# What foods you don't ever want to see on your plate?



## Addie

For me it is *zucchini.* I don't like it cook, boiled, sauteed, raw, etc. Yet I will eat the yellow summer squash along with other orange squashes.


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## pacanis

Bugs, companion animals, anything still squirming.


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## CWS4322

Pine nuts. I don't really want to experience anaphylaxis.


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## PrincessFiona60

Brussels Sprouts, any winter squash cooked with cinnamon and sugar.  Overdone liver, I only eat liver I have cooked.  Corn cooked into things, I like it in a small mound on my plate with butter, S&P.


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## Andy M.

Clams, cauliflower, beets, rhubarb and anything I'd normally call an exterminator to get rid of.


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## Dawgluver

PrincessFiona60 said:
			
		

> Brussels Sprouts, any winter squash cooked with cinnamon and sugar.  Overdone liver, I only eat liver I have cooked.  Corn cooked into things, I like it in a small mound on my plate with butter, S&P.



+1, except for the corn, which I do like in stuff.  No sweet potatoes or organ meat.  No fishy tasting fish.  And no companion animals either.


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## FrankZ

I think everyone knows my feeling on brussle sprouts....

I feel the same about beets.


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## Dawgluver

I see several of us share the Brussels sprouts gene...are we related?


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## pacanis

The only thing beets are good for is to give pickled eggs their pink color. I use them, but that doesn't mean I eat them.


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## PrincessFiona60

Dawgluver said:


> I see several of us share the Brussels sprouts gene...are we related?



I just think we all agree that it is NOT food...rather one of those nasty facts of life.  If Brussels Sprouts were found to be the cure-all for Diabetes or heart disease, I would still suffer...


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## Somebunny

Sardines, smoked or otherwise, smoked canned clams or oysters. (other clams and oysters are okay and other smoked food is good) I never want to see ketchup on eggs on my plate and it kind of makes me  to see it on someone else's plate


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## no mayonnaise

<------------ Take a wild guess 
I won't eat it.  Nothing will convince me to eat mayonnaise, or anything that contains mayonnaise, ever.  I would rather make out with my grandma.


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## Silversage

Peaches.

Even the smell makes me nauseous.


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## pacanis

no mayonnaise said:


> <------------ Take a wild guess
> I won't eat it. Nothing will convince me to eat mayonnaise, or anything that contains mayonnaise, ever. I would rather make out with my grandma.


 
As Vincent would say, "That's a bold statement".


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## hamm4

PEAS !!!! Hate them but I love split pea soup. Mmmmmm figure that out.


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## Andy M.

It's obviously the shape.  Little green balls...


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## Aunt Bea

Somebunny said:


> Sardines, smoked or otherwise, smoked canned clams or oysters. (other clams and oysters are okay and other smoked food is good) I never want to see ketchup on eggs on my plate and it kind of makes me  to see it on someone else's plate



I'm with you kid!


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## ella/TO

*OKRA.......yech*


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## justplainbill

Brussel sprouts, spaghetti squash, and jerusalem artichokes.


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## Dawgluver

justplainbill said:
			
		

> Brussel sprouts, spaghetti squash, and jerusalem artichokes.



Another relative.


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## pacanis

Chicken Parmesan. You won't see that on my plate either.


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## FrankZ

pacanis said:


> Chicken Parmesan. You won't see that on my plate either.



Really?  Huh.. the most famous dish coming out of Arizona too.. too bad.  

What is it about chicken parm that gets you?  Do you have the same issue with veal parm?  Eggplant?  Just curious.


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## pacanis

FrankZ said:


> Really? Huh.. the most famous dish coming out of Arizona too.. too bad.
> 
> What is it about chicken parm that gets you? Do you have the same issue with veal parm? Eggplant? Just curious.


 
It better not be!  

I don't like spaghetti sauce on chicken. Which is odd for as many different ways as I eat chicken wings. I'm sure I would love it on eggplant, as I really like sauce and cheese, just not on chicken. Veal might be OK, but I've never tried veal parm.


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## FrankZ

Yer gonna have a rough week next week... 

Thanks for the answer.  I was wondering if it was a cheese and chicken thing, since I have know a couple people that did not like cheese with chicken.


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## pacanis

Oh no, cheese goes with EVERYTHING! lol
How else could I make my garlic parm wings?

It's the chicken/sauce thing. The sauce just seems to lay there. It doesn't combine with the chicken and IMHO it just doesn't _go_ with chicken. I'm a big fan of everything that goes into chicken parm, just not the finished product.


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## Somebunny

pacanis said:
			
		

> Oh no, cheese goes with EVERYTHING! lol
> How else could I make my garlic parm wings?
> 
> It's the chicken/sauce thing. The sauce just seems to lay there. It doesn't combine with the chicken and IMHO it just doesn't go with chicken. I'm a big fan of everything that goes into chicken parm, just not the finished product.



I too don't think red sauce goes with chicken , though I will eat it.  It's just not my favorite way to eat chicken, but then I am also not a fan of BBQ sauce on chicken, not even wings ;-) hmmm!   will cook it for others


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## vitauta

yams, rutabaga, okra, raw bananas.  it's primarily a texture problem with the okra and the bananas....


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## Chief Longwind Of The North

Hey!  I like brussel sprouts.  But don't put okra on my plate please.  No mint is allowed, or anything alive.  Not crazy about octopus. Keep your mint leaves to yourselves.   Baloot isn't even allowed in my neighborhood, let alone on my plate, thank you.  Don't want any cheese with maggots crawling through it either.  As far as I know, that's about it.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


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## vitauta

what kind of cheese has maggots crawling through it?


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## Dawgluver

Sardinian cheese.  It's apparently illegal.  The maggots try to jump out of the cheese to eat the eater's eyes.  If they aren't alive, the cheese is no good.  Google maggot cheese.  Fascinating stuff!  ( and it's not gonna be on my menu at any time)


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## vitauta

hmmm, interesting.  i just watched the gordon ramsay video on the sardinian cheese.  i would like to taste this cheese one day....


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## Dawgluver

vitauta said:
			
		

> hmmm, interesting.  i just watched the gordon ramsay video on the sardinian cheese.  i would like to taste this cheese one day....



Just wear your goggles.


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## bakechef

Seafood or fish of any kind.  I can't stand the smell of it, and I don't know how anyone could smell it and still eat it.  Don't tell me that the very fresh stuff has no smell because it does, just much more mild, my sister lives on the coast of Maine and gets seafood right off the boat, literally.

Cilantro, it tastes like soap to me, it's a flavor that I can detect right off.  I am becoming a bit more tolerant to it, but am not crazy about how "trendy" it is.  The last time I went to Cheesecake Factory, it was sprinkled on all 3 appetizers, even though it wasn't listed in the description.

Organ meats.  I liked liver as a child especially venison liver, but even the smell turns me green as an adult.  Not crazy over wild game.


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## babetoo

beef liver , creamed corn, sardines, or most baked fish. i love fried fish pretty much doesn't matter what fish, but baked or steamed is a big no no for me. go figure.


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## GLC

You're unlikely to find octopus on my plate, unless someone else puts it there. I'll eat it, but won't  take it willingly. Just doesn't do it for me. But I really don't think there's anything in the way of food that I absolutely won't eat. I may eat it to be polite or because that's all there is, but I'll eat it. Oh, yeah. I won't eat one of those fried whole onion "flowers," even to be polite.  Too greasy. Otherwise, I take the attitude that it hasn't killed the locals and probably won't kill me. I'm far more leery of badly done food than any particular food.


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## Girl49

*On My Plate...*

Okra. Yuck! I don't even like it fried (and I could eat a fried almost-anything) or smothered in tomatoes.


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## vitauta

GLC said:


> You're unlikely to find octopus on my plate, unless someone else puts it there. I'll eat it, but won't  take it willingly. Just doesn't do it for me. But I really don't think there's anything in the way of food that I absolutely won't eat. I may eat it to be polite or because that's all there is, but I'll eat it. Oh, yeah. I won't eat one of those fried whole onion "flowers," even to be polite.  Too greasy. Otherwise, I take the attitude that it hasn't killed the locals and probably won't kill me. I'm far more leery of badly done food than any particular food.




very well said, glc.  i wholeheartedly agree with the "food done badly" part....


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## Kathleen

I don't think I'm related to most of you because I've never met a veggie that I do not like.  I also like liver, seafood, and most fishes.  As GLC said, I won't like anything that isn't well-prepared.  Also, textures are very important to me.  Sometimes, the dish will taste fine, but I cannot tolerate the texture.  Warm mayo-based salad comes to mind as does boiled ham.  Boingy or bloody chicken on my plate?  Game over.  I'll lose my appetite.

While I like to try different things, and like to believe I am fairly adventurous, I know I won't be trying some of the things mentioned like the maggoty cheese and the buloot.  I simply cannot get my head around it.  I also do not want food that is fighting back.  For example, I love octopus, but I saw a vid posted here where it was struggling to crawl out of the bowl and slapped the diner with its tentacles as it was being eaten.  I'll pass, thanks.  I just don't have enough backbone.


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## PrincessFiona60

I like liver, but only if I cook it.  Then I know it's done right.


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## FrankZ

Here is what Kathleen doesn't want to see on her plate.  Eggs, bacon, pancakes with fruit topping, sausage and potatoes... all touching.


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## Kathleen

PrincessFiona60 said:


> I like liver, but only if I cook it.  Then I know it's done right.



I know what you mean.  I'd trust you to cook liver for me.


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## Kathleen

FrankZ said:


> Here is what Kathleen doesn't want to see on her plate.  Eggs, bacon, pancakes with fruit topping, sausage and potatoes... all touching.



OMG, that was just....hideous.

Okay....I don't like many foods touching.  I'll admit to that.  I still have a divider plate that I use.  Like in the train-wreck mentioned above, sausage MAY touch the pancakes...but I have to add syrup.  Potatoes MAY touch the eggs.  Bacon touches nothing.  Eggs can touch toast too.  Fruit topping on the sides.  People who are like this immediately know the rules.  Those who aren't, don't.  If I get served foods breaking the rules, I eat the parts that do not touch.  Yes, it makes me feel like I am six in not such a good way.


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## PrincessFiona60

Kathleen said:


> OMG, that was just....hideous.
> 
> Okay....I don't like many foods touching.  I'll admit to that.  I still have a divider plate that I use.  Like in the train-wreck mentioned above, sausage MAY touch the pancakes...but I have to add syrup.  Potatoes MAY touch the eggs.  Bacon touches nothing.  Eggs can touch toast too.  Fruit topping on the sides.  People who are like this immediately know the rules.  Those who aren't, don't.  If I get served foods breaking the rules, I eat the parts that do not touch.  Yes, it makes me feel like I am six in not such a good way.



 NOW we understand the allure of Bento!

Liver, onions and bacon!!!  Stroke meal if you ever had one.  The liver is triple dredged in flour, S&P.


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## bakechef

Kathleen said:


> OMG, that was just....hideous.
> 
> Okay....I don't like many foods touching.  I'll admit to that.  I still have a divider plate that I use.  Like in the train-wreck mentioned above, sausage MAY touch the pancakes...but I have to add syrup.  Potatoes MAY touch the eggs.  Bacon touches nothing.  Eggs can touch toast too.  Fruit topping on the sides.  People who are like this immediately know the rules.  Those who aren't, don't.  If I get served foods breaking the rules, I eat the parts that do not touch.  Yes, it makes me feel like I am six in not such a good way.



I have food touching rules as well.  Runny things need to be contained in their own bowl.  Gravy can touch the meat and potatoes, and stuffing, but it can't touch the sweet potato, cranberry etc.  I will often eat those two things separately.  Cole slaw running all in my fried chicken is a no go!  Cranberry stained potatoes, heck no!

In a restaurant, I will often have small bits of food left on the plate that are "contaminated".  I too feel silly about this, but just don't want to eat them.  When people mix together their entire plate and just shovel it in, I just look away...  Don't even get me started on shepard's pie!


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## vitauta

GLC said:


> You're unlikely to find octopus on my plate, unless someone else puts it there. I'll eat it, but won't  take it willingly. Just doesn't do it for me. But I really don't think there's anything in the way of food that I absolutely won't eat. I may eat it to be polite or because that's all there is, but I'll eat it. Oh, yeah. I won't eat one of those fried whole onion "flowers," even to be polite.  Too greasy. Otherwise, I take the attitude that it hasn't killed the locals and probably won't kill me. I'm far more leery of badly done food than any particular food.





Kathleen said:


> OMG, that was just....hideous.
> 
> Okay....I don't like many foods touching.  I'll admit to that.  I still have a divider plate that I use.  Like in the train-wreck mentioned above, sausage MAY touch the pancakes...but I have to add syrup.  Potatoes MAY touch the eggs.  Bacon touches nothing.  Eggs can touch toast too.  Fruit topping on the sides.  People who are like this immediately know the rules.  Those who aren't, don't.  If I get served foods breaking the rules, I eat the parts that do not touch.  Yes, it makes me feel like I am six in not such a good way.



i am sorry, kathleen, for the obstacles dining out must present for you.  eating a meal should not be like traversing a minefield...i applaud you for your unflagging foodie perseverance and spirit despite those obstacles....


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## Kathleen

PrincessFiona60 said:


> NOW we understand the allure of Bento!
> 
> Liver, onions and bacon!!!  Stroke meal if you ever had one.  The liver is triple dredged in flour, S&P.



Yep!  Bento makes it all okay.

And agreed about the liver and onions though bacon is optional for me.  I like it made that way though.



bakechef said:


> I have food touching rules as well.  Runny things need to be contained in their own bowl.  Gravy can touch the meat and potatoes, and stuffing, but it can't touch the sweet potato, cranberry etc.  I will often eat those two things separately.  Cole slaw running all in my fried chicken is a no go!  Cranberry stained potatoes, heck no!
> 
> In a restaurant, I will often have small bits of food left on the plate that are "contaminated".  I too feel silly about this, but just don't want to eat them.  When people mix together their entire plate and just shovel it in, I just look away...  Don't even get me started on shepard's pie!



You know the rules!  Seriously!  I agree with all of your rules.  I cannot even start to consider Shepard's Pie.   I'm trying to think if there is a "rule" that it doesn't break.  Veggies in gravy would be my start.  



vitauta said:


> i am sorry, kathleen, for the obstacles dining out must present for you.  eating a meal should not be like traversing a minefield...i applaud you for your unflagging foodie perseverance and spirit despite those obstacles....



Dining out at a restaurant is a cake-walk.  "Please put everything on a separate plate."  Dinner with friends is easy to.  "You know how I am with that."  Mandatory fun with social acquaintances - especially work-related social acquaintances - is where it is problematic.  "Wow....look at that!  You put a JELLO cube in the center of the mashed potatoes where butter is usually found.  How creative."  Fortunately, I'm not big on dinner bread so can often mine it free and stash it in a dinner roll.  The roll then acts as a dam for the rest of the dinner concerns.    I sincerely do try to be a gracious dinner guest...and I try to pay attention to what my guests like and dislike so that I can be a gracious hostess.  Also I tend to ensure there is a basket of rolls somewhere on the table.


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## PrincessFiona60

memo to self:  Toast fingers for Kathleen, so she can divide her plate.


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## Kathleen

PrincessFiona60 said:


> memo to self:  Toast fingers for Kathleen, so she can divide her plate.



WIN!  Toast soldiers have often been called to "stand guard."


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## PrincessFiona60

Kathleen said:


> WIN!  Toast soldiers have often been called to "stand guard."



I was playing attenshun!


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## taxlady

cabbage rolls
khaki coloured peas
cooked salmon


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## ShellyCooks

I eat ALL veggies -- yes, even Brussels sprouts!  I  never eat raw fish -- definitely a home for wormy parasites.  Also, Velveta cheese -- great for wallpaper paste!


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## buckytom

pacanis said:


> Bugs, companion animals, anything still squirming.


 
that's pretty much it for me too. sort of like whatever andrew zimmern eats.

i saw him eat a 3 week old fertilized duck egg the other day. 

it looked like a slimey baby duck all curled up and crammed in a shell, pin feathers and all.


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## Rob Babcock

There's not much I don't like.  I loathe beef liver.  If I was stranded with nothing to eat but liver I would surely die.  Ditto for beets.  I also can't stand Atlantic/farmed salmon, although I'll happily eat wild caught King, Sockeye, Coho, etc.

Veggie wise I don't like squash.  Sure, I love zucchini & yellow squash as well as spaghetti squash but I dislike butternut, acorn, etc.  Same for sweet potatoes, I'll pass.  I can eat lima beans but I don't really like them much, too dry.  And I don't like radishes, either.  There's another category for me, too:  Stuff I like cooked that I don't like raw.  This definitely includes carrots, broccoli and (to a lesser degree) cauliflower.  The latter two are fine with some dip but I don't ever like carrots raw save just a few shreds in a salad.  I love cabbage cooked but I don't like it raw except as coleslaw.

There are just a few fruits I don't care for.  Raw mango does nothing for me, just don't like the texture or flavor.  And I dislike honeydew and cantaloupes, too.

I guess that sounds like a lot of stuff when I list it!  But realistically that's almost everything I can name that I don't like.  Even as a kid I liked most of the "nasty" stuff- broccoli, cabbage, turnips, peas, brussel sprouts,etc.


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## Claire

ShellyCooks said:


> I eat ALL veggies -- yes, even Brussels sprouts!  I  never eat raw fish -- definitely a home for wormy parasites.  Also, Velveta cheese -- great for wallpaper paste!



Hmmm ... I guess the Hawaiian ahi poke we had for dinner the night before last isn't something I'd make for you?


