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The Omnivore's 100 - from Peachey
Tuesday, Oct 7, 2008 11:58PM / Standard Entry / Members only
Peachey passed along this "meme" which originated at this website:
[url]http://www.verygoodtaste.co.uk/uncategorised/the-omnivores-hundred/[/url]
I guess it's just an exercise to see if you've expanded your horizons in enjoying new tastes. It's definitely a Western-oriented list, but given that cultural bias, it's still fun.
Here are my answers. If I haven't tried it, no formatting change to the characters. If I've tried it, it's Bolded. My comments are bracketed. If I would refuse to even try it, it's struck through.
So let's see my "score". I've tried around 50 out of 100. I've had true clam chowder in Maine and Maryland, so I think that the sourdough bowl is a stupid gimmick. And smoking a cigar has nothing to do with drinking cognac -- that's not consumption. And I'd refuse....none but one out of 100. The poisonous pufferfish can't be worth the risk of having a chef who's not on his game that day. Having said that I think if I'd be hungry or desperate enough, I'd eat anything that wouldn't eat me first.
Here's my list. I listed a clean cut and paste version afterwards since I added a lot of comments in mine.
If you do your own list in your own blog, just post a notification at Peachey's blog....here's the link to her blog:
[url]http://www.alivenotdead.com/peachey/The+Omnivore-s+Hundred-profile-326119.html[/url]
The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred - FLAGDAY's LIST
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding [blood, ooo, yummy]
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho [Vietnamese beef and noodle soup, looks delicious]
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi [Indian potato and cauliflower dish with ...curry...sounds great]
15. Hot dog from a street cart [much against my better judgment]
16. Epoisses [stinky French cheese - served with red wine, ok I’d try it]
17. Black truffle [sorry but I still think, what’s the big deal?]
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns [Nooooo, I haven’t! You must think I’m such a heathen now! I just haven’t had one yet. Must work on that one.]
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese [not even cheese but meat in aspic, and if you can call brains, tongue, etc. meat, then you’ll like it - I don’t like to eat brains, now more than ever]
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper [maybe, because my nephew grows all kinds but I don’t like to eat peppers that make my nose run and eyes water - my son likes them firey. I think it’s a guy thing]
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas [it really reminds me of like horseradish, but now that it’s called wasabi it’s sexy]
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl (but not in a sourdough bowl)
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar (but not with a cigar of any kind...cognac tastes smoky enough for me)
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo (I hate the ones thickened with Okra, yuk, I hate okra, but I’d try a different kind).
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat at a Jamaican restaurant - it was delicious but bony
42. Whole insects – yeah, I’d try it, and we may all be reduced to eating bugs real soon
43. Phaal [sounds like too hot of a curry to me]
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more The only one is Johnny Walker Blue - it wasn’t worth it
46.
Fugu[POISONOUS if not prepared properly, Japanese pufferfish. FuYu]47. Chicken tikka masala [I’ve had Chicken Tikka but never had the masala - it sounds delicious]
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut [only from a box, not from a KK store....it HAS to be better fresh]
50. Sea urchin - [didn’t even know there was anything edible on them - they look so formidable]
51. Prickly pear [nope! Not yet!]
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone [yeah, I think this is protected endangered, at least some of them]
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal [I liked my fast food at one time but I never was a fan of the Big Mac - the lettuce was always soggy]
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini [not dirty]
58. Beer above 8% ABV [this is just a guess on my part, but I MUST have....]
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips [yuk]
61. S’mores [only as an adult, maybe that’s why I thought ewwww]
62. Sweetbreads [can’t fool me with that name...it doesn’t thrill me but I’d try it]
63. Kaolin [dirt huh? I guess if I had a mineral deficiency]
64. Currywurst [I love sausage and I love curries so sure, if I could find it]
65. Durian [this sounds like a challenging fruit...you have to get past the smell first – sounds unappetizing, smell is usually what sucks me in, not repels me]
66. Frogs’ legs [we boiled them till they were like rubber mallets - they tasted like a rubber chicken]
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake LOVE THIS STUFF - it’s a real treat
68. Haggis [when in Scotland...]
69. Fried plantain [very starchy]
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette [I’d hesitate to eat this - intestines are like the sewer pipes of the body...this might actually be crossed off upon reflection]
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini [what’s all the fuss? Just because it’s rare or expensive doesn’t make it good, for real]
73. Louche absinthe [I’d try it but I don’t like anise - licorice tasting]
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill [If I was hungry enough....]
