Totally inappropriate for a Buddhist blog: The Omnivore's 100

Hi. Joan here again, barging in on Jen's blog for some food chat.

But first, a brief digression. I'm a blog junkie. I have over fifty blogs on one of my Google logins. So when I say I have no idea where I first heard of something, believe me. I don't.

Now that that's out of the way, I saw a blog post regarding an interesting list called The Omnivore's 100 (you can see the original O1 here ). Being a total sucker for surveys, tests, and questionnaires, I copied the list and instructions, and, not having a blog of my own up with which to clutter, decided to post it here. Mayhap Jen will post her answers, too. Or not.

I'm proud to be an omnivore. There isn't much I won't eat, or at least give a Fair Try. (A "Fair Try" in my family meant two decent-sized bites of a new food. If I really didn't like it, I didn't have to finish my portion, nor was I required to eat it again. Not a bad way to introduce new foods to kids, I don't think. Worked with me, anyway.) So, let's see how I do with the list.

Oh, one caveat: it's from a UK blog. That may have an effect on my score. Or it may not. Here goes.


Below is a list of 100 things that I think every good omnivore should have tried at least once in their life. The list includes fine food, strange food, everyday food and even some pretty bad food - but a good omnivore should really try it all. Don’t worry if you haven’t, mind you; neither have I, though I’ll be sure to work on it. Don’t worry if you don’t recognise everything in the hundred, either; Wikipedia has the answers.

Here’s what I want you to do:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea (hunh?)
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile (I've had alligator, so I'm counting this one. Tasted like fishy-tasting chicken. Really.)
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue (And lots of other kinds, too)
8. Carp (Don't think I've tried this)
9. Borscht (Almost crossed this out. Beets are one of my dislikes unless they're pickled, but I'd give borscht a Fair Try.)
10. Baba ghanoush (Yes, yes, yes! Best. Baba. Ghanoush. Ever.)
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich (Is this so weird to the Brits that it should be on a list like this?)
14. Aloo gobi (I had to look this up. Turns out I've had it, in an Indian takeout place in the food court at Union Station in Washington, DC.)
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses (Wikipedia tells me this is a French cheese, aged for 6 weeks. I'm lactose intolerant, so I'm a bit wary. I could give it a try since aged/hard cheeses don't make me sick. I might luck out.)
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes (What drinker has not had plum wine at a Chinese restaurant?)
19. Steamed pork buns (Or these, if they've ever had dim sum? I've even made these at home!)
20. Pistachio ice cream (Before I became lactose intolerant)
21. Heirloom tomatoes (Only because I haven't encountered one. I can has tomatoes? Plz??)
22. Fresh wild berries (Again, only because of lack of opportunity)
23. Foie gras (See above)
24. Rice and beans (One of my favorite comfort foods: black beans & rice topped with olive oil, vinegar & raw onion.)
25. Brawn, or head cheese (Often, when I was a kid. Not so fond of it now.)
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper (First strike on #26. I'm sorry. I do not eat food that causes pain. And I am a pepper wimp, finding even jalapenos too spicy for me.)
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters (Only fried. Raw ones are just too ooogy.)
29. Baklava (Afrah again.)
30. Bagna cauda (Wasn't this signed in 1066? No. My mistake. Wikipedia makes it sound pretty good, actually.)
31. Wasabi peas (Tried 'em. Hated 'em. Just too damned hot for me.)
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi (Made from yogurt? I could try that.)
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float (I have to make these with vanilla frozen yogurt nowadays.)
36. Cognac with a fat cigar (Do I get half credit for this? I'll try any booze, even though I don't like much of it, but a cigar is Right Out. I'd rather take a hit off a burning tire, thanks.)
37. Clotted cream tea (I've had the clotted cream, but not as part of a Tea.)
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail (Not unless this counts.)
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects (No way. I kill bugs. I do not eat them.)
43. Phaal (Wikipedia says this is a curry hotter than Vindaloo. See above comments re: painful food)
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more (I doubt I'd like it, but I'd still try it)
46. Fugu (Eat a fish that can kill you if improperly prepared? Nope. Too many weird and wonderful and not potentially lethal foods out there to try.)
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel (Eel rolls. Yum.)
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut (Ask any of my cow-orkers, present or past about my devotion to KK donuts.....)
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer (Again with cheese. This one would be more likely to make me sick, so I regretfully turn it down.)
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle (As part of this lovely frozen veggie, anyway)
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine (The cheese curds might give me problems, but man this sounds good!!)
60. Carob chips (Carob chips? When Nestle semi-sweet or Ghirardelli exist? I'd try them, but really, why bother making them in the first place?)
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads (I'll be honest. If you promise me I never have to try brains, I'll try sweetbreads.)
63. Kaolin (Clay. An omnivore has to have eaten clay. Nope. I ain't eatin' dirt.)
64. Currywurst (If I can control the heat level, sure.)
65. Durian (This was a tough one. I'd try to try it, but I'm not sure I could get it past my nose.)
66. Frogs’ legs (All you can eat at the Lighthouse Fish Camp, Inman, SC.)
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake (WHOO-HOO! I'm four for four on this one thanks to the Cafe du Monde, the Pinellas County fair, and the State Fair of Texas.)
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain (With garlic mojo of course! Visiting San Diego? Don't miss this place.)
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost (If it's made with goat's milk, I'm in.)
75. Roadkill (I'd have to put too many conditions on this one to count it legitimately. That being said, I'd readily try any animal that often becomes roadkill -- squirrel, possum, even armadillo.)
76. Baijiu (Hmmm. Wikipedia makes it sound like the Japanese equivalent of PGA, aka Everclear. Can I have it mixed with something? Anything? Please?)
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-star restaurant. (Someone else is paying, right?)
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash (I found a killer recipe for authentic goulash in one of my mother's cookbooks. Yum!)
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano (I've had a couple of different mole dishes; not sure if either was poblano.)
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee (Would probably be wasted on me because I add so much sweetener and lightener to my coffee.)
100. Snake (Tastes just like -- well, you know.)

Comments? Your take on the list? Anybody want to try some variations? A True Midwestern Omnivore 100 would have to include tuna hot dish and lutefisk for starters. A Tex-Mex Omnivore 100: frozen margaritas, menudo, pineapple tamales. The possibilities are endless.....