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## buckytom

here's a good list of things i wouldn't eat: 
(except for the lunch meat)

7 foods for the fearless eater - food - TODAY.com


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## PattY1

Most sea food
Old Ham
Blue, Feta or Goat Cheese
Garlic infused Turkey Dinner
Grilled leafy veggies
I am sure there is more, but this is the things that come to mind at the moment.


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## pacanis

bakechef said:


> I have food touching rules as well. Runny things need to be contained in their own bowl. Gravy can touch the meat and potatoes, and stuffing, but it can't touch the sweet potato, cranberry etc. I will often eat those two things separately. Cole slaw running all in my fried chicken is a no go! Cranberry stained potatoes, heck no!
> 
> In a restaurant, I will often have small bits of food left on the plate that are "contaminated". I too feel silly about this, but just don't want to eat them. When people mix together their entire plate and just shovel it in, I just look away... Don't even get me started on shepard's pie!


 
I love shepherds pie, but would never make my own with the ingredients on my plate. It must be served as shepherds pie, not mixed together by me on my plate. In my family that was playing with your food.

Kathleen, do you eat peas, corn?
Is it OK to use other food as a "backstop" to help you get them onto your spoon or fork? Or are you a fork in one hand, knife in the other person? I've been known to use two pieces of flatware, but that is because I eat one thing at a time and veggies are last. There's nothing left to help them onto my sppon 
And if you are ever in my area you might as well skip eating a big breakfast in a diner, as the bacon is typically layed across one or two other food items,


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## pacanis

I stay away from Zimmerman's show, BT.
I even stopped watching Survivor Man. It got to be how many bugs could Bear eat and how much of his own urine could he drink. He sensationalized his intake too much.


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## licia

Collards.


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## Timothy

Claire said:


> Hmmm ... I guess the Hawaiian ahi poke we had for dinner the night before last isn't something I'd make for you?


 
Me! Me! Pick Me! Pick Me! I'd love to have some of your Hawaiian ahi poke, whatever that is.

I'll poke your poke down my neck! Raw ahi, no problem!

Something I'd never want to see on MY plate? That's a tuff one for me; I eat almost anything.

I saw a show once where a bunch of people sat around a round table and a poor little monkey's head was secured in the hole. Then they beat on its head until it died and cut it's head open and ate it's brains.

That's one I'll never have. That's just sick. Sick, sick, sick. 

Anyone who would do that has no morals, no compassion and a cold, hard heart. Truly, "Psycos are us" stuff.


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## Siegal

I think I am one of the few people I know who will eat almost anything. I mean, yes, I won't eat a companion animal (I know horsemeat may become legal in the US...and NO, I will not eat it) and bugs but everything else. I have eaten snails, chicken feet, chicken hearts, liver, tongue, sweet breads, etc. Of course some things I don't prefer and won't make at home but if they wind up on my plate, I will eat them. When I went for dim sum the other day they offered jellyfish which I never tried, if I wasn't so full, I was dying to try it. 
P.S. LOVE Brussels sprouts when roasted with garlic and breadcrumbs.


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## powerplantop

oysters


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## CWS4322

A long time ago, I was invited to a BBQ in Montreal...featured sausages were HORSE MEAT. I could not consider eating those. One of the reasons I have boycotted products from China is because of the popularity of eating companion animals. I have a hard enough time eating chicken now that I have chickens. I am willing to try almost anything once--but I draw the line at companion animals. Some may argue horses are not companion animals, but they have had a special relationship with humans for hundreds of years...to me, they are in the same class as companion animals. A friend who has to cull her chicken and turkey flocks shared with me recently that the more feral they are, the easier it is on her heart when it comes time to cull the flocks...I guess since Harriet and Myrtle have both been inside the "Big Chickens'" house, they are SAFE!


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## Addie

When I was a kid, horsemeat was found in the freezer section sold as dog food. Then it disappeared. And some families bought it as meat for the family. Said to be very tasty. Don't want to find out.


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## PrincessFiona60

My horse was a companion and co-worker.  The best ever and we have the ribbons to prove it.  She got out one summer and was hit by the dairy tanker, we had to put her down.  It was very upsetting, not at all like sending cows and pigs to the butcher.


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## PattY1

PattY1 said:


> Most sea food
> Old Ham
> Blue, Feta or Goat Cheese
> Garlic infused Turkey Dinner
> Grilled leafy veggies
> I am sure there is more, but this is the things that come to mind at the moment.




Any under cooked vegetable. I will only eat them either Raw or Fully Cooked, not inbetween. Not mushy, but cooked through.


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## CraigC

Lima beans and offal. Send me your brussel sprouts! Bacon and balsamic can make almost anything taste good.

Craig


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## Addie

PrincessFiona60 said:


> My horse was a companion and co-worker. The best ever and we have the ribbons to prove it. She got out one summer and was hit by the dairy tanker, we had to put her down. It was very upsetting, not at all like sending cows and pigs to the butcher.


 
I know what you mean. Having worked with 4H kids and their animals, I had one girl whose horse developed colic. She walked that horse for hours until the emergency was over. Most of the time she walked and cried. Sometimes her friends took over so she could get some rest. It doesn't matter what the animal is because it is not just a pet, but a member of the family. I also had one girl who delivered a pet calf and raised til it was time to sell it. It was a bull from a championship line. She got $10,000.00 dollars for it. The amount of money didn't lessen the tears that flowed.  At least she knew it was not going to slaughter. Those were the only words of comfort I could offer her.


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## PattY1

Kathleen said:


> OMG, that was just....hideous.
> 
> Okay....I don't like many foods touching.  I'll admit to that.  I still have a divider plate that I use.  Like in the train-wreck mentioned above, sausage MAY touch the pancakes...but I have to add syrup.  Potatoes MAY touch the eggs.  Bacon touches nothing.  Eggs can touch toast too.  Fruit topping on the sides.  People who are like this immediately know the rules.  Those who aren't, don't.  If I get served foods breaking the rules, I eat the parts that do not touch.  Yes, it makes me feel like I am six in not such a good way.  View attachment 12611



I am like that too. That is why I  LOVE my little bowls. When I make a Cold Plate I use a Cake Plate. It is perfectly flat and my salad dressing doesn't run on my other food. View attachment 12610


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## Kathleen

pacanis said:


> I love shepherds pie, but would never make my own with the ingredients on my plate. It must be served as shepherds pie, not mixed together by me on my plate. In my family that was playing with your food.
> 
> Kathleen, do you eat peas, corn?
> Is it OK to use other food as a "backstop" to help you get them onto your spoon or fork? Or are you a fork in one hand, knife in the other person? I've been known to use two pieces of flatware, but that is because I eat one thing at a time and veggies are last. There's nothing left to help them onto my sppon
> And if you are ever in my area you might as well skip eating a big breakfast in a diner, as the bacon is typically layed across one or two other food items,



I like peas and corn, but I usually eat them from their own bowl.  I do not tend to use other foods as a backstop.  The exception would be bread with a gravy.  I don't tend to use the knife to backstop either as then it gets contaminated and therefore is unusable should I need to cut something with it.  Like you, I have often found that I have eaten one thing at a time, but veggies are never last.    I have rimmed plates so the rim can push things into the spoon in a pinch.  

As for diners, I tip well so the server is rewarded for complying with the request of separate plates.  I know it is a pain for them.  I appreciate their effort!


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## pacanis

Sometimes I use a bowl for my veggies, too, Kathleen. But that is because I have run out of room


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## Addie

pacanis said:


> Sometimes I use a bowl for my veggies, too, Kathleen. But that is because I have run out of room


 
I always use a salad plate for my meals. I only want small portions. When I eat in a restaurant, I get overwhelmed when my plate is piled high with food. I immediately lose my appetite. I don't like having to work for my meal. I ask for an empty plate and remove half of everything on my plate. I am also a very slow eater. By the time my plate is half empty, the rest are out on the side walk yelling "Taxi!"


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## letscook

chicken feet - i know some think its gourmet  but seeing them on top of a plate of spegetti and meatball just isn't for me.

any raw fish -  lima beans, pickled pigs feet,


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## PrincessFiona60

Addie said:


> I always use a salad plate for my meals. I only want small portions. When I eat in a restaurant, I get overwhelmed when my plate is piled high with food. I immediately lose my appetite. I don't like having to work for my meal. I ask for an empty plate and remove half of everything on my plate. I am also a very slow eater. By the time my plate is half empty, the rest are out on the side walk yelling "Taxi!"



I'm a slow eater, too.  Shrek has learned to wait patiently, but not staring at me.  Most of the time I just have them wrap what I haven't eaten, so he doesn't have to wait for me.


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## Nugget

Edamame. Just cant bring myself to like it


----------



## pacanis

I am always the last one to finish eating, too, but I'm not exactly sure if eating slowly is the reason


----------



## buckytom

lol, pac. i wouldn't be surprised if you used a salad fork and serving spoon to eat your dinners. if i ate that much good food i'd be 500 pounds.


----------



## taxlady

Nugget said:


> Edamame. Just cant bring myself to like it



I don't want to see edamame on my plate either. But, that's because I really like it and I'm not supposed to eat soy. Finding out that I like it was an oops.


----------



## Timothy

I hear ya Tom, I eat a third of what most do and I'm still the last one to finish eating. I like to enjoy each bite and savor the flavor.

MY BIL can eat a platter of food in less than 5 minutes. I'm talking about one of those piled high breakfast platters. I can't even eat that much at a sitting and if I could, it would take me 45 minutes to do so.


----------



## ChefJune

Deliver me from rutabaga, halvah, raisins, cottage cheese, pepperoni, chitt'lin's, haggis, cilantro. there are a few more, but my mind is blank right now.  

I would like to eat kiwi fruit, but it closes my throat, so I don't.


----------



## Steve Kroll

I like most REAL foods. There isn't much I would kick off my plate. Veggies, meats, dairy... you name it. All good to me.

But I do turn into a real snob at the mere site of processed foods. I draw the line at spongy white bread, processed meats (some sausages aside), or anything with Kraft Singles/Velveeta/Cheese Whiz on it. Blecch.


----------



## taxlady

Steve Kroll said:


> I like most REAL foods. There isn't much I would kick off my plate. Veggies, meats, dairy... you name it. All good to me.
> 
> But I do turn into a real snob at the mere site of processed foods. I draw the line at spongy white bread, processed meats (some sausages aside), or anything with Kraft Singles/Velveeta/Cheese Whiz on it. Blecch.



That's pretty much my attitude.

I was once asked if I would like cream cheese on my toast and I was given Cheese Whiz. 

That was nasty. What is Cheese Whiz? Why would someone put "whiz" in the name of something meant to be eaten?


----------



## buckytom

cheese whiz has a singular purpose in the world. it is meant for philly cheesesteaks. 

that's about it.


----------



## no mayonnaise

buckytom said:


> cheese whiz has a singular purpose in the world. it is meant for philly cheesesteaks.
> 
> that's about it.



This.  I also think those Velveeta and shells packs are good, but they gotta be spruced up with some broccoli or peas, BLSLCB, and topped with croutons.  Of course, a real macaroni and cheese blows it away but I at least think they taste pretty good.


----------



## CraigC

buckytom said:


> cheese whiz has a singular purpose in the world. it is meant for philly cheesesteaks.
> 
> that's about it.


 
It is also great for entertaining scuba students on their first openwater dives. The fish love the stuff! Of course, exposed toes with pink nail polish are very attractive to triggerfish, but as far as entertainment value to said student, not so much.

Craig


----------



## Steve Kroll

taxlady said:


> ...What is Cheese Whiz? Why would someone put "whiz" in the name of something meant to be eaten?


----------



## Zhizara

Chick peas, garbanzos.


----------



## Timothy

taxlady said:


> That's pretty much my attitude.
> 
> I was once asked if I would like cream cheese on my toast and I was given Cheese Whiz.
> 
> That was nasty. What is Cheese Whiz? Why would someone put "whiz" in the name of something meant to be eaten?


 
HA! Now THAT'S funny! Let me put some Whiz on your toast! I never thought of it quite that way! Taxlady, yer killin me!


----------



## pacanis

buckytom said:


> cheese whiz has a singular purpose in the world. it is meant for philly cheesesteaks.
> 
> that's about it.


 
You got that right. It works well in some warm dips, but cheesesteaks is it's calling.


----------



## CWS4322

buckytom said:


> that's pretty much it for me too. sort of like whatever andrew zimmern eats.
> 
> i saw him eat a 3 week old fertilized duck egg the other day.
> 
> it looked like a slimey baby duck all curled up and crammed in a shell, pin feathers and all.


 Technically, that would be an incubated fertile duck egg. If fertile eggs are not brooded or incubated, the ducklings/chicks don't develop. Chicken eggs are kept 1-10 days before they are put in the brooder (incubator), I know one chicken keeper who keeps them in the fridge for a week before she puts them in the incubator. I think the incubator heat needed is 99 degrees--if one of my hens goes broody, I might hatch a few chicks next Spring...not sure yet..(I didn't realize that the hens will flip the eggs--if there are other eggs in the nest box, the hen will turn the other eggs over while waiting to lay her egg).

Eating that duckling was downright gross. Depending on the species, a 3-week old duck egg would be 7 days away from hatching (duck eggs take 28-35 days).


----------



## CWS4322

Chicken feet and chicken combs are definitely off my list. Chicken is almost off my list.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

I would rather not see insects, horse, dog or cat on my plate.


----------



## Steve Kroll

buckytom said:


> i saw him eat a 3 week old fertilized duck egg the other day.
> 
> it looked like a slimey baby duck all curled up and crammed in a shell, pin feathers and all.


Sounds like it might be good with a little Cheese Whiz.


----------



## buckytom

lol!


----------



## Bolas De Fraile

Black pudding, I have tried it and it taste very good but I can't get my head around eating congealed blood.

Ps I tried the maggot cheese in Sardinia yrs ago when kidnapping was in vogue.


----------



## CWS4322

Lutefisk is also something I don't want to see on my plate...tried it once, that was enough.


----------



## GLC

Here's an article out to day right on topic with a list of the most commonly disliked foods. Obviously from their responses, some here will agree with the author's characterizations of "soapy cilantro," "bitter Brussels sprouts," "funky fennel," and "icky eggplant." 

Why You Can’t Stand Certain Foods | Shine Food - Yahoo! Shine


----------



## Addie

Zhizara said:


> Chick peas, garbanzos.


I love chick peas as a snack


----------



## Chief Longwind Of The North

GLC said:


> Here's an article out to day right on topic with a list of the most commonly disliked foods. Obviously from their responses, some here will agree with the author's characterizations of "soapy cilantro," "bitter Brussels sprouts," "funky fennel," and "icky eggplant."
> 
> Why You Can’t Stand Certain Foods | Shine Food - Yahoo! Shine


With the excetion of the eggplant, I love all of the foods in that list, though if cilantro is overused in a sauce, it can taste "soapy".  I love both cooked and raw tomato.  I guess I'm just a different kind of guy.  Also, I've noticed that over the years, my sense of smell isn't what it once was.  My DW can hold up a raw, store-bouoght tomato and say, doesn't this one smell great?  I'll smell it and detect only a bit of the stem odor.  On the ohter hand, the cherry and grape tomatoes excite my olfactory senses and smell great to me.  DW says they smell like they're overripe.  She's also super-sensitive to hot, and bitter flavors.

As we age, our sensitivity decreases. especially to basic flavors, such as salt.  Also, overuse of certain flavors decreases our sinsitivity to those flavors.  As we eat more hot peppers, we become less sensitive to the heat.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


----------



## Bolas De Fraile

Chief Longwind Of The North said:


> With the excetion of the eggplant,


Weed mate you know I'm dyslexic so I read the above as With the excretion of the eggplant


----------



## ChefJune

Steve Kroll said:


> I like most REAL foods. There isn't much I would kick off my plate. Veggies, meats, dairy... you name it. All good to me.
> 
> But I do turn into a real snob at the mere site of processed foods. I draw the line at spongy white bread, processed meats (some sausages aside), or anything with Kraft Singles/Velveeta/Cheese Whiz on it. Blecch.


 
Steve, I don't even consider that stuff edible!


----------



## ChefJune

CWS4322 said:


> Lutefisk is also something I don't want to see on my plate...tried it once, that was enough.


 
Yes, I've tried that too.  Forgot it when I made my list. Nasty stuff.


----------



## taxlady

Bolas De Fraile said:


> Weed mate you know I'm dyslexic so I read the above as With the excretion of the eggplant



I had to read that one twice.  I saw the same thing first time.


----------



## PattY1

Duck
Deer
Lamb


----------



## Steve Kroll

PattY1 said:


> Duck
> Deer
> Lamb


Really? Any one of those would make the list of things I'd LIKE to see on my plate. Yum!


----------



## Dawgluver

Like them all my own self.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

PattY1 said:


> Duck
> Deer
> Lamb


I had duck tonight, Chinese take-out, and sorry to say but I should have cooked my own. Undercooked... greasy. Duck can be greasy but properly cooked it doesn't have to be, shouldn't be.

Lamb is one of my favorite meats. I don't understand why so many people don't like lamb. Lamb too can be greasy if not properly cooked, but again it doesn't have to be. You just have to understand that both lamb and duck can be greasy and you need to take proper steps to cook them and end up with a result that isn't greasy.

I've had deer (venison) only a few times but really liked it. I often wonder if people get some nursery book idea that cute little duckies, lambies and "Bambi" aren't for eating. On the other hand I'm not very fond of eating insects and other garden critters. Perhaps it depends on what you were fed by your parents when you were young. My mother served lamb often, usually lamb chops.

The venison I had was just the opposite of duck/lamb, very un-greasy, very lean. I suspect that leanness is a challenge to cooking venison properly, although I've never cooked it, only had it cooked for me, just speculating.

