Two of the Omnivore’s 100: Sauerkraut and Saumagen
(German version of Haggis, the pink patty on the right)

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I saw this today on Lulu’s site at Mama’s Taverna as I made the rounds — it’s a list of 100 things Andrew at Very Good Taste thinks every omnivore should try at least once. It’s a fun read and sort of a game: you post the list and highlight what you’ve tried. Since we’re in a holding pattern until we get where we’re going next, this was a fun exercise. Brought back a lot of fond memories for us...

Andrew has a few rules if you want to join the fun:

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 at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

You learn a lot about yourself and others in thinking about what you would or would not eat. One of my college psychology books said that all appetites are the same: intellectual, sexual, and gustatory! So what does this list tell you about your appetites??

If you could add one thing to the list, what would it be? Mine would be Kombu, prepared the Okinawan way, of course!

VGT’s Omnivore’s 100:
1. Venison (tagged by my MIL and FIL)
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding (but I’ve tried Filipino dinuguan, which are the same ingredients in a stew, does that count??... not a favorite)
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp (would not order again)
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho (Vietnamese Beef & Rice Noodle Soup)
13. PB&J sandwich (peanut butter & jelly)
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes (blueberry and cherry were the favorites)
19. Steamed pork buns (aka Manapua)
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice & beans (Sekihan is my favorite combo)
25. Brawn, or head, cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper (in foods, yes; alone, no)
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas (crunchy sweet peas coated in wasabi flavored crust)
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
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O (we also recently made a port wine jello)
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects (you won’t believe this, but we actually have 2 cans of whole grasshoppers in 2 flavors but I can’t find anyone to try them with me)
43. Phaal (bring it on!)
44. Goat milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut (looking forward to trying this...)
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal (I can’t get Rapidweaver to cross this out, but this is the only one I’ve crossed out — I don’t like big macs)
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin (part of the herbal teas from the acupuncturist)
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake (also malassadas!)
68. Haggis (prefer Pfaelzer Saumagen!)
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe (in Prague)
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum soup
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse (couldn’t eat more than 2 bites because we couldn’t get past the idea of “horse”)
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam (are you kidding, I grew up on Guam!)
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa (prefer without rose petals)
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee (we’ll take Kona any day!)
100. Snake (in a soup, tastes like chicken but very bony)