'younger' days while I was serving in Germany, I had the 'pleasure???' of eating chocolate-covered grasshoppers. A bit crunchy but if I didn't know what they were, I might have enjoyed them a bit more.
As I said in a thread a while back on foods you hate, I HAVE eaten some green beans once and I thought I would puke. I HATE green beans. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
You just made me think of something. When were vacationing in Bali several years ago, we were eating at an outdoor restaurant and the food was very good. I had some sort of meat dish that was on the spicy side, and there was something on my plate that looked like a simple green bean. So I ate it, thinking that's what I was eating. I bit into it and it tasted fine... more or less like a green bean. About 4-5 seconds later I was blasted with an absolutely unbearable, crazy wave of heat that had me sweating, completely flushed, and visible writhing in pain. I have never eaten anything like that. The waiters (who were obiously locals) were trying to control their giggling but they clearly thought the situation was hysterical. It was so powerful that I could still feel it the next morning, and that was a lunch. That was definitely my most regrettable food experience ever, even though it was a pretty good restaurant.
Moving back to insects, I admit that I'm a little curious, but the concept just disgusts me so much. I mean why would anyone want to bite into a grasshopper? I get that in a poorer country if that is your only affordable protein source, then obviously that makes sense, but why would anyone with alternatives want to do that other than as a one-off, fear factor type experiment purely for shock value? The thought alone disgusts me.
Hey Dave, if you can eat that slimy creature called a snail, and love it, what's a little grasshopper then, plus it was chocolate coated. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
Quote from: LennG on June 26, 2021, 08:35:00 PM
Hey Dave, if you can eat that slimy creature called a snail, and love it, what's a little grasshopper then, plus it was chocolate coated. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
Lenn,
Very fair point, and I don't disagree in principle. It's just a line I haven't been able to cross.
And to be honest, insects as food don't seem to come up as often as escargots, which I see on menus at least one or two times a year.
In my opinion, the ONLY reason Escargot gets eaten is because of the fancy French name as well as the product is served in ornamental shells that look nothing like the common yard snails' shell. I thoroughly believe that if the menu said, "Snails.......$15.95" and they were served in their original shell, the majority of people would never eat them. However, I do respect the fact that people eat (and enjoy) things I'd never eat. Try as I may, I don't think I could eat frogs' legs, but I know a lot of people love them. Dittos with sheep's head, rocky mountain oysters, etc. I get a kick out of a local tradition in Syracuse held every October called the "Riley's Testicle Festival" where testicles are served en masse (deep fried). Interestingly, a lot of women have zero problem eating testicles, but there's very few men that want to eat them...LOL
https://www.syracuse.com/restaurants/2015/10/rileys_balls_testicle_festival.html (https://www.syracuse.com/restaurants/2015/10/rileys_balls_testicle_festival.html)
Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on June 27, 2021, 08:13:31 AM
In my opinion, the ONLY reason Escargot gets eaten is because of the fancy French name as well as the product is served in ornamental shells that look nothing like the common yard snails' shell. I thoroughly believe that if the menu said, "Snails.......$15.95" and they were served in their original shell, the majority of people would never eat them. However, I do respect the fact that people eat (and enjoy) things I'd never eat. Try as I may, I don't think I could eat frogs' legs, but I know a lot of people love them. Dittos with sheep's head, rocky mountain oysters, etc. I get a kick out of a local tradition in Syracuse held every October called the "Riley's Testicle Festival" where testicles are served en masse (deep fried). Interestingly, a lot of women have zero problem eating testicles, but there's very few men that want to eat them...LOL
https://www.syracuse.com/restaurants/2015/10/rileys_balls_testicle_festival.html (https://www.syracuse.com/restaurants/2015/10/rileys_balls_testicle_festival.html)
FWIW, I genuinely enjoy escargots. I wouldn't eat them everyday or even once a month, but once in a while (once or twice a year maybe), as part of a French bistrot type meal, I do enjoy them as an appetizer. I honestly don't think it's just because they have a fancy-sounding name. I know I'm eating snails when I eat them.
If anything I would argue that a raw oyster is conceptually a trickier thing to get over for a first time eater than a cooked escargot. In any case, I very much enjoy both. Escargots have never made me sick though. Oysters have.
I don't think I have ever tried rocky mountain oysters, and I have no plans to. If I saw them on a menu I wouldn't order them. If I'm going to order a bunch of unhealthy deep fried food, I'll stick to the classics that I know I love like calamari, chicken tenders, onion rings, etc. No need to fix what isn't broken there.