Perhaps people don't like duck and lamb because they had improperly cooked greasy duck or lamb and were turned off by the grease (that shouldn't have been there in a properly cooked dish). I attribute dislike of deer to the "Bambi" effect, and to large city populations who are not exposed to game meats, didn't have it when they were young, think it's some kind of weird food to eat.


----------



## Timothy

Gourmet Greg said:


> I don't understand why so many people don't like lamb.


 
I think perhaps the images I've linked to in this post are why many people don't like the thought of butchering Lambs, fawns and ducks. I think the flavor is secondary to the thoughts of killing the cute little guys.

Having been raised on a farm, the slaughtering of animals for food doesn't bother me at all as long as its done quickly and without torturing the animal. 

http://www.innocentenglish.com/cute...nt/uploads/2008/05/cute-kitten-baby-ducks.jpg

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5HXqfat8Hro/TZNPsCv0wtI/AAAAAAAABBU/uxykJ7ZfBkw/s1600/2508246015_26621b4ffb%2Bbaby%2Blamb.jpg

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.pawnation.com/media/2010/05/129191864547323389.jpg


----------



## JoshuaNY

Please keep the goat cheese off of my plate. Also, cranberries and stuffing.

Well, I will admit I taste things I dont like at least once a year to make sure I still dont like them. My tastes have changed over time but those three things I still dislike with a passion.


----------



## Timothy

JoshuaNY said:


> Please keep the goat cheese off of my plate. Also, cranberries and stuffing.
> 
> Well, I will admit I taste things I dont like at least once a year to make sure I still dont like them. My tastes have changed over time but those three things I still dislike with a passion.


 
I"ve never eaten goat cheese, but picked up some this evening to try. Cranberries are too tart for me, but if used in moderation or sweetened, I like them ok. I love stuffing and gravy!


----------



## bakechef

Chief Longwind Of The North said:


> With the excetion of the eggplant, I love all of the foods in that list, though if cilantro is overused in a sauce, it can taste "soapy".  I love both cooked and raw tomato.  I guess I'm just a different kind of guy.  Also, I've noticed that over the years, my sense of smell isn't what it once was.  My DW can hold up a raw, store-bouoght tomato and say, doesn't this one smell great?  I'll smell it and detect only a bit of the stem odor.  On the ohter hand, the cherry and grape tomatoes excite my olfactory senses and smell great to me.  DW says they smell like they're overripe.  She's also super-sensitive to hot, and bitter flavors.
> 
> As we age, our sensitivity decreases. especially to basic flavors, such as salt.  Also, overuse of certain flavors decreases our sinsitivity to those flavors.  As we eat more hot peppers, we become less sensitive to the heat.
> 
> Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North



For some of us even a little bit of cilantro makes a dish taste "soapy"  Most of my family can't eat it.  I remember thinking that the little bowl that my salsa was served in, in a Mexican restaurant hadn't been rinsed properly.  This kept happening until I learned about cilantro, this was before it became so trendy.

I am getting to where I can tolerate the flavor, I still think it tastes bad, but it no longer ruins a dish for me unless it contains a lot of it, where before even a little bit would make me nauseated.


----------



## taxlady

When I lived in the neighbourhood, I used to frequent a restaurant that served really good bambi burgers. They called them fawn. They also had good bison and caribou burgers.


----------



## Dawgluver

As a kid, I overheard the grownups saying they wouldn't tell us we would be eating elk, bison, venison, other big game at a cookout.  The meat was all excellent.


----------



## buckytom

meow??


----------



## PattY1

Gourmet Greg said:


> I had duck tonight, Chinese take-out, and sorry to say but I should have cooked my own. Undercooked... greasy. Duck can be greasy but properly cooked it doesn't have to be, shouldn't be.
> 
> Lamb is one of my favorite meats. I don't understand why so many people don't like lamb. Lamb too can be greasy if not properly cooked, but again it doesn't have to be. You just have to understand that both lamb and duck can be greasy and you need to take proper steps to cook them and end up with a result that isn't greasy.
> 
> I've had deer (venison) only a few times but really liked it. *I often wonder if people get some nursery book idea that cute little duckies, lambies and "Bambi" aren't for eating. *On the other hand I'm not very fond of eating insects and other garden critters. Perhaps it depends on what you were fed by your parents when you were young. My mother served lamb often, usually lamb chops.
> 
> The venison I had was just the opposite of duck/lamb, very un-greasy, very lean. I suspect that leanness is a challenge to cooking venison properly, although I've never cooked it, only had it cooked for me, just speculating.
> 
> Perhaps people don't like duck and lamb because they had improperly cooked greasy duck or lamb and were turned off by the grease (that shouldn't have been there in a properly cooked dish). I attribute dislike of deer to the "Bambi" effect, and to large city populations who are not exposed to game meats, didn't have it when they were young, think it's some kind of weird food to eat.



I have tried them. I don't like any thing about them. I think they stink when cooking and do not appeal to me once cooked.


----------



## Addie

Timothy said:


> I"ve never eaten goat cheese, but picked up some this evening to try. Cranberries are too tart for me, but if used in moderation or sweetened, I like them ok. I love stuffing and gravy!


 
If you make cranberry sauce yourself from scratch, you can control just how sweet you want them. As a child, I used to eat them right from the bog. Shove a handful of berries in my mouth, and then take honey from the nearby bee hive. Happy memories.


----------



## pacanis

I've never had fawn. In my area the only way to eat venison is to hunt or know someone who does, and fawns are off limits. Are some of you saying that fawn is offered for sale in some areas, or legal to hunt?


----------



## Addie

pacanis said:


> I've never had fawn. In my area the only way to eat venison is to hunt or know someone who does, and fawns are off limits. Are some of you saying that fawn is offered for sale in some areas, or legal to hunt?


 
Her in Mass. only bucks are legal hunting animals. Most does have a fawn or are pregnant. Therefore illegal. They are what keeps the herds of deer at a certain level. This goes for elk or any other member of the deer family. 

In this state, Bambi is safe. I have no problem with hunting if it is to put food on the table. But to hunt just for the thrill of shooting a gun without using the meat is senseless to me. I too can admire a large rack on a buck and wonder how many years is he going to be able to outsmart the hunter.


----------



## pacanis

Addie said:


> Her in Mass. only bucks are legal hunting animals. Most does have a fawn or are pregnant. Therefore illegal. They are what keeps the herds of deer at a certain level. This goes for elk or any other member of the deer family.
> 
> In this state, Bambi is safe. I have no problem with hunting if it is to put food on the table. But to hunt just for the thrill of shooting a gun without using the meat is senseless to me. I too can admire a large rack on a buck and wonder how many years is he going to be able to outsmart the hunter.


 
It sounds like you misinterpreted my post.
I have nothing against herd management. I was simply stating that I have never heard of anyone saying they have eaten venison from a fawn until now. I do know deer farming is big business in NZ, so I can imagine that fawns might be treated like calves, and their meat might make it to the table, but around here you cannot purchase any game meat in stores, farmed or otherwise. So meat from a fawn is totally unheard of.


----------



## Addie

My only intention was to let folks know that fawns and does are off limits in this state. In the state of Washington, bison is a big seller and can be found in supermarkets right next to the meat of a steer. There are ranches that raise buffalo for slaughter. And I would assume that they slaughter the calves as well. Having too many male calves can raise havoc with herd management. Some of the ranches mate the female bison with a male steer and sell the meat as Beefalo. The meat has a milder taste than straight buffalo. No so gamey.


----------



## pacanis

Addie said:


> My only intention was to let folks know that fawns and does are off limits in this state. In the state of Washington, bison is a big seller and can be found in supermarkets right next to the meat of a steer. There are ranches that raise buffalo for slaughter. And I would assume that they slaughter the calves as well. Having too many male calves can raise havoc with herd management. Some of the ranches mate the female bison with a male steer and sell the meat as Beefalo. The meat has a milder taste than straight buffalo. No so gamey.


 
Maybe I misinterpreted your post then.
When you started talking about game management it threw me.


----------



## taxlady

pacanis said:


> I've never had fawn. In my area the only way to eat venison is to hunt or know someone who does, and fawns are off limits. Are some of you saying that fawn is offered for sale in some areas, or legal to hunt?



Farmed fawn. Here in Quebec, you aren't allowed to sell wild meat in restaurants. The bison, deer, and caribou burgers were from farmed meat as well. The restaurant has to be able to prove that the meat came from farmed animals.


----------



## Andy M.

taxlady said:


> Farmed fawn. Here in Quebec, you aren't allowed to sell wild meat in restaurants. The bison, deer, and caribou burgers were from farmed meat as well. The restaurant has to be able to prove that the meat came from farmed animals.




So fawn is sold separately from venison?  I've never heard of that before.


----------



## taxlady

Addie said:


> Her in Mass. only bucks are legal hunting animals. Most does have a fawn or are pregnant. Therefore illegal. They are what keeps the herds of deer at a certain level. This goes for elk or any other member of the deer family.
> 
> In this state, Bambi is safe. I have no problem with hunting if it is to put food on the table. But to hunt just for the thrill of shooting a gun without using the meat is senseless to me. I too can admire a large rack on a buck and wonder how many years is he going to be able to outsmart the hunter.



I agree with you about hunting.

One year they were allowing the shooting of doe. It may have been an short "doe season". I don't remember the details. There were a lot of deer and they wanted to get some scientific data on pregnancy rates in does. Hunters had to bring all does for inspection and removal of the ovaries.

The data were surprising. Almost none of the does were pregnant. They did their experiment in one of the rare years that hunting season was before the hunter's moon. D'oh!


----------



## pacanis

taxlady said:


> Farmed fawn. Here in Quebec, you aren't allowed to sell wild meat in restaurants. The bison, deer, and caribou burgers were from farmed meat as well. The restaurant has to be able to prove that the meat came from farmed animals.


 
Are the fawn treated like veal calves? Special diet, limited movement... all that stuff?


----------



## Timothy

Addie said:


> If you make cranberry sauce yourself from scratch, you can control just how sweet you want them. As a child, I used to eat them right from the bog. Shove a handful of berries in my mouth, and then take honey from the nearby bee hive. Happy memories.


Thanks Addie, I did make it from scratch once. It was delicous and the only way I'll eat it in the future. It sounds like you had a wonderful way of life as a youngster.


----------



## taxlady

pacanis said:


> Are the fawn treated like veal calves? Special diet, limited movement... all that stuff?



I don't know, but I doubt it. The fawn meat was not "wimpy" like veal.


----------



## ChefJune

PattY1 said:


> Duck
> Deer
> Lamb


 
WOW! Those are among my favorite things to find on my plate.  had some delicious deer in Paris a week ago...


----------



## ChefJune

taxlady said:


> I don't know, but I doubt it. The fawn meat was not "wimpy" like veal.


 
Good veal is not "wimpy," it's white meat. and sustainably raised calves don't have restricted movement, they just don't live long enough to ingest anything but their mother's milk.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

pacanis said:


> I've never had fawn. In my area the only way to eat venison is to hunt or know someone who does, and fawns are off limits. Are some of you saying that fawn is offered for sale in some areas, or legal to hunt?



I've presumed any mention of "fawn" was literary license, being facetious. Every legalized hunting program I've ever heard of places requirements on which game can be taken, intended to take only mature animals so as to not impact the population from replacing the animals that were taken. There are often limits on how many animals can be taken, and it would be crazy for a hunter to take a fawn instead of a huge buck, simply because there's more meat in a buck than in a fawn.

It's the same as talking about eating "Bambi." Nobody is going to eat the real Bambi. It was just a joke.




taxlady said:


> One year they were allowing the shooting of doe.  It may have been an short "doe season". I don't remember the details.  There were a lot of deer and they wanted to get some scientific data on  pregnancy rates in does. Hunters had to bring all does for inspection  and removal of the ovaries.



Some years in some places the deer population increases beyond the numbers that are supportable by the land and deer become pests. It's quite possible that hunters may be encouraged to cull the herd.

I still have never heard of anybody eating fawn, although the area I live in has little or no hunting, nor am I a hunter, so perhaps I don't know the full story.


----------



## Timothy

ChefJune said:


> Good veal is not "wimpy," it's white meat. and sustainably raised calves don't have restricted movement, they just don't live long enough to ingest anything but their mother's milk.


 
OMG, I love veal! Veal Parmigiana is one of my favorite meals in the world!


----------



## buckytom

while i agree that veal isn't wimpy, rather delicious and a sweet meat, there is a cruelty difference between white and pink veal. unfortunately, the french are infamous for being cruel to animal to make them taste better. white veal is an example of it.

but pink veal is as june described, tasty and sustainable without cruelty.


----------



## Andy M.

Gourmet Greg said:


> ...It's the same as talking about eating "Bambi." Nobody is going to eat the real Bambi. It was just a joke...





The "REAL" Bambi?  You mean this one?


----------



## buckytom

how does one prepare celluloid?


----------



## Timothy

There are five types of veal: (For those who didn't know)

 1. Bob veal, from calves that are slaughtered when only a few days old (70-150 lb.) up to 150 lb.

 2. Formula-fed (or "milk-fed") veal, from calves that are raised on a milk formula supplement. The meat colour is ivory or creamy pink, with a firm, fine, and velvety appearance. They are usually slaughtered when they reach 18–20 weeks of age (450-500 lb).

 3. Non-formula-fed ("red" or "grain-fed")veal, from calves that are raised on grain, hay, or other solid food, in addition to milk. The meat is darker in colour, and some additional marbling and fat may be apparent. It is usually marketed as calf, rather than veal, at 22–26 weeks of age (650-700 lb).

4. Rose veal UK is from calves reared on farms in association with the UK RSPCA's Freedom Food programme. Its name comes from its pink colour, which is a result of the calves being slaughtered at around 35 weeks.

5. Free-raised veal, The veal calves are raised in the pasture, and have unlimited access to mother’s milk and pasture grasses. They are not administered hormones or antibiotics. These conditions replicate those used to raise authentic pasture-raised veal. The meat is a rich pink color. Free-raised veal are typically lower in fat than other veal.Calves are slaughtered at about 24 weeks of age.


----------



## CraigC

Regarding wildlife management, there are only so many individuals that can be supported in a specific size habitat. When conditions are outside the "norms", it is possible for a "population explosion" to occur. should conditions quickly return to "normal", starvation and disease can spread quickly and possible devastation among the normally sustainable population can occur. Wildlife managers may open special hunts, like a doe season, to bring populations down quickly, avoiding a disaster.

Craig


----------



## Steve Kroll

Kind of seems like we are veering way off topic here.


----------



## jusnikki

Crawfish, crawdads, crab, lobsters, andything with legs and wiskers.
If a plate of these of any of these were sat down in front of me I'd probably 
fall over backward in my chair screaming and roll out the room!


----------



## GLC

"They do look like little monsters or something, but they're  good little monsters."  - Angelica  Graynamore


----------



## con-pilot

From a quick perusal, I can see I'm in good company.  As I am known wide and far for my hated of the evil Brussels sprouts.  

A close second is cauliflower, but other than that, as long as it doesn't move, I'll pretty much eat anything.

Matter of fact, I've eaten things in my travels from street vendors that I really didn't want to know what it was I was eating.


----------



## Timothy

jusnikki said:


> Crawfish, crawdads, crab, lobsters, andything with legs and wiskers.
> If a plate of these of any of these were sat down in front of me I'd probably
> fall over backward in my chair screaming and roll out the room!


 


GLC said:


> "They do look like little monsters or something, but they're good little monsters." - Angelica Graynamore


 
I love your reply, GLC! Perfect! Nikki, they _are_ delicious! OMG, crab meat is one of my absolute favorite foods in the world!


----------



## taxlady

jusnikki said:


> Crawfish, crawdads, crab, lobsters, andything with legs and wiskers.
> If a plate of these of any of these were sat down in front of me I'd probably
> fall over backward in my chair screaming and roll out the room!



My DH doesn't eat arthropods either, but I do.


----------



## GLC

Timothy said:


> OMG, crab meat is one of my absolute favorite foods in the world!



In my youth (c. 1960) we would drive to the far east end of Galveston Island, taking a bunch of broom handle size stakes, some string, and some horse meat joints. Tie a joint to 8 feet of string, tied to a stake in three feet of water. Go out every ten minutes or so and shake blue crabs into a net. We collected a big tub of them in short order most every Saturday. If I could do that now, with the price of crabs, I could make a living at it. I had no idea how good we were eating.


----------



## Timothy

GLC said:


> In my youth (c. 1960) we would drive to the far east end of Galveston Island, taking a bunch of broom handle size stakes, some string, and some horse meat joints. Tie a joint to 8 feet of string, tied to a stake in three feet of water. Go out every ten minutes or so and shake blue crabs into a net. We collected a big tub of them in short order most every Saturday. If I could do that now, with the price of crabs, I could make a living at it. I had no idea how good we were eating.


 
There's a lake here in St. Augustine named "Guano Lake" that has a Northern half that is all fresh water and a southern half that is Salt Water due to a back-feed from the Intracoastal waterway to the Ocean. The Blue Crab that can be caught there on a crab-line like you describe are plentiful and huge. So are the shrimp caught there.

It's a bit nerve-racking to have an alligator picking the chicken necks off your crab line while you're working the other end, but the gators won't bother you unless you wave your hands under the water like a fish in trouble. Then, they'll take it off at the wrist.

