Trying local cuisine - how adventurous are you?

[dajop]

Tend to be more adventurous with local colleagues than by myself, although sometimes I will do eat some random things, and do try to seek out good local food. One thing that is odd, I have never liked shellfish (prawns and the like), but have eaten them across Asia, and do tend to enjoy them, as they are cooked well with certain spices and flavours (really enjoy a good Wasabi prawn). Get back to Australia, and can't stand prawns once more ......

Some of the more interesting things I've had:
- Fried crickets (China)
- Donkey (China)
- Grubs (Zimbabwe)
- Sliced raw octopus (tentacles still moving) in Korea
- Various game animals in Africa (such as kudu, warthog, others I can't recall)
- Organ soup in China, full of honeycomb tripe, liver and who knows what else. Was actually quite good, and I usually detest offal.
- Blood sausages in Argentina
- Pigs ears and sisig (Philippines)
- BBQ pig tail (Myanmar) - basically crackling, Was good.

In the Philippines, I have drawn the line at Balut though. But maybe if I'd had 4-5 alcoholic drinks before hand ....

Last comment, a few years ago was in Port Douglas at a meeting with colleagues from all over Asia. Whilst many of them would eat food that would make us Australians feel quite squeamish, it was interesting that most of them couldn't bring themselves to try Kangaroo .... it's all what you're used to.

Crickets, in Shandong province, China ....

 

[opusman]

I have drawn the line at Balut though

Tried that in Vietnam, it was fine The way I see it, you'll eat an egg, and you'll eat a chicken, so what's wrong with the stage in between?

 

[dajop]

Tried that in Vietnam, it was fine The way I see it, you'll eat an egg, and you'll eat a chicken, so what's wrong with the stage in between?

Can't fault the logic ....

 

[drron]

The destruction of this emblematic cuisine is one of the reasons I no longer choose to reside in Australia

I am almost always a very calm person, but each time I enter a bakery or a servo, ask for a "plain pie", and get told they only have left .... curry/pepper/cheese/etc etc etc etc, I start to explode with rage. If everyone wants those fancy flavours, why the flock are there never any good old "plain" ones left??

When I heard that some anarchist had won the aussie pie competition with their "satay seafood" pie, I gave up.

Damn, am now so worked up I will not sleep.....

Well just visit Tassie and have a curry scallop pie.

 

[fifo]

Ive eaten..
Horse raw in japan
Camel in doha
Shot my own roos in NSW
Buffalo, elk etc in canada/usa
Possum in NT
Snake and goanna in WA whilst working
Crocodile, emu in nt and nsw
Hmmm... what else....so many meats, so little time.

 

[Mattg]

And this was my "worlds best Philly Steak" here in Fort Lauderdale yesterday. Picked the meat out the best i could and the rest was dumped. Over-sauced on day old bread. How i wished for Thai street vendor food.....

View attachment 151917

At least they didn't use Cheez Whiz!!

(That's what I got at one of the supposedly top Philly cheesesteak places in Philadelphia last year when I asked for the "traditional" cheesesteak )

 

[Lynda2475]

traditional" cheesesteak

Nooooooo, traditional cheesesteak is made with provolone cheese

 

[leadman]

Nooooooo, traditional cheesesteak is made with provolone cheese

Looks like they have mastered the art of extruded provolone cheese!!! But this MUST be the best, "the best phillysteak in the world" was trademarked!

 

[Lynda2475]

There is a food truck in Sydney called Franks Philly Cheesesteaks best cheesteak ive had outside of Pennsylvania- they offer 3 choices of cheese : provolone, american cheese or cheese wiz. But when i visit local friends in Philly its always provolone.

 

[Forg]

Not everyone is the same. That’s part of life’s rich tapestry. Not sad for them at all. Because I don’t want to experience bungee jumping, skydiving etc am I missing out and have a sad miserable life? I don’t think so.

Well … to be honest, I do sometimes wish I got some enjoyment out of all those exercises/tasks intended to give a thrill out of fear.
Obviously it can be nowhere near the enjoyment that one should be getting out of food, but still, people seem to actually enjoy it & I feel I'm missing out!

 

[drron]

Sorry but our son lived in Philly for 2 years and we went often.At either Pats or Genos-Pats the original Cheesesteak man and Genos now the most popular-both give you the choice of American,provolone or cheese whiz.according to Pat cheese whiz outsells the second favourite-american,by 8 to 1.
Here's one of Pats-

.
And if it is genuine you will be asked if you want "mit or widdout"They are talking about the onions.
Pat and Genos are across the road from each other.Both claim to be the originator-Genos by claiming they added the cheese to Pats chopped beef with onions.
Cheesesteak - New York Cheese Steak

 

[Ashilleong]

I don't like the taste of crickets, but was happy to try them. Some of the Chinese eggs got a strong pass from me, but I'm happy to try most things that aren't cooked seafood, which I dont like. Mostly I go by smell.

 

[bPeteb]

11ish. I know I'm tempting fate but we love street food. Just point and hope. Most good but occasionally terrible.

We left most ordering to our guides on our most recent China trip. Both were surprised, and happy, that we said we'll eat anything. We'll, I did say no dog.

We tried seal and muskox in Greenland. Those awful half formed chickens in eggs in Vietnam.

The first time we visited Hoi An we were on a cruise and tucked into lots of street food. The fellow (north American) passengers we'd cabbed to town with were horrified. I'm sure they expected us to drop on the spot with food poisoning.

 

[Cossie]

Guess that will be a 'no' then from us, Luang Prabang, Laos..