76. Baijiu [rice wine...shame on me for not trying it...how’s this different from sake?]
77. Hostess Fruit Pie [No, around here it was the Tastycake fruit pie, delicious cherry ones]
78. Snail [aka Escargot – good that it was disguised by tons of garlic and herbs - not a nice texture]
79. Lapsang souchong [mmmm, this sounds delicious, a smoky tea!]
80. Bellini [I had something similar in Italy but it was bottled, not fresh peach puree]
81. Tom yum [hmmm, maybe but then I might have avoided it because of the coconut milk...coconut is the one thing I avoid at all costs]
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef [I’d like to try it, once, if I can get a second mortgage on my house]
86. Hare [I’ve had rabbit but not, officially, a hare. I know I’ve run over them with the lawn tractor. Sorry, next time I’ll be sure to fry it up.]
87. Goulash [Hungarian Goulash, very tasty]
88. Flowers
89. Horse [not to my knowledge....]
90. Criollo chocolate [I’m not a chocolate connoisseur but I’m not against it either!]
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa [no, but it sounds like it’d really add zing to a recipe]
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor [way too rich]
98. Polenta [this is the most memorable food from my childhood, the way my Italian grandmother used to make this to be accompanied by a chicken stew with a few tomatoes and all the fresh mushrooms we picked in the woods – the aroma was heavenly. It’s easy to make. Throw in a bunch of grated parmesan cheese if it’s not exciting enough for you, and add enough salt - the leftover polenta is also great fried with eggs in the morning.
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee [I TOTALLY overdosed on this on a vacation to Jamaica, so much so that I couldn’t, for the next few years, drink caffeine without having scary heart palpations — that’s some good shit]
100. Snake [maybe if Eve had eaten the snake instead of the apple we wouldn’t be in such a mess today]
Here's the Cut and Paste Version along with the rules:
The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
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
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
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
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
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
59. Poutine
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
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
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-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake
The rules:1) Copy this list into your blog, including these instructions.
(that would be Peachey's blog - url above)
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out or underline any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Post a comment here notifying us of your posting of this meme at your profile.
Thanks for helping me waste a couple of hours of my time Peachey! Crap, now I'm both hungry AND behind schedule.
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Just the FACTS ma'am...2008 Presidential Election Debunking
Thursday, Oct 2, 2008 11:11PM / Standard Entry / Members only
I just posted this over at the Jet Li Forum but I'll repeat it here just in case I can reach some new people. This website is the best of the best, and sets the record straight in this very crooked world of politics....
In this age of soundbites, both McCain and Obama try to persuade people to vote against the opposing candidate by "exposing" their true views, their faults. No one talks about what he CAN do.
A lot of the time those soundbites are filled with lies, exaggerations, and half-truths. Since I don't watch TV except on-line, and listen to public radio and not commercial radio, I am not bombarded with these phony statements.
But I do get emails from FACTCHECK.ORG, which isQUOTE:a nonpartisan, nonprofit "consumer advocate" for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. We monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S.political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviewsand news releases. Our goal is to apply the best practices of bothjournalism and scholarship, and to increase public knowledge andunderstanding.The Annenberg Political FactCheck is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of theUniversity of Pennsylvania. The APPC was established by publisher andphilanthropist Walter Annenberg in 1994 to create a community ofscholars within the University of Pennsylvania that would addresspublic policy issues at the local, state and federal levels.
The APPC accepts NO fundingfrom business corporations, labor unions, political parties, lobbyingorganizations or individuals. It is funded primarily by the AnnenbergFoundation.
I don't know which campaign has been the biggest lying sack of doodoo, but I can guarantee you that the coming weeks will get uglier.
If you hear something in the debates or in advertisements or literature which persuades you to vote for or against either candidate, check again. See if what he or she said is the truth.
I think this is a great service doing noble work. Check it out at: www.factcheck.org
You can also sign up for email alerts on the home page.
