Tasty Tuesday:Adventures in Foods

How adventurous are you when it comes to food? I think of myself as being pretty adventurous, but maybe not as much as some of my friends who have lived in other countries. I will try almost anything, though not quite to the level of Andrew Zimmern from Bizarre Foods. So for this Tasty Tuesday I thought it would fun to take a look at some foods I enjoy that may not be mainstream yet, though some have become significantly more mainstream than when first tried them. There are also a few foods that I have tried that were not on my list of enjoyable experiences!

Sushi/Sashimi
When I first tried sushi it was around the late 1970's. My #1 brother had me try a piece of tuna. It was raw, and I was totally turned off sushi until the early 1990's when my #2 brother talked me into giving it another try. He started with California rolls and sushi containing cooked items first (sushi is NOT always raw fish), and worked toward the milder raw fish. I have loved it ever since. (With the major exception of Uni, Sea Urchin, bleh!)

Escargot
My first cruise in 2004 was also my first taste of escargot. YUM! It was love at first bite! No, the thought of eating snails does not bother me one little bit!

Rabbit (Domestic)
This was actually a staple for me growing up. We raised show rabbits and usually had about 200 rabbits at any given time. Those not good enough to show or breed made their way to our table. My mother fixed and served rabbit like other moms did chicken. Chicken was a treat I ate at restaurants, not at home. Guess what? It really does taste similar to chicken! I have never eaten wild rabbit and have absolutely no desire to do so.

Venison (Deer), Elk, Moose
These all came to our house via relatives in the northwest who traded with us for rabbit. We sent them rabbit, they sent us all kinds of yummy goodies.

Raw Oysters
Sorry, not a fan. Found them to be slippery, salty, and made me gag. Now if you want to grill them, bake them, or make them into soup, I am right there. Just don't care to have them raw.

Rocky Mountain Oysters/Lamb Fries
Two different names, same part of the anatomy, different donor animal. Actually quite good, but I admit, this is one I have trouble getting past the thought of. #2 brother introduced me to this and to the raw oysters mentioned above, as well as...

Chocolate Covered Ants
Actually pretty tasty! Just goes to show that you can put chocolate on anything and make it taste good!

Rattlesnake
Nice mild taste, reminiscent of quail. An uncle from Oklahoma provided this treat.

Frog Legs
Watching my brothers Bull Frog hunt was half the fun of this dish. The other half was watching them jump all over the skillet as mom fried them! Yummy!

Beef Tongue/Kidneys/Heart
Great if cooked properly! Which my mom did quite well!

Black Caviar
Not impressed. I much prefer red salmon roe sushi style. 


Well those are just a few items that came to mind. I have tried lots of different dishes when I  travel, in fact I tend to seek them out. Ceviche, lamb, duck, goose, pheasant, quail, and chicken gizzards to name just a few. This weekend I hope to try goat at a Mexican restaurant we are going to. I haven't tried Alligator yet either...but it is on my list. Two items I absolutely will not eat? Liver...nasty no matter what animal source or how it is cooked. Veal...will not order it since I was 14 and read about how the calves live out their lives. 


I would be interested in hearing about any different foods you have tried....please share!


Bon appétit  ~Marla