My travel blogger buddy and friend Jen wrote an uplifting post about 33 things she wishes to do before she turns 33 years old. One of the items on her list, #10, is to try five new foods that she's been scared to eat in the past.
What a great idea, I thought to myself when she revealed that notion. I want to be braver with foods as well. After all, I'm now a food blogger and a cookbook author. Crazy I know, I can still hardly believe it myself!
On my "Learn, Laugh, Cook" facebook page earlier this week, I posed the questions, "What foods are you afraid of? What foods creep you out?" I was seeking other suggestions that my friends, readers and others have been afraid to eat. The responses were funny -- ranging from cool-whip to barbecue flavor, from beets to stinky cheeses....then the conversation drifted off into animal organs, such as liver, brain, intestines and more.
Yikes, I had not even considered animal parts like feet or heart to be on my dinner plate! And I don't think I will start adding them now either!! No, I was thinking more about foods that I've had texture issues with in the past. In addition, I've been afraid of certain foods that are very hot and spicy. Or foods that smelled or just seemed weird in some way to me.
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So here is my list. This is my public list of foods that I've been afraid to try....until NOW (gulp loudly). I'm going to (hopefully) eat at least one bite (maybe two?) of all the below foods listed here at some point in 2011:
1. French foods - things like escargot and caviar - bugs for dinner anyone?
2. Tofu - I used to shy away from this but I no longer feel worried over it. In fact, I will be trying this out soon and want to cook with it in my attempts to eat more vegetarian meals!
3. Havenero pepper - the hot stuff! I saw Sandra Bullock do it on The Ellen show so I figure, why not me?
4. Raw oysters - too slimy for me in the past! My in-laws love them so I should try them.
5. Liver - just to gross out my facebook readers! :-) I think I had this once or twice as a kid.
6. Pickles - I have never liked them but I think I should give them a try again. I do like cucumbers though. Should I try a sweet and a dill? Do you have a favorite kind?
7. Anchovies - I don't know why this one bothers me so much. I love sushi after all. But I haven't been able to eat them on a pizza so I hope to try it at some point this year.
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Whew, that's enough for now! I'm getting pale and sick to my stomach just reviewing the above food items. This is an ambitious task. I hope I can accomplish it all. My plan is to document the experience and take photos of me eating the foods too. Don't worry I won't share any vomitting experiences I may have, just the me trying it part. Wish me luck!
What foods are you afraid of? What item has been on your "do not eat" list? Would you consider taking on a challenge like this or am I just plain crazy??? Leave them in the comments!
Oh and just because I like you all so much:
Check out this $25 Starbucks gift card giveaway by my foodie friend Anne! Stop by her place and wish her a happy birthday!
Dill pickles are prob my favorite food!! Maybe we can knock that one out this weekend!! :) I've never had anchovies either, but I know Rachael Ray cooks w/ them from time to time and says they turn "nutty," when they're cooked. Maybe you should try them IN something first, instead of just raw... GOOD LUCK!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing my link! I am still trying to decide what my foods will be. I can't believe you grew up in NOLA and have never tried a raw oyster!
ReplyDeleteMost people don't like liver because it's easy to overcook. Try Julia Child's recipe for sauteed calf's liver. Awesome with caramelized onions.
ReplyDeleteJay and I had escargot on the night that we got engaged, so they have a special place in my lil' ol' heart. :) We got them at a pub that served them in a garlic sauce with a mushroom cap and they were DELICIOUS! Tasted kinda' like mushrooms :)
ReplyDeletehmmm, i'm going to have to think about this one and thanks for the shout out!! anne
ReplyDeleteI tried escargot a few yeats ago and I like the taste but not the texture...definitely go for a dill pickle. I love haggis, which is another "creepy" food and is actually illegal to make in the USA unless you raise and slaughter the sheep yourself.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious abour bulgar and quinoa (sp?) because I've been seeing them in a lot of recipes lately. And I tend to shy away from cooking certain cuts of meat, just because I'm not sure what to with them.
Dill pickles are low fat and calorie, 5 calories for one pickle. Definitely a great snack!
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