I mostly buy my crabs now. I've gotten too lazy to go net them and I buy my shrimp from my friends who net them. Huge 6 inch long Jumbos for $3 a pound. I stock up on them every year.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

GLC said:


> In my youth (c. 1960) we would drive to the far east end of Galveston Island, taking a bunch of broom handle size stakes, some string, and some horse meat joints. Tie a joint to 8 feet of string, tied to a stake in three feet of water. Go out every ten minutes or so and shake blue crabs into a net. We collected a big tub of them in short order most every Saturday. If I could do that now, with the price of crabs, I could make a living at it. I had no idea how good we were eating.



So how do you catch the horses?


----------



## Addie

GLC said:


> In my youth (c. 1960) we would drive to the far east end of Galveston Island, taking a bunch of broom handle size stakes, some string, and some horse meat joints. Tie a joint to 8 feet of string, tied to a stake in three feet of water. Go out every ten minutes or so and shake blue crabs into a net. We collected a big tub of them in short order most every Saturday. If I could do that now, with the price of crabs, I could make a living at it. I had no idea how good we were eating.


 
I grew up with lobsters to be had on a daily basis. After a Nor'easter we would go down to the water and pick them off the beach. And then I married a fisherman who would bring home lobsters galore. Don't want to eat them again for a lifetime. Then we moved to South Texas and he went shrimping. I would have preferred that he bring home the crabs he caught on every trip. Blue crabs right out of the Gulf. And he would bring home a 10# bag of shrimp from each trip. Guess what! I have developed an allergy to shellfish.


----------



## Skittle68

Horseradish, spaghetti squash, sea anemone, sea scallops (bay scallops are ok), and eggplant.


----------



## Addie

Skittle68 said:


> Horseradish, spaghetti squash, sea anemone, sea scallops (bay scallops are ok), and eggplant.


 
Why bay scallops and not sea scallops? I don't think bay scallops have any flavor.


----------



## CraigC

taxlady said:


> My DH doesn't eat arthropods either, but I do.


 
Actually, they are decopods.

Craig


----------



## Jolokia

Water Chestnuts and almonds....gah, can't stand them..


----------



## Addie

I don't eat Chinese food anymore. But if I did, I would avoid any dish that has water chestnuts. I hate the texture.


----------



## Jolokia

Exactly, it's the texture that gets me too!


----------



## taxlady

CraigC said:


> Actually, they are decopods.
> 
> Craig



But, my DH won't usually eat any arthropods. 

"An arthropod is an invertebrate animal having an exoskeleton (external skeleton), a segmented body, and jointed appendages. Arthropods are members of the phylum Arthropoda (from Greek ἄρθρον árthron, "joint", and ποδός podós "foot", which together mean "jointed feet"), and include the insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and others." from Arthropod - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Decapod is a subset of arthropod.


----------



## Andy M.

Decapod.  Is that the newest offering from Apple?


----------



## Timothy

Andy M. said:


> Decapod. Is that the newest offering from Apple?


Yep, and it's only got ten keys!


----------



## Addie

Timothy said:


> Yep, and it's only got ten keys!


 Deca is Latin for 'ten.'  There will be test later class. So pay attention. Lobsters belong to the family of cockroaches. Happy eating!


----------



## Timothy

Addie said:


> Deca is Latin for 'ten.' There will be test later class. So pay attention. Lobsters belong to the family of cockroaches. Happy eating!


Potatoes belong to the family of Belladonna, one of the most popular of poisons used to kill people throughout the ages.

If we all limited ourselves to foods that are not related to anything nasty or harmful, we'd starve to death.

Pass the Lobster please, and slide some spuds up next to it!


----------



## Andy M.

Both potatoes and tomatoes belong to the nightshade family (same as belladonna - deadly nightshade).  So we're surrounded.  Might as well throw in the towel and stop eating.


----------



## Timothy

Andy M. said:


> Both potatoes and tomatoes belong to the nightshade family (same as belladonna - deadly nightshade). So we're surrounded. Might as well throw in the towel and stop eating.


 
But, BUT, I LOVE TO EAT! And I'm no quitter!

pass the mudbugs and the deep fried grasshoppers!

I mean, people eat OYSTERS! RAW! Without even caring that their entire digestive tract is intact! Oyster Poop and all!


----------



## Steve Kroll

Addie said:


> Deca is Latin for 'ten.'  There will be test later class. So pay attention. Lobsters belong to the family of cockroaches. Happy eating!


Lobsters and cockroaches belong to the arthropod phylum, which means that they both have an exoskeleton. And that's where the relationship ends. About 80% of the lifeforms on earth are arthropods. Butterflies belong to the same phylum and they are nothing like lobsters.

Human beings belong to the chordate family. So do fish, cows, pigs, and chickens. By your logic, does that mean that we should stop eating them?


----------



## Andy M.

Timothy said:


> ...I mean, people eat OYSTERS! RAW! Without even caring that their *entire digestive tract is intact! Oyster Poop and all![/*QUOTE]
> 
> 
> Now that wasn't necessary.  Damn!


----------



## CraigC

Timothy said:


> But, BUT, I LOVE TO EAT! And I'm no quitter!
> 
> pass the mudbugs and the deep fried grasshoppers!
> 
> I mean, people eat OYSTERS! RAW! Without even caring that their entire digestive tract is intact! Oyster Poop and all!


 
Wonder how many folks eat "peel and eat" shrimp? That little black dot on the end where the head was removed isn't pepper.

Craig


----------



## vitauta

Addie said:


> I don't eat Chinese food anymore. But if I did, I would avoid any dish that has water chestnuts. I hate the texture.




and all this time i thought water chestnuts were in chinese dishes Because of their texture, their crunch.  they sure don't have much flavor going for them, otherwise.  i'd keep 'em--if for no other reason than to provide a counterpoint in those gummy, mushy chinese meals i've sometimes had on the cheap....


----------



## Andy M.

CraigC said:


> Wonder how many folks eat "peel and eat" shrimp? That little black dot on the end where the head was removed isn't pepper.
> 
> Craig




I figure we eat a lot of "stuff" and never realize it.  As long as the black dots are properly cooked, they are not an issue.  

PS, I don't eat peel and eat shrimp.  Too much work.


----------



## buckytom

the only place that i'll eat peel-n-eat shrimp is in restaurants that give you a shelling tool, or at home withth one. that way you can clean out the poo vein.  joe's crab shack gives them to you, and even suggests you take them home. it says " stolen from joe's" imprinted on them.


----------



## Addie

Timothy said:


> Potatoes belong to the family of Belladonna, one of the most popular of poisons used to kill people throughout the ages.
> 
> If we all limited ourselves to foods that are not related to anything nasty or harmful, we'd starve to death.
> 
> Pass the Lobster please, and slide some spuds up next to it!


 
The tops of rhubarb are also poisonous. And you can have my lobster Timothy. But I am going to eat my own baked spud with all the fixings, crispy skin and all.


----------



## GLC

Andy M. said:


> I figure we eat a lot of "stuff" and never realize it.  As long as the black dots are properly cooked, they are not an issue.



USDA Defect Levels Handbook

Defect Levels Handbook

*BROCCOLI, FROZEN*             Insects and mites
            (AOAC 945.82)             Average of 60 or more aphids and/or thrips and/or mites per 100 grams*

Ground Paprika*             Mold
            (AOAC 945.94)             Average mold count is more than 20%                                             Insect filth
            (AOAC 977.25B)             Average of more than 75 insect fragments per 25 grams                                             Rodent filth
            (AOAC 977.25B)             Average of more than 11 rodent hairs per 25 grams*

CHOCOLATE AND CHOCOLATE LIQUOR*             Insect filth
            (AOAC 965.38)             Average is 60 or more insect fragments per 100 grams when 6 100-gram subsamples are examined
            OR
            Any 1 subsample contains 90 or more insect fragments                                             Rodent filth
            (AOAC 965.38)             Average is 1 or more rodent hairs per 100 grams in 6 100-gram subsamples examined
            OR
            Any 1 subsample contains 3 or more rodent hairs
*
CORN: SWEET CORN, CANNED*             Insect larvae
            (AOAC 973.61)             Insect larvae  (corn ear worms, corn borers) 2 or more 3mm or longer larvae, cast  skins, larval or cast skin fragments of corn ear worms or corn borer and  the aggregate length of such larvae, cast skins, larval or cast skin  fragments exceeds 12 mm in 24 pounds (24 No. 303 cans or equivalent)*

PEPPER, GROUND*             Insect filth
            (AOAC 972.40)             Average of 475 or more insect fragments per 50 grams                                             Rodent filth
            (AOAC 972.40)             Average of 2 or more rodent hairs per 50 grams*

TOMATOES, CANNED*             Drosophila fly
            (AOAC 955.46)             Average of 10 or more fly eggs per 500 grams
            OR
            5 or more fly eggs and 1 or more maggots per 500 grams
            OR
            2 or more maggots per 500 grams*

WHEAT FLOUR*             Insect filth
            (AOAC 972.32)             Average of 75 or more insect fragments per 50 grams                                             Rodent filth
            (AOAC 972.32)             Average of 1 or more rodent hairs per 50 grams


----------



## pacanis

GLC said:


> USDA Defect Levels Handbook
> 
> Defect Levels Handbook
> 
> *BROCCOLI, FROZEN* Insects and mites
> (AOAC 945.82) Average of 60 or more aphids and/or thrips and/or mites per 100 grams
> 
> *Ground Paprika* Mold
> (AOAC 945.94) Average mold count is more than 20% Insect filth
> (AOAC 977.25B) Average of more than 75 insect fragments per 25 grams Rodent filth
> (AOAC 977.25B) Average of more than 11 rodent hairs per 25 grams
> 
> *CHOCOLATE AND CHOCOLATE LIQUOR* Insect filth
> (AOAC 965.38) Average is 60 or more insect fragments per 100 grams when 6 100-gram subsamples are examined
> OR
> Any 1 subsample contains 90 or more insect fragments Rodent filth
> (AOAC 965.38) Average is 1 or more rodent hairs per 100 grams in 6 100-gram subsamples examined
> OR
> Any 1 subsample contains 3 or more rodent hairs
> 
> *CORN: SWEET CORN, CANNED* Insect larvae
> (AOAC 973.61) Insect larvae (corn ear worms, corn borers) 2 or more 3mm or longer larvae, cast skins, larval or cast skin fragments of corn ear worms or corn borer and the aggregate length of such larvae, cast skins, larval or cast skin fragments exceeds 12 mm in 24 pounds (24 No. 303 cans or equivalent)
> 
> *PEPPER, GROUND* Insect filth
> (AOAC 972.40) Average of 475 or more insect fragments per 50 grams Rodent filth
> (AOAC 972.40) Average of 2 or more rodent hairs per 50 grams
> 
> *TOMATOES, CANNED* Drosophila fly
> (AOAC 955.46) Average of 10 or more fly eggs per 500 grams
> OR
> 5 or more fly eggs and 1 or more maggots per 500 grams
> OR
> 2 or more maggots per 500 grams
> 
> *WHEAT FLOUR* Insect filth
> (AOAC 972.32) Average of 75 or more insect fragments per 50 grams Rodent filth
> (AOAC 972.32) Average of 1 or more rodent hairs per 50 grams


 
That's some funny stuff there...
I figure if my dust mites haven't carried me off, I'm safe eating food.


----------



## Addie

As a child living on a working farm, I ate veggies and other things right from the source. Go out to the garden, pick an ear of corn. If there was a bad spot with a worm, I just ate around it and left the cob for the worm to chew on. Climbed trees to get the fruit, ate the cranberries right off the vine, pulled carrots right out of the ground and rinsed them off at the outside spigot. I even had fresh eggs right from the hen house and not even candled.  And I am still here.


----------



## CraigC

Andy M. said:


> PS, I don't eat peel and eat shrimp. Too much work.


 
That is what beer is for! Same for picking crabs.

Craig


----------



## Kathleen

GLC said:


> USDA Defect Levels Handbook
> 
> Defect Levels Handbook



Many years ago, when I taught high school science, I had the USDA defect levels for every item in the school's snack machine.  I'd catch a kid nibbling away during my science class, and simply read the defect levels while they munched.  After a month, no one ate anything in class.  Problem solved without a single phone call home.  

I had one former student tell me that she was put off chocolate for years.  I was aghast as I never wanted to do that to anyone.  I mean, no chocolate has to qualify as some kind of abuse, right?  Then she joined the Peace Corps and discovered chocolate-covered ants.  Tragedy averted.  

~Kathleen


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

CraigC said:


> Wonder how many folks eat "peel and eat" shrimp? That little black dot on the end where the head was removed isn't pepper.



I'm one of them, an obsessive chef and maybe a bit of a germophobe. I obsessively clean my shrimp and slice out the entire digestive "thread" as I prepare my shrimp for cooking.

Yet I'm almost certain that restaurants don't do this at all. Nonetheless I order shrimp dishes at restaurants.



vitauta said:


> and all this time i thought water chestnuts were in chinese dishes Because of their texture, their crunch.  they sure don't have much flavor going for them, otherwise.  i'd keep 'em--if for no other reason than to provide a counterpoint in those gummy, mushy chinese meals i've sometimes had on the cheap....



I add water chestnuts to my favorite Chinese and other Asian recipes, because I like the crunch they add. There's another taste they add when they are cooked, a taste I can't quite describe, and I like that too. Put them in a shishkabob and see what I mean.



A lot of people don't like organ meats, particularly liver, like beef/calf liver or chicken livers. I like them but many/most people don't. What's with that? Hunters from prehistoric times have favored heart/liver as one of the prime parts of the kill.. There must be a good reason for that.


----------



## GLC

Gourmet Greg said:


> A lot of people don't like organ meats, particularly liver, like beef/calf liver or chicken livers. I like them but many/most people don't. What's with that? Hunters from prehistoric times have favored heart/liver as one of the prime parts of the kill.. There must be a good reason for that.



I read that it's thought (mostly from observation of modern "stone age" people) that those part were the hunters' privilege. They didn't travel or keep well, and they could cook up quickly right at the scene of the killing and dressing or could easily be eaten raw. Good for them, too. 

I know that in the American West in the time of buffalo hunting, they were often cooked by being dropped momentarily in the coals and then eaten. For that matter, natives and the frontier hunters who interacted with them treated the intestines the same way, dragging them through fire and eating them. Enough people wrote of seeing a contest of one man starting from each end that it's certain to have happened. (A clever fellow could catch his opponent in mid gulp and jerk back to recover a foot or two of already eaten gut.) 

The above is not so weird as it sounds. The herbivore gut is the carnivore's common source of vegetable matter. Greens were uncommon on the plains.


----------



## Addie

Gourmet Greg said:


> A lot of people don't like organ meats, particularly liver, like beef/calf liver or chicken livers. I like them but many/most people don't. What's with that? Hunters from prehistoric times have favored heart/liver as one of the prime parts of the kill.. There must be a good reason for that.


 
I love beef liver. I am anemic from childhood and learned to eat it at a very young age. But I do have to limit my intake because of the cholesterol. When ever I know I am going to have blood work done for my iron levels, I eat liver the day before.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

GLC said:


> I read that it's thought (mostly from observation of modern "stone age" people) that those part were the hunters' privilege. They didn't travel or keep well, and they could cook up quickly right at the scene of the killing and dressing or could easily be eaten raw. Good for them, too.



That's a good point, that liver/heart cook quickly, and in fact they're very tender and succulent. I think that's why the hunters loved them, because if you're cooking the whole animal or most of it that the liver and heart are ready to eat sooner, and who more than the hunter deserves to eat first?

As chef I always enjoy tasting/snacking on what I'm cooking before it's done and ready to serve, and who more deserves an early taste?  Same for the wine, gotta taste it to make sure it's right for the dish! 

I don't like all that talk about intestines. Add that to the stuff I don't want to find on my plate! Okay maybe if it's home cooked sausages... (I just hope the chef cleaned the intestines really well.)



Addie said:


> I love beef liver. I am anemic from childhood and learned to eat it at a very young age. But I do have to limit my intake because of the cholesterol. When ever I know I am going to have blood work done for my iron levels, I eat liver the day before.



I can only wonder that most people forced to eat stuff ("learned") don't like it. You're lucky you escaped that. I enjoyed liver as a child before I ever heard that people didn't like it. (Same for lamb.)

I'm tempted to cook liver soon, and lots of onions with it!  I'm not sure you can even have too much onions with liver. And ketchup! Maybe that sounds gross to some people but I like my liver with lots of onions and some ketchup.


----------



## Timothy

Addie said:


> I love beef liver. I am anemic from childhood and learned to eat it at a very young age. But I do have to limit my intake because of the cholesterol. When ever I know I am going to have blood work done for my iron levels, I eat liver the day before.


 
If you wanted to avoid the Cholesterol, you could eat veggies seafood or herbs and seeds:

Dried Thyme contains the most with 124mg per 100g serving, or 687% of the RDA. That is 3.7mg (21% RDA) of iron per tablespoon of dried Thyme. It is followed by dried Parsley (11% RDA per Tblsp), dried Spearmint (10% RDA per Tblsp), Black Pepper, dried Marjoram, Cumin Seed, dried Dill, dried Oregano, Bay Leaf, dried Coriander, dried Basil, ground Tumeric, ground Savory, Anise Seed, Fenugreek Seed, dried Terragon, dried Chervil, and dried Rosemary (5% RDA per Tblsp).

For liver:

Liver is a vitamin rich food, and it is packed with iron. In the early 1900s liver was prescribed as a cure for anemia, and as a supplement for pregnant ladies. Duck liver (Foie Gras) provides the most iron with 30.5mg (170% RDA) per 100g serving, or 13.4mg (75% RDA) per liver. It is followed by pork liver which contains 17.9mg (100% RDA) or 15.2mg (85% RDA) in a 3 oz serving, chicken liver (72% RDA per 100g), turkey liver (67% RDA), lamb liver (57% RDA), and beef liver (36% RDA).


