Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Vorkosigan · 03-18-2003, 12:58 AM

You know, it's funny Phile and Loren. I don't mind any of the Taiwanese foods except chicken feet. I can't stand them in any form! And the little bones scattered around the house after my wife and kids demolish a package look like shriveled baby fingers. They just gross me out! Anything else -- the brains, duck's blood cakes...you name it, no problem.

Vorkosigan

Harumi · 03-18-2003, 06:56 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Monkeybot
Harumi, are you being serious with this claim? I ask because I've had several Taiwanese people tell me the same thing in perfect seriousness. However, it appears to be an urban legend that actually originated as a rumour about Taiwan.

Quite possibly, since my mother told me.

And since she's an avid Chinese hater, I wouldn't be surprised.

But it was such a freaky thing that I just had to add it on. And even if the pictures were fake...*shudder*

... · 03-18-2003, 07:18 AM

Any mass produced American beer (malt liquor excepted).

That be pretty much it.

Splat · 03-18-2003, 07:55 AM

A few I've been offered and tried to eat, out of politeness: the aforementioned baby chicks (fuzz and all), snake, and snake wine (Vietnam), chicken foot soup (Mexico), bamia--a slimy eggplant and okra soup with the exact color and texture of snot (Sudan), and something I never did identify in Greece, but that put me off my feed for a week.

The worst was termites, in Malawi. They mass right around the time when the last year's food stores are running out, and none of the new stuff is edible yet. Right in the middle of this annual famine season, millions of big--3+ cm long--with a big fat-filled abdomen come out of the nests to fly off and establish new colonies. Pure fat and protein at a time when there isn't much of either, so they're quite a local treat.

They're not bad tasting, and the thought of eating bugs didn't bother me (we used to buy bags of these really tasty fried beetles and munch them like peanuts, and I'll go out of my way for a grasshopper taco in Mexico), but it doesn't take many termites to get your fill. And since we were moving around visiting five or six villages a day, I was getting way more termites than anybody ought to eat in a day. The effects didn't show up until the next day's trip to the latrine. I'll spare you the oily details.

The only thing I absolutely refuse to eat are internal organs. And yeah, cheeze whiz.

Gooch's dad · 03-18-2003, 10:19 AM

Beets. They simply aren't food, they are utterly disgusting in any and all forms.

I'm ok with any other vegetable, including okra (although I couldn't stand okra as a kid, I eventually discovered creole cooking and now okra is just yummy). And internal organs don't bother me either. I enjoy a lengua taco, and my Tia Suzie fried up some cow intestines for us when I was a kid, and that was quite tasty.

Brains, though? No way.

My hosts in Japan were quite surprised to see me eat anything and everything they ordered in a sushi restaurant, including the natto. The raw prawns are a bit slimy in texture, but still quite tasty.

Yeah, there have been some really nasty things described in this thread. Almost as bad as beets....

KoopaFanatic · 03-18-2003, 10:39 AM

When I was in Japan my host family was astonished that I actually LIKED sashimi. So they gave me more. And more. And more. And I was trying to be polite, so I kept eating it. And eating it. And eating it. All told, by the time my three-week homestay was over I had eaten a good 30 pounds of raw fish, not counting what they forced on me at restaurants.
Too this day, I can't look at fish without feeling a little ill. I probably would've liked it if it hadn't been for the quantity.

I'm a vegetarian now, though, and somehow in the past couple of years I've gotten to the point were the smell of cooking meat makes me nauseous. My friends don't believe me, but the last time I was around frying chicken I had to run out on the balcony to get away from the odor.

Loren Pechtel · 03-18-2003, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Vorkosigan
You know, it's funny Phile and Loren. I don't mind any of the Taiwanese foods except chicken feet. I can't stand them in any form! And the little bones scattered around the house after my wife and kids demolish a package look like shriveled baby fingers. They just gross me out! Anything else -- the brains, duck's blood cakes...you name it, no problem.

Vorkosigan

Yeah, she goes for those also. She prefers duck feet, though.

wonkothesane · 03-18-2003, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Gooch's dad
.

My hosts in Japan were quite surprised to see me eat anything and everything they ordered in a sushi restaurant, including the natto. The raw prawns are a bit slimy in texture, but still quite tasty.

Natto! I had almost forgot about that!

It's like nasty fermented soybeans, and it's slimey and brown and *stringy* and looks like shit! It probably tatses and smells pretty bad as well, but I've only read about it and seen it used on "Iron Chef"...

I actually like Japanese "Ebe"...which is sweet shrimp sushi...