A lot of foods that we eat regularly would give anyone second thoughts if they really pondered not only what they were eating, but also the whole process of getting the food from its original form to their plate. I'm not going to get into lots of detail here, but there are plenty of "normal" foods that we wouldn't think twice about eating that have processes that would make most people squeamish if they really looked at them closely.
I found this article. Amusing, interesting, and disgusting to read, all at the same time. For full disclousre, among these foods, I have tried:
1. Durian (as discussed). That was gross. I have nothing positive to say about it and would not recommend that to anyone who does not already have an acquired taste for it.
2. Kopi Luwak. I knew what it was but had never seen it before until I was at a hotel in Turks and Caicos (of all places). It was stupidly expensive (think around $20 or even $25 for a cup or a small pot), but I was very intrigued so I decided to just go for it. It just tasted like good quality coffee, but certainly not worth the price. Was a bit of a non-event. I know that it is considered to be very high quality, hence people's tolerance of the way it is procured.
3. Natto. Fermented beans. I had that once in Tokyo on a business trip. We were at a nice restaurant, and my hosts handled all the ordering, and that was among the items they selected. I didn't want to be rude, so I tried it. Defintely not my thing. Gross taste and texture. I love Japanese food, but that particular part of their cuisine is not for me and never will be.
I haven't tried any of these other foods and don't plan to. I have seen a documentary on casu marzu which included Gordon Ramsay trying it. Bugs gross me out, and so does rotting food, so no thanks. Perhaps the grossest thing on this list though is the mice wine, especially given people actually eat the rotted mice when they're done with the "wine." That is absolutely horrifying. I would eat anything else on this list before I tried that.
https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2018/10/10-of-the-worlds-most-disgusting-foods/
Quote from: DaveBrown74 on June 27, 2021, 09:06:16 AM
I found this article. Amusing, interesting, and disgusting to read, all at the same time. For full disclousre, among these foods, I have tried:
1. Durian (as discussed). That was gross. I have nothing positive to say about it and would not recommend that to anyone who does not already have an acquired taste for it.
2. Kopi Luwak. I knew what it was but had never seen it before until I was at a hotel in Turks and Caicos (of all places). It was stupidly expensive (think around $20 or even $25 for a cup or a small pot), but I was very intrigued so I decided to just go for it. It just tasted like good quality coffee, but certainly not worth the price. Was a bit of a non-event. I know that it is considered to be very high quality, hence people's tolerance of the way it is procured.
3. Natto. Fermented beans. I had that once in Tokyo on a business trip. We were at a nice restaurant, and my hosts handled all the ordering, and that was among the items they selected. I didn't want to be rude, so I tried it. Defintely not my thing. Gross taste and texture. I love Japanese food, but that particular part of their cuisine is not for me and never will be.
I haven't tried any of these other foods and don't plan to. I have seen a documentary on casu marzu which included Gordon Ramsay trying it. Bugs gross me out, and so does rotting food, so no thanks. Perhaps the grossest thing on this list though is the mice wine, especially given people actually eat the rotted mice when they're done with the "wine." That is absolutely horrifying. I would eat anything else on this list before I tried that.
https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2018/10/10-of-the-worlds-most-disgusting-foods/
Casu Marzu cheese disgust me as well. Don't like eating live (or dead) larvae/worms in my cheese.
I had to look up the way Kopi Luwak is "procured" and that too disgusts me :sick: (for those not wanting to bother Googling it, it's basically coffee...but the coffee beans are first eaten by a large rat looking creature called an Asian palm civet who eats the beans whole, then craps them out. The coffee is then made from the rat's feces....YUM
Quote from: DaveBrown74 on June 27, 2021, 04:19:09 AM
Lenn,
Very fair point, and I don't disagree in principle. It's just a line I haven't been able to cross.
And to be honest, insects as food don't seem to come up as often as escargots, which I see on menus at least one or two times a year.
We cruise a lot (when cruising was available) and on most cruise lines they have escargot on the menu every day as an appetizer and the people who do like it, order it every day. As we say, to each its own.
Not to get off the track here, but I watch several of these 'survival' type shows on TV, and when people are hungry they will eat just about anything, from worms, to any type of insect, toe ven trying stuff from dead animals.
I guess it's a lot different than going into a restaurant and just ordering things. Point is, if you are starving, no matter how gross something may seem, people will eat it.