Clams, Oysters, and Mussels:
Shellfish can be eaten raw, baked, steamed, fried, or made into chowder. Clams provide the most iron with 28mg (155% RDA) per 100g serving, or about 27mg (150% RDA) in 10 small clams. Oysters provide 12mg (67% RDA) per 100g serving, or 5mg (28% RDA) in 6 medium sized oysters. Mussels provide 6.72mg (37% RDA) per 100g, or 5.7mg (32% RDA) in a 3oz serving.

Roasted Pumpkin and Squash Seeds:
A popular food in the Middle East and East Asia pumpkin and squash seeds contain about 15mg (83% RDA) of iron per 100g serving, 20.7mg (115% RDA) per cup, and 4.2mg (23% RDA) in a 1 ounce serving of about 142 seeds. If you can't find these in your local supermarket you will surely find them in Middle Eastern or East Asian specialty stores. Alternatively, you can also save any pumpkin and squash seeds you have and dry them yourself. The dried seeds contain more iron than roasted, so try to find dried if possible.

[SIZE=-1]http://www.discusscooking.com/forum...=12014&t=12014&h=12014&s=100&e=138.00&r=28.35[/SIZE]


----------



## Skittle68

Addie said:
			
		

> Why bay scallops and not sea scallops? I don't think bay scallops have any flavor.



I imagine I think bay scallops are ok because they don't have as much flavor, and I don't care for the flavor of scallops lol. Bay scallops are much sweeter and more tender as well. 

Is anyone a fan of liverwurst? I've never tried it, but my dad used to use it to feed his dog pills. It has a strong scent, and sometimes when I see it in the grocery store I have cravings for it. I like liver, but I'm not sure what you are supposed to do with liverwurst. Put it on crackers? On a sandwich?


----------



## buckytom

liverwurst is eaten as a sandwich, skittle. it's delicious. 

i like it, sans pills , on rye bread with raw onion and spicy mustard.

livermush is something similar, sort of like liver scrapple. i like that fried with an egg on a hard roll.


----------



## JoshuaNY

I could eat peel and eat shrimp every day of my life. The digestive tract doesnt bother me in the least. 

I am also a big fan of liverwurst. Seeded rye bread and mustard. MMM MMM


----------



## Somebunny

Love Liverwurst and Braunschweiger, in a sandwich, or on crackers.  I've never had it on rye with mustard, but will now have to try it BT and Josh.  I usually like it on white or wheat with,  "waiting for the boos and hisses" Miracle Whip!  Mayo just won't do ;-)


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

Skittle68 said:


> Is anyone a fan of liverwurst? I've never tried it, but my dad used to use it to feed his dog pills. It has a strong scent, and sometimes when I see it in the grocery store I have cravings for it. I like liver, but I'm not sure what you are supposed to do with liverwurst. Put it on crackers? On a sandwich?


On crackers.


----------



## Andy M.

Somebunny said:


> Love Liverwurst and Braunschweiger, in a sandwich, or on crackers.  I've never had it on rye with mustard, but will now have to try it BT and Josh.  I usually like it on white or wheat with,  "waiting for the boos and hisses" Miracle Whip!  Mayo just won't do ;-)




Liverwurst sandwich on dark rye with mustard!


----------



## GLC

Gourmet Greg said:


> I don't like all that talk about intestines. Add that to the stuff I don't want to find on my plate! Okay maybe if it's home cooked sausages... (I just hope the chef cleaned the intestines really well.)



You'd have to travel some to find it on your plate. Chunchurria (or chunchulla, depending on which region of South America you're in), is small intestines of pig, sometimes cow, cooked, sometimes deep fried. The unique flavor follows from the fact that the natural contents are not removed.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

I'm happy enough not seeing intestines on my plate.


----------



## Timothy

Andy M. said:


> Liverwurst sandwich on dark rye with mustard!


 
You've got *that* right, Andy! With some shredded cheese of some sort that has a strong flavor.


----------



## Steve Kroll

Andy M. said:


> Liverwurst sandwich on dark rye with mustard!



Yes! A staple lunch item when I was a kid. And quite possibly the only sandwich where I prefer yellow mustard over brown.


----------



## Timothy

A slice of cheese, spread with liverwurst and topped with MW, then rolled up and eaten! Serious Yum City


----------



## vitauta

if you've got it, minced onion goes real nice with the liverwurst too--and kosher dill pickles....


----------



## Dawgluver

As much as I despise liver, I didn't mind liverwurst.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

Addie said:


> For me it is *zucchini.* I don't like it cook, boiled, sauteed, raw, etc





PrincessFiona60 said:


> Brussels Sprouts...S&P.



I don't understand it. I _love_ battered fried zucchini (and even worse it's usually bad for you because deep fried). And I don't know why I crave Brussels sprouts (or most cabbage) but I do.

I bet there's some broccoli haters here. (Yep, I love it.) Has anybody tried the broccoli relative from Asia, kai lan or gai lan? I like that too. It's similar to broccoli (both Brassica family) but it has smaller buds and is commonly served with the leaves as a leafy vegetable (with buds). If you hate broccoli you'll hate this too, even more if you hate spinach.


----------



## vitauta

Gourmet Greg said:


> I don't understand it. I _love_ battered fried zucchini (and even worse it's usually bad for you because deep fried). And I don't know why I crave Brussels sprouts (or most cabbage) but I do.
> 
> I bet there's some broccoli haters here. (Yep, I love it.) Has anybody tried the broccoli relative from Asia, kai lan or gai lan? I like that too. It's similar to broccoli (both Brassica family) but it has smaller buds and is commonly served with the leaves as a leafy vegetable (with buds). If you hate broccoli you'll hate this too, even more if you hate spinach.




i find your posts to be fresh, informative and stimulating, gc.  i enjoy following and reading them.  in this one you are seemingly gleefully helping broccoli haters to find yet more foods to hate...and spinach haters too.  i love it!!


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

Thank you vitauta for your kind comments. I am very enthusiastic about cooking and I'm a veteran foodie too. I'm currently in a situation where I have little/no access to cooking and all I can do is talk about it, and I appreciate the forum for proving a... um... forum. 

I've enjoyed vegetables much more as I've gotten older. I used to hate them as a kid, and didn't much appreciate them in my 20s and 30s. As I've aged I've somehow not only become more enthusiastic about enjoying vegetables but have also come to appreciate what I call the "color coding" theory of vegetables, the basis being that vegetables have different anti-oxidants, that anti-oxidants are good for your health and longevity, and that a wide variety of anti-oxidants are better for you than a single type, and that the color apparently varies from different anti-oxidants. The sum of this theory is that you should eat as many different colors of vegetables as you can.

Not to beat a dead horse to death, but vegetables are generally low in calories and high in fiber, both additional benefits of eating lots of vegetables. This is one of the reasons I enjoy eating Asian foods so much. (Although I mostly skip the rice except as "seasoning," a turn-about on the usual Asian cuisine which has meat being the seasoning for a large portion of rice or noodles.)


----------



## Somebunny

It's a good thing that this thread is not "what vegetable would you not want to see on your plate". There is not a vegetable that I can name that I do not like.  I LOVE EM!


----------



## vitauta

i love virtually all vegetables too.  my main problem with veggies is their cost.  by choice, i rarely use canned vegetables.  most varieties are garbage imo.  frozen veggies are my mainstay, with varying degrees of success.  i'm really not thrilled with most frozen varieties, either.  which leaves fresh vegetables that i cannot afford to buy regularly, except for the economical varieties.  possibly the fact that they are somewhat inaccessible to me, is what makes them even more dear to me.  a day that i bring home butter leaf lettuce and arugula feels like a celebration, like winning a prize!!  of course, i could afford much more fresh vegetables, except for my equally strong passion for red meats and poultry!    not to mention those rock bottom necessities that insist on preferential treatment...then there's my penchant for aged and specialty cheeses, good bakery breads, and so it goes....


----------



## buckytom

Somebunny said:


> It's a good thing that this thread is not "what vegetable would you not want to see on your plate". There is not a vegetable that I can name that I do not like. I LOVE EM!


 

duh. you're a freakin' rabbit!


(he hee...)


----------



## Somebunny

buckytom said:
			
		

> duh. you're a freakin' rabbit!
> 
> (he hee...)



Oh yeah!  I guess that makes sense!  lol!


----------



## powerplantop

GLC said:


> You'd have to travel some to find it on your plate. Chunchurria (or chunchulla, depending on which region of South America you're in), is small intestines of pig, sometimes cow, cooked, sometimes deep fried. The unique flavor follows from the fact that the natural contents are not removed.



I had these in Bogota and did not ask to many questions. 




Chunchulo by powerplantop, on Flickr


----------



## powerplantop

Gourmet Greg said:


> I don't understand it. I _love_ battered fried zucchini (and even worse it's usually bad for you because deep fried). And I don't know why I crave Brussels sprouts (or most cabbage) but I do.
> 
> I bet there's some broccoli haters here. (Yep, I love it.) Has anybody tried the broccoli relative from Asia, kai lan or gai lan? I like that too. It's similar to broccoli (both Brassica family) but it has smaller buds and is commonly served with the leaves as a leafy vegetable (with buds). If you hate broccoli you'll hate this too, even more if you hate spinach.




I love gai lan. I am still learning how to cook it.


----------



## GLC

powerplantop said:


> I had these in Bogota and did not ask to many questions.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Chunchulo by powerplantop, on Flickr




And how were they? Opinions vary wildly, although we mostly see U.S. commentary, and it's hard to tell how much is just knowing what they are and unfamiliarity. But it does sound like they are (that wonderful phrase) an acquired taste.


----------



## powerplantop

GLC said:


> And how were they? Opinions vary wildly, although we mostly see U.S. commentary, and it's hard to tell how much is just knowing what they are and unfamiliarity. But it does sound like they are (that wonderful phrase) an acquired taste.



They were pan fried in lard. Outside a bit crispy, inside a bit chewy. Taste is more like regular pork. But I am not squimish about what eat. 

The soup in the back ground is Sopa de Raiz y Criadillas "Root Soup with testicles". It was one of the best things I have had in a long time. Serve it to someone in a fancy place and they would brag about how good it was. Until you told them what was in it.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

Somebunny said:


> It's a good thing that this thread is not "what vegetable would you not want to see on your plate". There is not a vegetable that I can name that I do not like.  I LOVE EM!



I like almost all vegetables. The only vegetable I really dislike is cauliflower. I love broccoli which looks like the same thing except green, but for me broccoli has taste and cauliflower does not.


----------



## crazygood

ugh... lima beans, liver, cauliflower, fur, hair or feathers of any kind for any reason, pigs feet, organ meats, and anything same-species.  Hi, I'm Mellie by the way.  I'm new.


----------



## Timothy

crazygood said:


> ugh... lima beans, liver, cauliflower, fur, hair or feathers of any kind for any reason, pigs feet, organ meats, and anything same-species. Hi, I'm Mellie by the way. I'm new.


 
Hi Mellie! Welcome to DC. I'm not sure what you mean by "anything same-species".


----------



## crazygood

Timothy said:


> Hi Mellie! Welcome to DC. I'm not sure what you mean by "anything same-species".



I mean the same species as I am, which, on most days, is human.


----------



## Andy M.

Gourmet Greg said:


> I like almost all vegetables. The only vegetable I really dislike is cauliflower. I love broccoli which looks like the same thing except green, but for me broccoli has taste and cauliflower does not.



I feel an instant rapport with you, Greg.   There aren't too many of us cauliflower haters around here.


----------



## PrincessFiona60

Andy M. said:


> I feel an instant rapport with you, Greg.   There aren't too many of us cauliflower haters around here.



I bet I hate it more than you do...


----------



## Andy M.

PrincessFiona60 said:


> I bet I hate it more than you do...




Not possible.  

When I become King of the World, I am going to ban cauliflower from Earth.  I will have scientists alter cauliflower DNA so it can never be reproduced again.  I will purge all references to cauliflower everywhere and eradicate all cauliflower recipes.  People will not be allowed to speak the word aloud for fear of the punishment that awaits them.

My dream is a cauliflower-free world where children can grow up knowing colorful vegetables that actually have a taste of their own.


----------



## PrincessFiona60

I used to go to bed without any dinner, because cauliflower was served.  If I wouldn't eat it, I couldn't have anything.  Unfortunately, Mom realized I would happily do without, so she changed the rules.


----------



## Addie

Andy M. said:


> Not possible.
> 
> When I become King of the World, I am going to ban cauliflower from Earth. I will have scientists alter cauliflower DNA so it can never be reproduced again. I will purge all references to cauliflower everywhere and eradicate all cauliflower recipes. People will not be allowed to speak the word aloud for fear of the punishment that awaits them.
> 
> My dream is a cauliflower-free world where children can grow up knowing colorful vegetables that actually have a taste of their own.


 
Does that mean I can't overcook it and then mash it like potatoes with loads of butter? Or cover it with loads of cheese? Or do any of those other nasty things folks do to hide the taste of it?
I say "Onward your Majesty, Onward!!!


----------



## Steve Kroll

Quit hating on the cauliflower! I love the stuff! Raw, cooked... whatever.  The only way I didn't care for it was roasted. To me it just tastes like cauliflower that's burnt around the edges.


----------



## Timothy

Steve Kroll said:


> Quit hating on the cauliflower! I love the stuff! Raw, cooked... whatever.  The only way I didn't care for it was roasted. To me it just tastes like cauliflower that's burnt around the edges.


 
I'm with you, Steve! Pickled is my favorite way to eat it.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

Andy M. said:


> I feel an instant rapport with you, Greg.   There aren't too many of us cauliflower haters around here.



I don't understand what there's to like about cauliflower. It looks about the same as broccoli (which tastes good) but cauliflower has no taste I can discern. I don't want to eat some white thing with no taste. Or maybe there's a taste that I'm genetically not able to sense. I don't understand why people want to eat this bland, colorless, tasteless vegetable.

It doesn't taste bad to me. It's just got no taste at all for me.


----------



## Steve Kroll

I find it has a taste that's vaguely broccoli-like, except milder. It's always been one of my favorites, even when I was a kid. My mom used to make it in a bechamel sauce with nutmeg. I would practically knock my little brother out of his chair to get to it.

Ok, truth be told, I really didn't need much of a reason to knock my little brother out of his chair.


----------



## Timothy

Gourmet Greg said:


> I don't understand what there's to like about cauliflower. It looks about the same as broccoli (which tastes good) but cauliflower has no taste I can discern. I don't want to eat some white thing with no taste. Or maybe there's a taste that I'm genetically not able to sense. I don't understand why people want to eat this bland, colorless, tasteless vegetable.
> 
> It doesn't taste bad to me. It's just got no taste at all for me.


Raw, it has lots of flavor when eaten with a mild ranch dip. Steamed, the flavor is a bit less, but still there. Pickled, it's crunchy and a great snack.


----------



## Addie

Can anyone think of any othe white veggie that is naturally white? White is not a color. It is not even in the rainbow. Mother Nature made a mistake when she created cauliflower. White apasergus, white endives are veggies that we have messed with. White does nothing to add to the apperance on the plate. Even white sauce has specks of pepper in it.


----------



## Aunt Bea

Addie said:


> Can anyone think of any othe white veggie that is naturally white? White is not a color. It is not even in the rainbow. Mother Nature made a mistake when she created cauliflower. White apasergus, white endives are veggies that we have messed with. White does nothing to add to the apperance on the plate. Even white sauce has specks of pepper in it.



potato, parsnip


----------



## Steve Kroll

...onions, plantains/bananas, leeks, daikon, kohlrabi, mushrooms, turnips, jicama, garlic.


----------



## Addie

Aunt Bea said:


> potato, parsnip


Potatoes come in differnt color. Yukon Gold, purple ones. And parsnips are an off white. more toward cream colored. And they both have a distinct taste. Parsnips are very sweet. Cauliflower has nothing to recommend it. No color or taste. The purple caulflower is ornamental only.


----------



## Addie

Steve Kroll said:


> ...onions, plantains/bananas, leeks, daikon, kohlrabi, mushrooms, turnips, jicama, garlic.


 
All right! But they all have a flavor of their own. Blindfolded, you would know what you were eating. CF is BLAND!


----------



## Aunt Bea

Chacun a san gout, said the old lady as she kissed the cow!   

I like it!


----------



## Timothy

Addie said:


> Potatoes come in differnt color. Yukon Gold, purple ones. And parsnips are an off white. more toward cream colored. And they both have a distinct taste. Parsnips are very sweet. Cauliflower has nothing to recommend it. No color or taste. The purple caulflower is ornamental only.


 
Cauliflower has a distinct taste. It's mild, but there for sure. It's a shame you folks who can't taste it are that way. To those of us who can taste it, it's a very good flavor.

Now, here's one *I* can't taste; Green Tea! The stuff is a waste of money for me. It has no taste at all. Not even a hint of taste to me. I don't understand the massive sales of green teas. I've tried many of them and to me, none are worth a second try. I love very, very strong teas like Irish breakfast tea. I want my tea to slap me with flavor!


----------



## pacanis

I think cauliflower has a taste, but it's very mild. I like it more for it's texture though.
And I should probably mention that I eat a lot of items with little or no taste, like rice, pasta, bread. I didn't eat cauliflower as a kid, but I do now. And it seems to keep very well, too.
Please don't get rid of the cauliflower, Andy...


----------



## Timothy

Aunt Bea said:


> Chacun a san gout, said the old lady as she kissed the cow!
> 
> I like it!


 
Me too Aunt Bea!

BTW:
French; à chacun son goût “to each his own taste”


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

Timothy said:


> Raw, it has lots of flavor when eaten with a mild ranch dip. Steamed, the flavor is a bit less, but still there. Pickled, it's crunchy and a great snack.