- bryce

KoopaFanatic · 03-18-2003, 01:41 PM

Natto smells bad, too. I couldn't bring myself to taste it. ISTR hearing that the kanji for it literally mean "awful stench," although I've never really been curious enough to look it up.

Monkeybot · 03-18-2003, 01:43 PM

Weirdly, I've never even noticed the smell of natto. My host family used to eat it every day at dinner. I usually declined (of which they were very understanding

) and they were forever asking if the smell bothered me. I honestly could not smell it, though. I don't think I've ever even looked at the kanji for it either, seeing as I had absolutely no use for the word

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version	Search this Thread: Advanced Search

03-18-2003, 12:58 AM	#51
Vorkosigan Contributor Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Barrayar Posts: 11,866	You know, it's funny Phile and Loren. I don't mind any of the Taiwanese foods except chicken feet. I can't stand them in any form! And the little bones scattered around the house after my wife and kids demolish a package look like shriveled baby fingers. They just gross me out! Anything else -- the brains, duck's blood cakes...you name it, no problem. Vorkosigan

03-18-2003, 07:18 AM	#53
... Regular Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: United States Posts: 229	Any mass produced American beer (malt liquor excepted). That be pretty much it.

03-18-2003, 07:55 AM	#54
Splat Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Hell, PA Posts: 599	A few I've been offered and tried to eat, out of politeness: the aforementioned baby chicks (fuzz and all), snake, and snake wine (Vietnam), chicken foot soup (Mexico), bamia--a slimy eggplant and okra soup with the exact color and texture of snot (Sudan), and something I never did identify in Greece, but that put me off my feed for a week. The worst was termites, in Malawi. They mass right around the time when the last year's food stores are running out, and none of the new stuff is edible yet. Right in the middle of this annual famine season, millions of big--3+ cm long--with a big fat-filled abdomen come out of the nests to fly off and establish new colonies. Pure fat and protein at a time when there isn't much of either, so they're quite a local treat. They're not bad tasting, and the thought of eating bugs didn't bother me (we used to buy bags of these really tasty fried beetles and munch them like peanuts, and I'll go out of my way for a grasshopper taco in Mexico), but it doesn't take many termites to get your fill. And since we were moving around visiting five or six villages a day, I was getting way more termites than anybody ought to eat in a day. The effects didn't show up until the next day's trip to the latrine. I'll spare you the oily details. The only thing I absolutely refuse to eat are internal organs. And yeah, cheeze whiz.

03-18-2003, 10:19 AM	#55
Gooch's dad Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Madison WI USA Posts: 3,508	Beets. They simply aren't food, they are utterly disgusting in any and all forms. I'm ok with any other vegetable, including okra (although I couldn't stand okra as a kid, I eventually discovered creole cooking and now okra is just yummy). And internal organs don't bother me either. I enjoy a lengua taco, and my Tia Suzie fried up some cow intestines for us when I was a kid, and that was quite tasty. Brains, though? No way. My hosts in Japan were quite surprised to see me eat anything and everything they ordered in a sushi restaurant, including the natto. The raw prawns are a bit slimy in texture, but still quite tasty. Yeah, there have been some really nasty things described in this thread. Almost as bad as beets....

03-18-2003, 10:39 AM	#56
KoopaFanatic Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Virginia Posts: 2,867	When I was in Japan my host family was astonished that I actually LIKED sashimi. So they gave me more. And more. And more. And I was trying to be polite, so I kept eating it. And eating it. And eating it. All told, by the time my three-week homestay was over I had eaten a good 30 pounds of raw fish, not counting what they forced on me at restaurants. Too this day, I can't look at fish without feeling a little ill. I probably would've liked it if it hadn't been for the quantity. I'm a vegetarian now, though, and somehow in the past couple of years I've gotten to the point were the smell of cooking meat makes me nauseous. My friends don't believe me, but the last time I was around frying chicken I had to run out on the balcony to get away from the odor.

03-18-2003, 01:41 PM	#59
KoopaFanatic Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Virginia Posts: 2,867	Natto smells bad, too. I couldn't bring myself to taste it. ISTR hearing that the kanji for it literally mean "awful stench," although I've never really been curious enough to look it up.

03-18-2003, 01:43 PM	#60
Monkeybot Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: North Carolina Posts: 8,102	Weirdly, I've never even noticed the smell of natto. My host family used to eat it every day at dinner. I usually declined (of which they were very understanding ) and they were forever asking if the smell bothered me. I honestly could not smell it, though. I don't think I've ever even looked at the kanji for it either, seeing as I had absolutely no use for the word

Freethought & Rationalism Archive

The archives are read only.