Just as an example, here is an article on "THE WHOPPERS OF 2008"QUOTE:Summary
Normallywe post a "Whoppers" compilation the week before Election Day. Thistime we've already seen such a large number of twisted facts,misleading claims and outright falsehoods that we are doing that now.
It's not just Sarah Palin's claim about killing the bridge project thatshe had supported until it became a national laughingstock and Congressturned against it. That's just the whopper that got the attention ofmany news organizations earlier this month. There have been lots ofothers.
McCain has made multiple false representations of Obama's taxproposals. Obama has made false claims about McCain's stance on SocialSecurity. Both McCain and Obama have traded some whoppers about theirenergy policies, about Iraq, and about Iran, and about supportingtroops.
For our full sampler of the campaign distortions we've seen so far,please read on to our Analysis section. There we provide summaries andlinks to extensive articles on each. This is a partial tally. We stillhave more than five weeks to go before Nov. 4.
Analysis
Bothcandidates are flinging rather a lot of political poppycock, and someserious deceptions, too. We've gone after them in our regular articlesand also in our new feature, The FactCheck Wire. Here are the lowlights – thus far.
McCain: Obama will raise your taxes.
It'sa
pretty standard Republican theme: "Democrat X favors higher taxes
andwasteful spending." But the McCain-Palin campaign has repeatedly
pushedthis line far beyond what the facts will support. Among the
whoppers:that Sen. Barack Obama has voted to raise taxes on families
earning aslittle as $32,000 per year, that Obama wants to tax your
electricityand your heating oil, that he has voted for "higher" taxes
94 times,and that he will raise taxes for 23 million small-business
owners. Eachof these claims is false. Sen. John McCain also claims
Obama will raisetaxes on your investments, which is untrue for all but
those at the topof the income scale.
Obama has not proposed new taxes for electricity or for home heatingoil. McCain likes to point to a budget resolution for which Obamavoted, which would have raised the marginal tax rate on a singleindividual earning $41,500 per year or a couple earning $83,000 peryear. But that isn't part of Obama's tax plan, which would raise rates(including capital gains and dividend rates) only for couples earningat least $250,000 per year, or singles earning $200,000 or more. Anyinvestments held in Individual Retirement Accounts, 401(k) plans orother tax-deferred retirement accounts would remain just that,tax-deferred. Nor would Obama's plans affect 23 million small-businessowners; most, in fact, would see a tax cut. At most, a few hundredthousand of the most affluent business owners would see rates go up.And those 94 votes for "higher" taxes? We count 23 that would not haveraised taxes at all, but were merely votes against tax cuts. Seven ofthem would have loweredtaxes for many. As for Obama's actual plan: The nonpartisan Tax PolicyCenter says that 81.3 percent of all American workers and familieswould see a tax cut.
Tax Tally Trickery July 3
The $32,000 Question July 8
McCain's Small-Business Bunk July 14
More Tax Deceptions August 12
A New Stitch in a Bad Pattern September 2
There He Goes Again September 18
Obama: McCain will cut your Social Security.
Democrats aren't without a classic theme of their own: "Republican Y wants to cut Social Security benefits for our seniors." John Kerry used something like that against
GeorgeW.
Bush in 2004. It wasn't true then and it hasn't gotten any more truein
the past four years. But that hasn't stopped Obama from claimingthat
McCain wants to cut benefits in half.
McCain did support Bush's Social Security plan. But that plan would not have cutbenefits at all. Everybody who gets a check now, or who is nearingretirement, would have remained in the current system. For youngerworkers who retire in the future, Bush proposed to slow the rate atwhich benefits grow – keeping pace with the rise of prices but not withthe faster rise in wages, as is now the case. Compared with whattoday's retirees get, that's a smaller increase, not a reduction.
Obama also claimed that if McCain hadhis way, "millions" who rely on Social Security would have seen theirinvestments disappearing in the recent stock market turmoil. Hereferred to "elderly women" at risk of poverty and said families wouldbe scrambling to support "grandmothers and grandfathers." Balderdash. The Bush plan, which McCain embraced, would nothave allowed anybody born before 1950 to have private accounts, sonobody retired on Social Security today could possibly be relying onprivate accounts for even a small portion of his or her benefit check.For younger workers, the accounts would have been voluntary anyway.