Maybe I do have a genetic lack of tasting cauliflower. Raw eaten with ranch dip tastes like ranch dip. Steamed, no taste. Pickled tastes like pickling spices. It's probably just me. It doesn't taste bad to me, just has hardly any taste at all, no reason for me to eat it. And fortunately, nobody makes me eat it.


----------



## Steve Kroll

Timothy said:


> Now, here's one *I* can't taste; Green Tea! The stuff is a waste of money for me. It has no taste at all. Not even a hint of taste to me. I don't understand the massive sales of green teas.


Green tea is something that I didn't like for a long time, but it's grown on me. I can taste it fine. To me, it tastes a little like the water that spinach has been cooked in, but with an astringent element. I drink it while I'm working since I find that coffee gives me a headache and keeps me from sleeping well at night.

I recently read a very interesting book about different beverages and how they have influenced history. There was an entire section on tea. Without going into too much detail, what I didn't realize previously is that ALL tea was green for thousands of years. It wasn't until Europeans started importing tea a couple hundred years ago that the black teas emerged. Before that, black and dark teas were considered oxidized and inferior to the green varieties.


----------



## Addie

Timothy said:


> Cauliflower has a distinct taste. It's mild, but there for sure. It's a shame you folks who can't taste it are that way. To those of us who can taste it, it's a very good flavor.
> 
> Now, here's one *I* can't taste; Green Tea! The stuff is a waste of money for me. It has no taste at all. Not even a hint of taste to me. I don't understand the massive sales of green teas. I've tried many of them and to me, none are worth a second try. I love very, very strong teas like Irish breakfast tea. I want my tea to slap me with flavor!


 
Green tea came about because someone said it was supposed to be an antioxidant for cancer. Your right, no flavor. It doesn't even color the water. 
I like my tea black with sugar. Even Chinese tea. I want a strong tea that I can see and taste. 

I have a Brown Betty teapot. But trying to find loose tea in these here parts is impossible. I am going to have to start looking on line. I also am going to need a tea cosy. We have Tea Party every Tuesday night. I bring my own Earl Grey tea bags. Everyone else drinks the standard supermarket tea. I am going to have to introduce them to the proper way to make tea.


----------



## Timothy

Addie said:


> Green tea came about because someone said it was supposed to be an antioxidant for cancer. Your right, no flavor. It doesn't even color the water.
> I like my tea black with sugar. Even Chinese tea. I want a strong tea that I can see and taste.
> 
> I have a Brown Betty teapot. But trying to find loose tea in these here parts is impossible. I am going to have to start looking on line. I also am going to need a tea cosy. We have Tea Party every Tuesday night. I bring my own Earl Grey tea bags. Everyone else drinks the standard supermarket tea. I am going to have to introduce them to the proper way to make tea.


 
I love Earl Grey tea. Double strength! I like my tea as stong as it can get!


----------



## taxlady

Steve Kroll said:


> Quit hating on the cauliflower! I love the stuff! Raw, cooked... whatever.  The only way I didn't care for it was roasted. To me it just tastes like cauliflower that's burnt around the edges.



Same here.

I think those people who can't taste it are genetically programmed not to taste it. It's yummy. Like all the brassicas, it can get some unpleasant odours if cooked too long, but it isn't nearly as bad as overcooked cabbage.


----------



## taxlady

Lots of people, including me, don't like cilantro. How many of you like coriander seeds as a herb? I love them! 

I'm going to have try the roots.


----------



## Timothy

taxlady said:


> Lots of people, including me, don't like cilantro. How many of you like coriander seeds as a herb? I love them!
> 
> I'm going to have try the roots.


 
I use powdered coriander in soups all the time! I think it adds a great flavor!


----------



## taxlady

Timothy said:


> I use powdered coriander in soups all the time! I think it adds a great flavor!



Do you like cilantro? That's actually coriander greens.


----------



## Timothy

taxlady said:


> Do you like cilantro? That's actually coriander greens.


yes, I do and I've never noticed any "soapy" flavor that is so commonly talked about.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

I've never tasted soapy cilantro, nor have I ever heard anybody say they taste soapy except on the Internet. I like cilantro enough that I sometimes go crazy adding it to tacos, guacamole, particularly when cooking for only myself. (I'm less likely to add huge amounts of cilantro to Thai dishes, don't know why. It's the Mexican stuff that gets me out of control!)

Yet I have no doubt some people taste cilantro as soapy. The Internet says so. Those people are lucky I can't feed them over the Internet! 

(A good router will definitely keep out that soapy cilantro taste!)


----------



## taxlady

I just wonder how many people like only cilantro or coriander, not both.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

I've got something not yet mentioned as "foods you don't want to see on your plate." _Anything that moves!_  I don't want anything that is still alive, particularly if it is still capable of locomotion.  

Actually I recall eating live clams as a kid camping on the beach near Ventura (north of Los Angeles). We dug clams in the surf, then kept them in buckets of sea water for a few hours, to let them spit out any sand. Then we ate them live! We'd carefully pick up a clam so it wouldn't ... you know ... clam up!  And cut the muscle that they used to keep themselves tightly closed, then used the knife to cut all attachments to the shell so the clam is completely separated. Then a squeeze of lemon juice and a dash of Tabasco sauce, and eat them up! Alive! 

I'm not so sure I'd do that today because this was a long time ago and I'm not so sure the water is pure enough these days that I'd want to eat live clams right of the ocean. At not least anywhere near a large city. Nor would I want to do this with clams that were more than a few hours out of the ocean.

So the question is, would you eat anything on your plate if it was alive?  And if so, what?


----------



## Timothy

Gourmet Greg said:


> So the question is, would you eat anything on your plate if it was alive?  And if so, what?


The only foods I've eaten alive are oysters. There is a type of sushi that is prized by some sushi lovers; It's fish that has been filleted and cut into bite sized pieces so quickly at the table that it is still moving when you pick up a bite. I've never even seen it and would prefer to eat my sushi after it quits moving. I have prepared it, literally, on the beach, but never eaten it while it was moving. Feeling something move while I'm chewing it isn't something I would enjoy.


----------



## pacanis

Gourmet Greg said:


> *I've got something not yet mentioned as "foods you don't want to see on your plate." Anything that moves!*  I don't want anything that is still alive, particularly if it is still capable of locomotion.
> 
> Actually I recall eating live clams as a kid camping on the beach near Ventura (north of Los Angeles). We dug clams in the surf, then kept them in buckets of sea water for a few hours, to let them spit out any sand. Then we ate them live! We'd carefully pick up a clam so it wouldn't ... you know ... clam up!  And cut the muscle that they used to keep themselves tightly closed, then used the knife to cut all attachments to the shell so the clam is completely separated. Then a squeeze of lemon juice and a dash of Tabasco sauce, and eat them up! Alive!
> 
> I'm not so sure I'd do that today because this was a long time ago and I'm not so sure the water is pure enough these days that I'd want to eat live clams right of the ocean. At not least anywhere near a large city. Nor would I want to do this with clams that were more than a few hours out of the ocean.
> 
> So the question is, would you eat anything on your plate if it was alive?  And if so, what?


 
When I said anything still squirming in the second post I meant anything still alive, or moving as you say. So yeah, nothing still alive or barely dead for me.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

pacanis said:


> When I said anything still squirming in the second post I meant anything still alive, or moving as you say. So yeah, nothing still alive or barely dead for me.


It has been long enough that I forgot the earlier posts. 

These days I don't want to eat anything alive, not even the clams from my childhood. It doesn't bother me now that I did that back then but it's not something I relish repeating.

I'm glad my mom and dad were adventuresome foodies (and my mom a good cook and my dad a good at barbecue). I'm sure they are responsible for me being a foodie and enthusiastic amateur chef.


----------



## vitauta

Gourmet Greg said:


> It has been long enough that I forgot the earlier posts.
> 
> These days I don't want to eat anything alive, not even the clams from my childhood. It doesn't bother me now that I did that back then but it's not something I relish repeating.
> 
> I'm glad my mom and dad were adventuresome foodies (and my mom a good cook and my dad a good at barbecue). I'm sure they are responsible for me being a foodie and enthusiastic amateur chef.



i am in agreement with you, essentially, and would decline any food that is still alive.  although, i must admit that your description of eating live clams (and my own memories of live oysters on the half shell) give me a twinge of nostalgic pause....


----------



## Addie

I am a New Englander and have always lived within walking distance of the Atlantic Ocean. Many times I have opened a clam and sucked it right down my throat as it was still wiggling. It's the N.E. way. I don't put lemon on it or Tabasco Sauce on them either.


----------



## buckytom

i'm with ya there, addie, although i've never felt a wiggle. and i'll add tobasco to live cherrystones, or just a little lemon to little or topnecks.

i have no problem downing 2 dozen bluepoints, malpeques, or belons, au naturel.


----------



## Addie

buckytom said:


> i'm with ya there, addie, although i've never felt a wiggle. and i'll add tobasco to live cherrystones, or just a little lemon to little or topnecks.
> 
> i have no problem downing 2 dozen bluepoints, malpeques, or belons, au naturel.


 
I hear that two dozen are just the tip of curing a hangover. I have never had an alcoholic drink, but if I do, I will gladly go that route.


----------



## taxlady

Nope, no raw oysters or clams for me, not if the clams are a similar texture to the oysters. I have tried raw oyster, they were like sea water flavoured snot. I would eat it if I were starving, but that's about it.


----------



## CraigC

I think Taxlady has the right term "Raw". I don't think that after opening an oyster or clam and cutting the abductor(sp) muscle, so they are loose in the half-shell, they are actually sitll alive.

Craig


----------



## pacanis

CraigC said:


> I think Taxlady has the right term "Raw". I don't think that after opening an oyster or clam and cutting the abductor(sp) muscle, so they are loose in the half-shell, they are actually sitll alive.
> 
> Craig


 
That was my thought.
They sure don't move. And you would think they would after a few drops of tabasco and some horseradish is put on them


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

taxlady said:


> Nope, no raw oysters or clams for me, not if the clams are a similar texture to the oysters. I have tried raw oyster, they were like sea water flavoured snot. I would eat it if I were starving, but that's about it.


That's the reason for the lemon juice, to cut the snottiness. 



CraigC said:


> I think Taxlady has the right term "Raw". I don't think that after opening an oyster or clam and cutting the abductor(sp) muscle, so they are loose in the half-shell, they are actually sitll alive.



Sure they're alive. Cutting a muscle isn't going to kill them. They need to siphon water to get oxygen and food, but even depriving them from oxygen won't kill them right away. I've seen them on ice at the seafood counter and you take them home and they'll still open up. You throw away the ones that won't open because they're dead. I'm sure when you eat fresh clams they're still alive as your chewing rips them apart.


----------



## Timothy

Gourmet Greg said:


> I'm sure when you eat fresh clams they're still alive as your chewing rips them apart.


PETA is on the way! Yikes!


----------



## Addie

Timothy said:


> PETA is on the way! Yikes!


 
Imagaine what they would say if they knew I worked on a mink farm for four days.


----------



## Timothy

Addie said:


> Imagaine what they would say if they knew I worked on a mink farm for four days.


 
OMG, I'm sorry ma'am, you'll have to "assume the position" while I pat you down for tools of cruelty or inhumane foods. Against the wall now, don't make me call the PETA police.




PS: Is it true what I hear about minks being much like bunnies in one regard?


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

Addie said:


> Imagaine what they would say if they knew I worked on a mink farm for four days.



I presume mink is something nobody wants to see on their plate.


----------



## Addie

Timothy said:


> OMG, I'm sorry ma'am, you'll have to "assume the position" while I pat you down for tools of cruelty or inhumane foods. Against the wall now, don't make me call the PETA police.
> 
> 
> 
> PS: Is it true what I hear about minks being much like bunnies in one regard?


 
Assume the position? Pat me down? Don't get me excited. It could be fatal for my heart at my age.


----------



## Timothy

Addie said:


> Assume the position? Pat me down? Don't get me excited. It could be fatal for my heart at my age.


 
Wait a second; they never say that on "Cops"!


----------



## taxlady

Gourmet Greg said:


> I presume mink is something nobody wants to see on their plate.



You got that right. As a general rule, I don't want to see any carnivores on my plate.


----------



## Addie

Timothy said:


> PS: Is it true what I hear about minks being much like bunnies in one regard?


 
Yes. And when it comes time, it is very controlled. Every mink is assigned a number. The ones with a blonde coat are mated with other blonde coats. Then it is recorded in a book. And only with females that have in the past produced large litters. The whole process is very scientific. Once their litters start to get smaller, their days are numbered. Or if the male that has been mated with a large producing female, his days are numbered also. They are fed ground up chicken meat. They hire mostly females to handle the minks. They are more gentle with them. If they bite you, they don't want the hide damaged. And minks are vicious animals. You have to wear heavy, very thick gloves. The most dangerous time is when the time comes to separate the babies from the mother. They withhold food for one day. When it comes time to go into the cage to get the babies, the feeding truck goes ahead of you. They place the food at the back of the cage so the mother is out of the way, and you have to be fast and reach in and take the babies out while she is eating. If it is a large litter, you better be faster.


----------



## Timothy

Timothy said:


> Is it true what I hear about minks being much like bunnies in one regard?


 


Addie said:


> Yes.


 
Thanks, that was interesting. I raised Rabbits for food once and there was never a problem with the rabbits attacking me. I gave that up because here in Florida, when the rabbits have a litter of babies, the smell and squeaking of the babies draws snakes like you wouldn't believe. Tons of them! Some of them pretty darn big and venomous. I had enough one year when a water moccasin tapped me on the leg and when I looked over, it was standing up where its head was at my waist level and within inches of me. Rabbit ain't *that* good!


----------



## Addie

taxlady said:


> You got that right. As a general rule, I don't want to see any carnivores on my plate.


Once the pelt is removed, there just ain't enough meat on them critters. They are sold to a pig farmer who grinds them up and mixes it with their regular food.


----------



## Timothy

Addie said:


> Once the pelt is removed, there just ain't enough meat on them critters. They are sold to a pig farmer who grinds them up and mixes it with their regular food.


 
Another example of how pigs will eat anything they can get down their throat. My neighbor had a potbellied pig that ate an entire box of mothballs once. The vet told him "That ends any idea of ever eating the meat of this pig!"


----------



## PrincessFiona60

This has become absolutely stomach churning.  Can we get back to the regular gross stuff that people don't want to find on their plates.


----------



## danbuter

Beats. Just smelling them makes me gag. Not sure why, but I have not liked them ever in my life.


----------



## CWS4322

Smoked eel makes me gag. I know people who like it, I did try it once, and it was so not something I wanted to eat ever again. I think I already mentioned lutefisk...


----------



## Addie

danbuter said:


> Beats. Just smelling them makes me gag. Not sure why, but I have not liked them ever in my life.


 

I love Beets. I will often buy about four or five fresh one, cook and peel them, leave in the fridge. When lookiing for a snack, will grab one with the salt shaker and pig out.


----------



## Timothy

CWS4322 said:


> Smoked eel makes me gag. I know people who like it, I did try it once, and it was so not something I wanted to eat ever again. I think I already mentioned lutefisk...


 
I love eel. Smoked, grilled, sauteed, baked, I don't care how you cook it, I love the flavor of it. 

Grilled eel on nigiri (With sauce) is one of my favorite types of sushi.

At the fair in Berlin, Germany, one of the prizes given out was roasted eels. The bigger the prize, the bigger the eel. Yum City!


----------



## taxlady

Timothy said:


> I love eel. Smoked, grilled, sauteed, baked, I don't care how you cook it, I love the flavor of it.
> 
> Grilled eel on nigiri (With sauce) is one of my favorite types of sushi.
> 
> At the fair in Berlin, Germany, one of the prizes given out was roasted eels. The bigger the prize, the bigger the eel. Yum City!



I would like to try some of the other ways of preparing eel. I have only had it smoked and I really like it. I haven't eaten it in years. I grew eating it at every special family meal. It's very rich. I once made the mistake of taking two large pieces.


----------



## CWS4322

The Fishmonger who came to the house every Tuesday when I lived in Northern Germany often had smoked eel. I found it way too fatty for my liking. I was only 17--maybe my palette was under-developed having grown up with my mother's 7-day rotating menu...perhaps I would like it now...

Beets are perhaps my most favorite veggie after eggplant. I love beets raw (baby, grated), pickled, juiced, roasted, baked, boiled....right after beet juice, I love pomegranate juice--except no matter how I juice the seeds, I end up having to wash the walls.


----------



## buckytom

i need a recipe for beets and eel.


luv them both.


----------



## Chief Longwind Of The North

The only eel available in the U.P. is Lamprey eel.  I understand that it is a prized delicacy in the U.K.  but here, in the Great lakes, it is full of things like mercury, and all of the other nasties that can be found in top predatory fish.  They are a parasite that suck the juices from the flesh of large lake trout, salmon, etc.  

Somebody once said that the best way to control an invasive species, i.e. Asian Catfish, lamprey eels, rusty crawfish, humboldt squid, etc., is to make the comercially available in restaurants and grocery stores.  If they aren't a contaminated critter, like the lamprey, and are darned tasty, like the humboldt squid, the world's most effiecient hunter will take care of the problem.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


----------



## CWS4322

buckytom said:


> i need a recipe for beets and eel.
> 
> 
> luv them both.


 What kinds of beets can you get? I like white, golden, red, and "red and white." I can give you a recipe for beet-potato-herring salad that is served as part of smorgasbord. And I'm sure there is a borscht recipe floating around on the forum...I also love borscht--hot and cold!


