The Omnivore’s 100

Here’s a silly little diversion that I had fun with while I’ve been taking it easy with a cold. Seen it a couple times but wasn’t fully inspired until reading it on The Write Ingredients. Ignore, play along or just have fun reading my food idiosyncrasies.

First, the instructions (with my annotations) so you know what in the world I’m doing:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions. (You can also copy straight from VGT’s original post)
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten. (Don’t know what something is? Go to VGT’s post for handy wiki links. I had to look up several.)
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating. (The crossing out part didn’t come over in bloglines. I had to actually pull up the post to see them on Jenn’s.)
4) Optional extra: Post a comment at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results. (There were already 875 comments when I did this!)

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding (we call it blood sausage and my dad has been wanting me to try it)
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses (cheese)
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese (well, I’d be willing to taste an itty bitty teeny weeny bite)
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea (sounds lovely, but I’ve never seen clotted cream in the states)
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu (puffer fish – not a chance I’ll try this)
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV (possible, but I doubt it)
59. Poutine (I am shocked they don’t serve this at fairs around here)
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake (every last one of them)
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill (as long as it’s fresh – ha!)
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini (sounds yummy)
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant. (I don’t own this guide and doubt I ever will.)
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse (I would be hard pressed to try this)
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox (I’ve had the bagel, just not interested in the lox)
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Some of these items like bellini and any of the cheeses and chocolates sound scrumptious and I’m all about trying them. Some, it’s not that I wouldn’t be willing to try them, it’s just that why would I try them? For instance roadkill. How exactly does this make me a better, more well rounded person? And though I’ve had a hostess fuit pie, why is this important? I was surprised by the number of Indian dishes as well as those made from animal guts. I’m a generation removed from dishes made with ingredients such as intestines and, honestly, I’m ok with that. I love the idea of using all of an animal if your going to use any. I believe it’s more respectful. On the other hand it grosses me out. So my final summary? The list has it’s writter’s slant. This isn’t a bad thing, just something to note. I think I should make my own list of what foods I want to try before I die. Of course, it might be half chocolates, wines and cheeses. A big thank you to Jenn and, of course, VGT for the fun!