Scaring Seniors September 19
Obama's Social Security Whopper September 20
[Flagday] The rest of the article can be found at http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/the_whoppers_of_2008.html
And this is supposed to give us all "hope" and portend "change"? Same old, same old.
For the record, I was a Hillary supporter and now I'll vote for Obama/Biden, not totally enthusiastically but I will. McCain/Palin scare the crap out of me.
Have fun watching the VP debate tonight. It should be really good television! I guess it's on PBS, again, www.pbs.org. Oh, I checked, it's on TV everywhere. But I'll have to watch it online.
Whatever you do, please make sure you're registered and VOTE on November 4. No one else can do it for you.
Oh yeah, another couple of programs which also DEBUNK the bunk flung by both candidates, with an openly "liberal" slant are:
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart - you see stuff here you never see anywhere else! http://www.thedailyshow.com/full ... ml?episodeId=186763
The Colbert Report - http://www.comedycentral.com/col ... ml?episodeId=186541
I'm sure a lot of you have seen these shows but they are essential viewing during the election cycle. They make me laugh and shake my head at the same time. These shows have great writers.
Edit: For those of you who are in other countries, non-US citizens, these shows are great to watch anyway. But be warned, both shows use a lot of sarcasm and irony so may be tricky to appreciate if you don't understand American humor. Just FYI, the star of The Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert, is "posing" as a Republican supporter but is clearly not. So when he says "McCain is great" it is with a wink. Enjoy!
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Blog: Saturday, Mar 22
Sunday, Mar 23, 2008 2:42AM / Standard Entry / Members only
My really friend HaloJones, I JUST LOVE HER, asked me to answer these. I will but I won't pass them along (I'm always at the bottom of every pyramid scheme). This is for you HJ, even though I already declined Jaine's invitation but I gotta make this stop somewhere!
1) Answer the questions below in your blog.
2) Delete one of the questions you don't like and add a new question. There should be a total of 20 questions.
3) Pass it on by listing some people you'd like to answer those questions. Notify them by signing on their guestbook in their blog to tell them they've been picked. Try not to duplicate people that have already been picked. Those who choose to answer need to mention the name of the person who picked them so the game can continue.
Stargazer picked me.
1. Is reality in this world harsh?Not for me, but for the vast majority on the planet it is. But that doesn't mean that people won't find some happiness.
2. What is the happiest thing in life?
Knowing that my loved ones are healthy and taken care of.
3. How long has it been since you've thought about things quietly? (In this busy lifestyle)
I like not to think too much.
4. What country would you really want to travel to?
China and Cuba.
Procrastination.
5. What annoys you most about yourself?
6. What do you do if you're not happy?
Go to sleep.
8. What is your personal goal in life?
I don't really have any worth repeating.
8. Any practical goals in the next 5 years?
Get fit.
Being a mess of a housekeeper. (can you tell I'm finally cleaning today?)
9. Any habits you cant get rid off?
10. What is your life currently like?
Disorganized.
Become a Tai Chi Master.
11. If you could pick a talent what would it be?
12. If you can fulfill one wish, what would it be?
Make us all just get along (another way of saying World Peace).13. What are the things you'd expect in your other half?
Intelligent, enlightened, funny. HJ - Sounds good to me.
14. What do you think you lack and how would you like to improve upon that?
Where to start.
15. What would be your dream job?
Be an architect for the green structures.
16. What's on your mind today?
Getting the place in shape for Easter Family dinner here. What, was I crazy?
17.Say something honest to someone you're thinking of. (Say that person's name as well).
Dad, I miss you.
18. Any situation that you'd hate?
I hate being cold and wet. So the Titanic would definitely not be a fun cruise for me.
19. What is the worst thing that can happen on this earth?
If we'd just self-destruct.
20. Any characteristics you hate?
Stupidity.
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Lust, Caution and Censorship
Tuesday, Mar 11, 2008 3:16AM / Standard Entry / Members only
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Maybe I'm cheap but...
Wednesday, Jan 16, 2008 11:08PM / Standard Entry / Members only