----------



## taxlady

CWS4322 said:


> What kinds of beets can you get? I like white, golden, red, and "red and white." I can give you a recipe for beet-potato-herring salad that is served as part of smorgasbord. And I'm sure there is a borscht recipe floating around on the forum...I also love borscht--hot and cold!



If there is mayo in that herring and beet salad, then that is one of the things I don't want to see on my plate. I like beets, I like herring, but I had too many holiday sandwiches in my lunch bag at school that had pink herring salad.


----------



## buckytom

CWS4322 said:


> What kinds of beets can you get? I like white, golden, red, and "red and white." I can give you a recipe for beet-potato-herring salad that is served as part of smorgasbord. And I'm sure there is a borscht recipe floating around on the forum...I also love borscht--hot and cold!



yes please. please post it for everyone.

i 've grown red and the red and white striped ones. never had white or golden beets, but they sound good.


----------



## CWS4322

taxlady said:


> If there is mayo in that herring and beet salad, then that is one of the things I don't want to see on my plate. I like beets, I like herring, but I had too many holiday sandwiches in my lunch bag at school that had pink herring salad.


My grandma made it with whipped cream...my aunt makes it with MW. I make it with sour cream...but was thinking I could use Greek Yogurt instead or "pseudo" sour cream made from cottage cheese and Greek Yogurt. I haven't tried that--yet.It is pink...but why couldn't one do an oil-vinegar dressing for it? Have you tried that, TL?


----------



## vitauta

what is so bad about a pink-colored salad?  my favorite potato salad comes out pink because of the canned beets i use.  to me, pink salad is a sure sign that it's going to taste fabulous!!


----------



## JoshuaNY

I wont even go in the same room as herring. And I consider myself a lover of all fishes. Herring is the only fish I met I didnt like.


----------



## taxlady

CWS4322 said:


> My grandma made it with whipped cream...my aunt makes it with MW. I make it with sour cream...but was thinking I could use Greek Yogurt instead or "pseudo" sour cream made from cottage cheese and Greek Yogurt. I haven't tried that--yet.It is pink...but why couldn't one do an oil-vinegar dressing for it? Have you tried that, TL?



I haven't found a source of decent pickled herring here. Mrs. Whyte's (sp?) is sweet. I tried another Canadian brand and it tasted like the herring wasn't very fresh when it was made. The stuff from Ikea is full of weird chemicals. Once in a blue moon I find something Scandinavian or Finnish that is good, but expensive. I'm not going to experiment with making a salad with expensive herring. I'm going to eat that some way I know I will enjoy.


----------



## taxlady

vitauta said:


> what is so bad about a pink-colored salad?  my favorite potato salad comes out pink because of the canned beets i use.  to me, pink salad is a sure sign that it's going to taste fabulous!!



Yeah, try explaining a pink fish salad to the other 3rd graders who think you are weird for having whole wheat bread. And my mum didn't just make this on whole wheat. She made it one slice whole wheat and one slice heavy rye bread.

I grew up in the 50s. There was a lot of weird un-food passing for food. I didn't like (and still don't like) pink ice cream. It was called strawberry, but had nothing to do with strawberries. I enjoy ice cream made with actual strawberries.


----------



## Addie

CWS4322 said:


> The Fishmonger who came to the house every Tuesday when I lived in Northern Germany often had smoked eel. I found it way too fatty for my liking. I was only 17--maybe my palette was under-developed having grown up with my mother's 7-day rotating menu...perhaps I would like it now...
> 
> Beets are perhaps my most favorite veggie after eggplant. I love beets raw (baby, grated), pickled, juiced, roasted, baked, boiled....right after beet juice, I love pomegranate juice--except no matter how I juice the seeds, I end up having to wash the walls.


 
Have you ever tried Harvard Beets? They are a sweet/sour concoction.


----------



## pacanis

Something I just ate.
I wouldn't want to see that back on my plate either.


----------



## Fabiabi

I never want to see a fast food burger on my dinner plate. Or any other fast food item....ever.


----------



## pacanis

Fabiabi said:


> I never want to see a fast food burger on my dinner plate. Or any other fast food item....ever.


 
That would indeed be a strange sight. Fast food should be eaten right out of the bag


----------



## CWS4322

buckytom said:


> yes please. please post it for everyone.
> 
> i 've grown red and the red and white striped ones. never had white or golden beets, but they sound good.



Beet - Potato Salad (maybe TaxLady can share it's real name--but that's what we call it). My grandmother made this with whipping cream (whipped), my aunt with mayo, I make it with sour cream + some milk to thin it a bit.

1 jar pickled herring, chopped (and drained) (or sardines?)
1-1/2 c cold boiled potatoes, chopped in cubes
1-1/2 c cold boiled beets (or 1-1/2 c pickled beets) cubed
3/4 c grated apple (Granny Smith is my favorite to use)
2 T cider vinegar (or white)
2 T sugar
3/4 c whipping cream (whipped light--not stiff) or mayo or sour cream thinned with some milk
parsley
6 hard boiled eggs, sliced

Combine the first 5 ingredients, add in the liquid and sugar, fold in cream/mayo/sour cream. Pack into a greased bowl. Chill overnight. Unmold on a bed of lettuce, garnish with egg slices and chopped parsley. This is so simple--I'm embarrassed.


----------



## taxlady

The one my mum made didn't have potatoes, or apples, or sugar, or eggs. I'm pretty sure it had onions or maybe it was scallions. It was called "sildesalat" in Danish; it would be "sillsallad" in Swedish. That just means herring salad. If you wanted to specify that it was with beets and potatoes (in Swedish), you would add "med rödbetor och potatis".


----------



## GLC

taxlady said:


> I grew up in the 50s. There was a lot of weird un-food passing for food. I didn't like (and still don't like) pink ice cream. It was called strawberry, but had nothing to do with strawberries. I enjoy ice cream made with actual strawberries.



Might well have been the ersatz "ice cream" I remember called Mellorine, with various animal and vegetable fats substituting for butterfat. Apparently it's still around. (I see WalWart carries it - surprise, surprise.) Today, it's soy oil, but I would guess that in the 50's lard was probably more like it. In a recent customs law case, it was ruled that Mellorine did not have to be charged dairy product duties because milk wasn't a major component. A far cry from ice cream, but you can fool the kids for a long time if you never give them the real thing.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

Chief Longwind Of The North said:


> The only eel available in the U.P. is Lamprey eel.  I understand that it is a prized delicacy in the U.K.  but here, in the Great lakes, it is full of things like mercury, and all of the other nasties that can be found in top predatory fish.  They are a parasite that suck the juices from the flesh of large lake trout, salmon, etc.



That sounds thoroughly unattractive to me. I presume that's on your "don't wanna see on my plate" category. Me too! 


Beets... I just haven't ever cared for beets, although occasionally some sliced beets show up in my salad (at a restaurant) and I'll taste it a bit and see if I still don't like it. Hasn't happened yet but I have an open mind.

I'd rather eat a beet than an eel though.


----------



## Andy M.

I have to agree.  I don't care for beets as much as I don't care for cauliflower.  

I think I'd rather eat eel.  Actually, I have, as sushi.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

I think I could be convinced to eat eel provided it is prepared in a way that sounds attractive to me. (But not lamprey, that's a definite never going to happen.) I have heard that eels are very bony so if true it would have to be prepared in a way that addresses the bone problem. Other than that it seems that eels are just fish with a very long body plan, which doesn't much bother me.

I doubt I'd want raw eel though (not sure if it's eaten raw). I used to like raw sushi, sashimi, etc., but after talking to a friend recently about raw fish and parasites I've been a bit turned off, although I've been eating raw fish for many years, and often, and as far as I know I've never suffered any harm. 

Speaking of sashimi, I have a local Korean owned market that sells the best grade flash frozen sushi tuna in approx. 10 oz. packages for about $12-$13, enough sashimi for two people to pig out. I bet the same amount would cost $40 in a restaurant. It seems ironic to me that a recipe with only one ingredient and no cooking costs so much in restaurants. 

So I bet raw fish is something that LOTS of people don't want to see on their plate.


----------



## CWS4322

The smoked eel we got was called Räucheraal. I lived near Bad Zwischenahn when I was an exchange student--many a Sunday we went there.  

Aalräucherei Friedrich Bruns | Online-Shop für Weihnachtspräsente für Kunden und Mitarbeiter

I've eaten at that restaurant, but I didn't eat eel there!


----------



## Timothy

Gourmet Greg said:


> I think I could be convinced to eat eel provided it is prepared in a way that sounds attractive to me. (But not lamprey, that's a definite never going to happen.) I have heard that eels are very bony so if true it would have to be prepared in a way that addresses the bone problem. Other than that it seems that eels are just fish with a very long body plan, which doesn't much bother me.
> 
> I doubt I'd want raw eel though (not sure if it's eaten raw). I used to like raw sushi, sashimi, etc., but after talking to a friend recently about raw fish and parasites I've been a bit turned off, although I've been eating raw fish for many years, and often, and as far as I know I've never suffered any harm.
> 
> Speaking of sashimi, I have a local Korean owned market that sells the best grade flash frozen sushi tuna in approx. 10 oz. packages for about $12-$13, enough sashimi for two people to pig out. I bet the same amount would cost $40 in a restaurant. It seems ironic to me that a recipe with only one ingredient and no cooking costs so much in restaurants.
> 
> So I bet raw fish is something that LOTS of people don't want to see on their plate.


 
parasites are easily controled with proper freezing. The FDA requires all fish that is destined to be sushi to be frozen in a manner and for a time span that eliminates parasites. Bacteria is controled by proper food handling when preparing the sushi. 

You can figure that restaurant sushi fish goes for about $32 a pound, or $2 per/ounce. Each bite of nigiri is about one ounce of fish and can cost about $2-$4.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

Timothy, that was what I understood too, that freezing was a viable means of controlling parasites in raw fish. I had a few sentences in my tentative post before I edited them out because I realize that I'm no authority on the subject. Nonetheless I feel better after reading your reply. As I understand it the sushi grade tuna that I buy at my Korean market is flash frozen, and as long as it's kept frozen and then thawed in a reasonable way then it's safe to eat. I have no control over Japanese restaurants I dine at but I presume they follow reasonable precautions, particularly here in Los Angeles where we have a large Asian population and where Asian restaurants (and markets) are very popular and have a high rate of turnover. This is IMO one of the very nice things about living in Los Angeles, that we have such a large variety of Asian food. (I'm not Asian but it's probably my favorite food, I just can't get enough of it.)

I see from your signature that you're a fellow sushi enthusiast. I'll admit sometimes I can be influenced negatively but when I'm not thinking about the details of how the food gets on the plate I'm pretty enthusiastic about sushi and sashimi. I'm very involved in that I've made my own sushi. I've had mixed results with nigiri but very good results with rolls, and of course with my one-ingredient no-cooking sashimi. 

My enthusiasm may sometimes waver but I hope some time soon I'll get back to this, and hope I'll post some recipes and pictures of my own nigiri, rolls and sashimi.

Even for people who don't like the idea of raw fish there is always the California roll, very tasty, no reason to object for those who don't like the idea of eating raw fish, and very easy to prepare!

Price is still a concern for many of us, and very expensive to eat a sushi dinner at a restaurant. That's one of my favorite reasons to cook my own stuff (or in the case of raw stuff, to prepare), not only because I enjoy learning how to put it together and then do it, but also because it's so much more economical to cook your own food at home rather than dining in an expensive restaurant. And of course I enjoy feeding people, which I presume is something that practically everybody on this forum enjoys. Nothing better than cooking food you enjoy and feeding it to friends and family and seeing them enjoy it!  

But one thing for sure, I'll never gain a preference for exotic food until I've tried and enjoyed it at a restaurant. There's the chance to have anything you want expertly prepared, and decide if you like eating it, and then you make your own cooking attempts you have a yardstick to measure your own performance.


----------



## Timothy

Hey Greg, yeah, I"m a sushi addict! I spoke with the fish guy at my local market and he told me that all of his fish is flash frozen at minus 70F for 24 hours prior to being shipped to him from his supplier. That's plenty cold enough to kill any parasites that might be in the meat.

I own my own sushi freezer. Meat can be frozen at minus 4F for 7 days and that will also rid it of parasites. My freezer maintains minus 20F, so I"m good.

With fish from a market, bacteria is more of a worry than parasites. Any meat I buy from the market is prepared as per/instruction from a sushi chef; Each side of he fish is cut away to a depth of a quarter inch. That meat is trashed or cooked. The inside meat is bacteria free then.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

Good Timothy, yeah, that -70F 24 hour guideline is what I read a few years ago when I researched it on the Internet. I have no way of verifying my tuna is done that way but as I said we have a very active (extremely active) Asian community in Los Angeles, and sushi is very popular with our Japanese and Koreans (and maybe other Asians too), so I'm very fortunate to live near a huge variety of restaurants that serve sushi but also have good access to Asian markets. I think you would agree with me that nobody should visit their favorite chain market (Ralphs, Albertson's, Kroeger's, Vons, Gelsons in Los Angeles and some of them probably nationally) and buy fish at their fish counter counter and expect to eat it raw. That stuff is often very good when you intend to cook it, but IMO you must buy fish that is specifically intended to be served raw, or take your chances, particularly with the bacteria.

I don't know what your Asian community is like in Florida but it's obvious that you have huge access to a wide variety of very fresh fish, which is probably one of the great reasons to live in Florida. I suspect that those of us who live near the coasts probably have better access to seafood, and probably more encouragement and exposure to seafood both cooked and raw.

Which gets back to the topic, what don't you want to see on your plate? I bet we coastals probably have less objection and more preference to see seafood on our plates!


----------



## PrincessFiona60

Gourmet Greg said:


> Which gets back to the topic, what don't you want to see on your plate? I bet we coastals probably have less objection and more preference to see seafood on our plates!



Only because we Mountain Goats can't get the freshest seafood.


----------



## Addie

PrincessFiona60 said:


> Only because we Mountain Goats can't get the freshest seafood.


 
My girlfriend in Atlanta fell in love with Haddock when she came up to Conn. for a business trip. Can't get it in Atlanta. And on special order $25.00 per pound. That was the cheapest price she was quoted. We pay $4.99 per pound. I know it is mean of me, but I let her know every time I cook it. And Maine lobsters are so plentiful, that now I am so sick of them. $4.99 a pound right now. Oh dear, was I being mean again?


----------



## PrincessFiona60

Addie said:


> My girlfriend in Atlanta fell in love with Haddock when she came up to Conn. for a business trip. Can't get it in Atlanta. And on special order $25.00 per pound. That was the cheapest price she was quoted. We pay $4.99 per pound. I know it is mean of me, but I let her know every time I cook it. And Maine lobsters are so plentiful, that now I am so sick of them. $4.99 a pound right now. Oh dear, was I being mean again?



When was the last time you were called a "Brat?"


----------



## Dawgluver

PrincessFiona60 said:
			
		

> When was the last time you were called a "Brat?"



+1.  

Sigh.  Sucks being landlocked.  Mississippi catfish just ain't the same as lobster, haddock, etc., etc.

Brat.


----------



## buckytom

i know what you mean, addie. real maine lobsters (not canadian or down-easters) are only $7 a pound even here in joisey almost all year long. 

i guess someone in kansas city or chicago can say they get better beef, but since it travels well, it's not as big of a difference.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

Okay I hope nobody objects to me being a little creative with the topic, but from what I've seen at least in this topic it appears that strict adherence to the topic is not a total requirement. 

So what if you saw dog food on your plate?  I guess this post will prove I'm an adventuresome foodie, and dog lover too! (I have a cute little 14 year old cocker mix who I'm very fond of.) A couple times I was serving my dog his canned dinner and I wondered what his food tasted like, whether it was okay or was it gross?

It was Pedigree canned dog food (the chunky kind with sauce on the side) and I tasted both the chicken and beef flavors (at separate times). Actually it wasn't bad at all, and in fact if I were stranded camping and had nothing to eat but a couple cans of my dog's food I wouldn't have any great reservations particularly if there was no other choice except to go without food. I expected it would have a strong taste and be salty but was surprised to discover that it had no particular seasoning and was very mild in taste, in fact IMO might have used a bit of salt if I actually intended to eat it. Each of the two trials involved eating only about a half of a teaspoon, just enough to see what it tasted like.

I bet I'm getting into the area of one of the most outrageous posts on this forum!  But really my dog's Pedigree canned dog food wasn't all that bad, although I bet most forum members would definitely not want to find dog food on their plates!  


(He eventually tired of Pedigree and I presently feed him a different brand, which I have not yet tasted.)


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

buckytom said:


> i know what you mean, addie. real maine lobsters (not canadian or down-easters) are only $7 a pound even here in joisey almost all year long.



Now you're really beginning to annoy me!  Honestly, I had to quit eating lobster because I just can't afford it. I can't recall any recent price but I recall it was in the vicinity of $20 per pound (Los Angeles). I'd gladly spring $14 for a two pound lobster any day!


----------



## buckytom

greg, did you notice any improvement in your hair and coat after the dog food tastings?

lol. 

one of my sisters tried canned dog food once when we were kids. she said it wasn't terrible.

i've tasted dry doggie biscuits as a joke. they were really boring, somewhere between an unsalty cracker and an unsweetened cookie.

dumb dogs...


----------



## Addie

Gourmet Greg said:


> Now you're really beginning to annoy me!  Honestly, I had to quit eating lobster because I just can't afford it. I can't recall any recent price but I recall it was in the vicinity of $20 per pound (Los Angeles). I'd gladly spring $14 for a two pound lobster any day!


 I wouldn't even look at a two  pound lobster. They get thrown right back in the tank.


----------



## Addie

Gourmet Greg said:


> Now you're really beginning to annoy me!  Honestly, I had to quit eating lobster because I just can't afford it. I can't recall any recent price but I recall it was in the vicinity of $20 per pound (Los Angeles). I'd gladly spring $14 for a two pound lobster any day!


 
My father got up drunk or hung over, went to the fridge, found an open can, thinking it was beef stew finished the can off. Yeah, it was an open can of dog food. Told my mother she should buy that brand of canned stew all the time.


----------



## buckytom

i remember when giant south african lobster tails were the big deal back in the late 80's. the tails alone were 2 to 3 pounds.


----------



## buckytom

i drank "cat water" once.

our old cat hercules preferred to drink from a big, wide mug rather than a bowl, so dw used to pour him a mug of cold water everyday. one day, she left it on the counter, so herc jumped up and drank from it several times after eating his stinky canned food.

i happened to come in from a blistering hot day of working in the garden, and after checking the fridge and finding no cold water, i noticed the mug on the counter. thinking dw had just poured it for herself before she left, i took a couple of big chugs before i noticed it smelled like stinky cat breath and had a few teeny bits of food floating in it.


----------



## Addie

Gourmet Greg said:


> Now you're really beginning to annoy me!  Honestly, I had to quit eating lobster because I just can't afford it. I can't recall any recent price but I recall it was in the vicinity of $20 per pound (Los Angeles). I'd gladly spring $14 for a two pound lobster any day!


Did I remember to tell you about the time my husband the commercial fisherman brought home 16 live lobsters and I let them all die? I had put them in the bottom crisper drawer and forgot all about them. 

Well, I will be nice and not tell you about when he would bring home 10-20 pounds of freshly caught and filleted Haddock for us.


----------



## Addie

We have a plant not far from where I live called Channel Fish Co. They process fillers for cat foods. When I worked for an Overhead Door company, we would have to pay the workers time and a half plus replace all their clothing to get them to go there and work on the broken door. And when one of the freezers go down, we have had some of the folks who live near evacuate due to the smell. I sure wouldn't want cat food on my plate knowing what I know.


----------



## PattY1

Addie said:


> Did I remember to tell you about the time my husband the commercial fisherman brought home 16 live lobsters and I let them all die? I had put them in the bottom crisper drawer and forgot all about them.
> 
> *Well, I will be nice and not tell you about when he would bring home 10-20 pounds of freshly caught and filleted Haddock for us. *




It is probably good that you don't. Haddock is the only filet of fish I will eat and it is real hard to come by in these parts these days.


----------



## buckytom

is haddock the fish traditionally used in fish-n-chips?


----------



## Addie

buckytom said:


> is haddock the fish traditionally used in fish-n-chips?


 
Around these here parts it is. Or Cod. We can get Haddock for around $4.99 to $6.99 a pound. Cod is much cheaper. You get Haddock at market price for the day with chips. It is highly regulated by the Feds. You can catch it during only certain times. Canada is killing us with the Haddock catch. As far as I know, they don't have the limitations that we have and we ceded George's Banks to them. It is probably the richest fishing spot in the Atlantic.


----------



## Bolas De Fraile

buckytom said:


> is haddock the fish traditionally used in fish-n-chips?


In the UK it varies by region.


----------



## buckytom

what other kinds of fish are used there, bolas?


----------



## PrincessFiona60

I can say, that if the cat food I fed the cats didn't smell decent, I wouldn't buy it.  I couldn't imagine trying to feed them first thing in the morning and hating the smell.

If I was starving I guess I could eat it.


----------



## Chief Longwind Of The North

Those bacon strips fed to dogs taste terrible, you know the ones "It's Bacon!  Please I'd get them myself by I don't have any hands!  Bacon!"

They are bitter and taste nothing like bacon.  So if dogs have such a sensitive olfactory system, how come they like something so foul as those strips?

As for things I'd rather not see on my plate, don't think I could stomach those spiders they sell in Cambodia, as a snack, on street corners.

Seeeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


----------



## Skittle68

buckytom said:
			
		

> is haddock the fish traditionally used in fish-n-chips?



I work at red lobster and we use haddock for our fish and chips. Haven't tried it lol, but now I might have to after hearing about how great haddock is


----------



## Andy M.

Chief Longwind Of The North said:


> Those bacon strips fed to dogs taste terrible, you know the ones "It's Bacon!  Please I'd get them myself by I don't have any hands!  Bacon!"
> 
> They are bitter and taste nothing like bacon.  So if dogs have such a sensitive olfactory system, how come they like something so foul as those strips?
> 
> As for things I'd rather not see on my plate, don't think I could stomach those spiders they sell in Cambodia, as a snack, on street corners.
> 
> Seeeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North



It's food for DOGS.  It's not supposed to taste good to you.  The shape of the snack and the ads on TV are for the owners. 

I'd ask how you know they taste so bad but I know better!


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

Chief Longwind Of The North said:


> They are bitter and taste nothing like bacon.  So if dogs have such a sensitive olfactory system, how come they like something so foul as those strips?



Dogs do have a sensitive sense of smell, but that doesn't mean they are gourmets. It's often the case that I prepare my dinner, I prepare my dog's dinner, I serve his then I serve mine, but by the time I sit down he's already inhaled his dinner in maybe 90 seconds and wants to sniff at mine or go outside.

I have some Milkbone doggy treats and they smell overpoweringly strong to me but my dog seems to like them. They small too strong for me to want to try a taste.

Put that on the list of things I don't want to see on my plate!


----------



## Chief Longwind Of The North

Andy M. said:


> It's food for DOGS. It's not supposed to taste good to you. The shape of the snack and the ads on TV are for the owners.
> 
> I'd ask how you know they taste so bad but I know better!


 
I think  watched Mel Gibson eating doggie biscuits in one of his action flicks and just got curious.  I admit, it wasn't one of my smartest moments.  Niether was the next story an example of hyper intelligence.

The worst item I've ever eaten was as a young boy.  I roasted an earthworm in a just emptied, burning, paper milk carton, challenged by "freinds" of course.  That was truly nasty.  Don't want to see earthworms on my plate.


As for foods that people eat, and the things I don't want to see on my plate; Ive tried, but don't care for raw seafood.  I had it in a restaurant in Korea.  Everyone sat on there knees and ate from a tray filled with raw octopus, and several other similar foods.  I also didn't care for the kimchee.  But it might have been the particular recipe at that establishment that I didn't like.  My oldest son was stationed in Korea for two years and had several local friends there.  He was able to eat the foods that the locals ate.  He loves kimchee and says that every house prepares it a little differently, like we do marinara sauce, and probably most recipes.

As for raw seafood though, I do enjoy sushi with raw fish and caviar, at least the kind that they served up in the sushi place accross from the Spaghetti Factory Restaurant in Tacoma Washington.  It was really good.

Seeeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

I've tried kimchee several times over the years and never liked it. I'll keep trying it from time to time. Maybe one day I'll develop a taste for it.


----------



## Timothy

Gourmet Greg said:


> I've tried kimchee several times over the years and never liked it. I'll keep trying it from time to time. Maybe one day I'll develop a taste for it.


 
Kimchee has a thousand flavors. I've had it from maybe 50 places, and each was subtly different. The major difference is sweet versus sour. There are hundreds of variations after that also.

Keep trying it from different places. You'll probably find one you love!

Good luck!


----------



## Addie

Skittle68 said:


> I work at red lobster and we use haddock for our fish and chips. Haven't tried it lol, but now I might have to after hearing about how great haddock is


 
It is a delicate white fish. Almost on the same plane as sole. Very mild tasting. My girlfriend in Atlanta is not a fish eater. But having convinced her to try the Haddock when she came north, has made her a believer. The only fish she was willing to eat before was tilapia. Now she craves Haddock. 

I envy you for working at Red Lobster. We don't have any fish chains. But then there isn't a restaurant in Boston that doesn't serve fish on their menu. If you try to serve bad fish here, the word spreads fast and you will be closed in a week. Remember it was the Cod that got the Pilgrims through that first winter. For fertilizing their fields and also for salting for preservation. But you have to go out into a little deeper waters to catch Haddock. Happy Eating!!!


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

Timothy said:


> Kimchee has a thousand flavors. I've had it from  maybe 50 places, and each was subtly different. The major difference is  sweet versus sour. There are hundreds of variations after that also.
> 
> Keep trying it from different places. You'll probably find one you love!
> 
> Good luck!


That's what I'm doing, different places, different times, different brands, perhaps every year or two. Korean cuisine is practically the only ethnic food I don't enjoy, and I'm convinced that I just haven't found the right dish for me yet. It bothers me because I like every other cuisine I've ever tried, although of course some more than others. I particularly like Asian cuisines so I believe that Korean can't be that much different. There's probably a favorite Korean dish I'm just waiting to discover. But maybe not kimchee.


----------



## Timothy

Gourmet Greg said:


> That's what I'm doing, different places, different times, different brands, perhaps every year or two. Korean cuisine is practically the only ethnic food I don't enjoy, and I'm convinced that I just haven't found the right dish for me yet. It bothers me because I like every other cuisine I've ever tried, although of course some more than others. I particularly like Asian cuisines so I believe that Korean can't be that much different. There's probably a favorite Korean dish I'm just waiting to discover. But maybe not kimchee.


 
You may want to try finding some kimchee at an Asian market that sells it from a local homemade source. That's how I get mine. One of the friends of one of the ladies that work at the market sells hers there. Homemade kimchee is WAY better than that which is mass produced. Like a thousand times better. At your local Asian market, ask them where you can find homemade fresh kimchee. You'll be astounded at the difference in it when compared to the jarred stuff.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

My local Korean market has a deli and I'm pretty sure some of the kimchee in the kimchee section is as you described, and also pretty sure I've tried at least some of these. I usually go a year or two between kimchee attempts and currently it's not time yet for another attempt.

It's a lucky thing there's so many Koreans (and other Asians) in Los Angeles. I'd never have this kind of access to Asian food in much of America. The large presence of Asians is certainly a factor in my liking Asian cuisine and liking to cook my own Asian dishes. (Gotta admit that Thai is my favorite!)


----------



## Timothy

Gourmet Greg said:


> My local Korean market has a deli and I'm pretty sure some of the kimchee in the kimchee section is as you described, and also pretty sure I've tried at least some of these. I usually go a year or two between kimchee attempts and currently it's not time yet for another attempt.
> 
> It's a lucky thing there's so many Koreans (and other Asians) in Los Angeles. I'd never have this kind of access to Asian food in much of America. The large presence of Asians is certainly a factor in my liking Asian cuisine and liking to cook my own Asian dishes. (Gotta admit that Thai is my favorite!)


 
Kimchee is eaten as a condiment. Much like you would use pickle relish. Eating it straight up like a salad is overpowering to most folks. A tiny bit of kimchee on a bite of pork or beef is very good.

I love to put a tad of kimchee on an oyster on the half shell. OMG, it makes my mouth water just typing that. Ha!


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

I've thought of kimchee as a side dish, not as anything you consume alone, although if I don't like a small taste of it I'm unlikely to want it on something else.

One thing I do as an individual quirk of my cooking interest (perhaps others do this, perhaps it's common) is that I almost always taste cooking ingredients, even those other people would never taste, particularly including ingredients that would never be eaten alone. I like to think that tasting what goes into something (even raw when the end result is cooked) gives me a perspective on the effects of individual ingredients on the end product result. (A few things I skip like raw hamburger or ground chicken.) In fact raw galangal root was my particularly worst experiment, one of the most sour or bitter things I've ever tasted.

Oysters are something I'd rather not find on my plate. Tried them a long time ago, didn't like them, don't feel particularly deprived by not trying them again. Of all the foods in the world I'll never try but a small fraction of them so I don't feel particularly bad not trying oysters again.

I guess kimchee is different because there's a whole Korean cuisine that I don't particularly like for some reason, and it puzzles me that I like the other Asian cuisines so much that I wonder why I don't like Korean.

And if it never works out there's plenty of Asian cuisines and dishes, enough that I'll never have time to try them all, never have time to develop my own recipes for cooking in my own kitchen, so I won't feel deprived if I never like Korean. It's probable that even the most adventuresome foodie would never like everything, so Korean can be my personal exception. I can live with that.


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## buckytom

kimchee is more of a part of a small meal or a side dish not really a condiment. unless you consider banchan to be a condiment. i think of condiments as a sauce or some kind of seasoning to go on something more substanntial.

it' always eaten with a side of rice, and often with some roasted seaweed.


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## GLC

Gourmet Greg said:


> Dogs do have a sensitive sense of smell, but that doesn't mean they are gourmets. It's often the case that I prepare my dinner, I prepare my dog's dinner, I serve his then I serve mine, but by the time I sit down he's already inhaled his dinner in maybe 90 seconds and wants to sniff at mine or go outside.
> 
> I have some Milkbone doggy treats and they smell overpoweringly strong to me but my dog seems to like them. They small too strong for me to want to try a taste.!



Dogs are different. Humans have some 9,000 taste buds. Dogs have about 1,700. (Cats even fewer.) Dogs are very sensitive to bitter taste, so much so that they normally dislike something containing saccharine, because it has a bitter component. The balance of taste receptors being different, preferences will be different. And dogs taste sweets more acutely. But this is also because, having a less developed set of receptors, taste isn't as important to a dog. They don't, for instance, get tired of their usual dog food and demand some variety. Their foods tend to be strong but rather uninteresting in taste from a human perspective. But they still share with us the tendency to acquire a dislike of a food that made them ill. (For years, I couldn't eat crab-stuffed jalapenos, after I got a bad one.) 

But I don't know about dogs being incapable of having something of a gourmet taste. My dog (bouvier) is no chowhound. He may or may not finish one bowl of food before it's time for the next. But he is distinctly more enthusiastic about lamb as the dog food meat component than beef in the same line of food. And he will go right to work on a bowl and finish it, if some fiore sardo or grana padano or some other aged cheese is grated over it. And his favorite treat is a bit of cheese rind, pricey hard cheeses preferred. He has no use for MilkBones and immediately takes them out and buries them. 

But animals are individuals, too. Like my cat who liked dry onion skins and would pass up tuna for a mushroom.


----------



## Timothy

buckytom said:


> kimchee is more of a part of a small meal or a side dish not really a condiment. unless you consider banchan to be a condiment. i think of condiments as a sauce or some kind of seasoning to go on something more substanntial.
> 
> it' always eaten with a side of rice, and often with some roasted seaweed.


 
It's really hard to classify something like Kimchee. It's kind of whatever you use it for.

I use it as a condiment. Exactly as I would any relish. I add a bit of it to whatever bite of food I'm eating, and never eat it "as is". To me, eating kimchee by itself is how I would think of someone using a spoon to eat mustard right from the jar. Too stongly flavored to be very good by itself, but excellent when added to a bite of something else.

I guess what I'm trying to say, Tom, is "To each his own" in regard to kimchee.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

GLC, thank you for the interesting post! I'm glad that apparently forum members and management don't make any big deal about strictly adhering to topics, unlike some other forums where the heavy moderation makes me uncomfortable. ... My dog ate Pedigree brand for years but a year ago he lost his enthusiasm and sometimes didn't even finish his dinner. I tried several brands until he started liking Merrick, which seems to be a bit more health foodie or more distinctly different flavors. I  think of dogs as gourmands. It's funny a gourmet guy having a gourmand dog! 

Timothy I'm just trying to get to the point of not disliking the flavor of kimchee and when I get there I'll look for compatible foods. For some reason I don't like Korean cuisine in general although I don't quite understand why. (I'll admit my sampling of Korean food has been limited.) It seems the seasonings always seem not quite right to me. Like for instance my Korean market has a eat in or take out mini-store inside (these kinds of markets often several or a dozen different businesses operating within the store, all the way from cellphones to travel to bakeries or cosmetic stores). I tried what I presume is the Korean version of sweet 'n sour chicken and the spices just turned me off. I love Chinese and Thai sweet 'n sour so I don't know why the Korean wouldn't be good.

Korean barbecue is good, but I avoid it because these places at least in L.A. are "all you can eat" style, and I don't go to "all you can eat" because I always overeat.  Maybe I'll like kimchee some day...


----------



## buckytom

agreed, tim. i guess the use of it as a condiment is more of a western thing, which certainly isn't bad. just not traditional.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

Saw another topic, was reminded... 

I don't want to see frog legs on my plate! Tried them once, sort of reminded me of chicken but the idea didn't settle well.

Nor snakes. Definitely don't want to see frogs, snakes or insects on my plate!



(Sorry Timothy, you and I see eye-to-eye on most subjects but I think your horizons are somewhat broader than mine.)


----------



## GLC

I had a friend who worked all over the world as a helicopter mechanic, mostly for oil companies, so that meant 3rd world and other back of beyond locations. In Ivory Coast, he was stationed kind of in the bush. He said that if you ordered chicken, you had better see the chicken walking around and not let it out of your sight. Otherwise, your chicken might be monkey by the time it was served. 

That either speaks well of the flavor of Cote d'Ivoire monkey or badly of the flavor of their chicken.


----------



## Timothy

Gourmet Greg said:


> Saw another topic, was reminded...
> 
> I don't want to see frog legs on my plate! Tried them once, sort of reminded me of chicken but the idea didn't settle well.
> 
> Nor snakes. Definitely don't want to see frogs, snakes or insects on my plate!
> 
> 
> 
> (Sorry Timothy, you and I see eye-to-eye on most subjects but I think your horizons are somewhat broader than mine.)


 
I've already eaten all three. snake was my least favorite of the thrree and frogs legs my favorite. insects taste like crunchy oil fried anything. Close your eyes and you wouldn't know it was a grasshopper.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

That reminds me of escargot. I had it one time and thought it was delicious, but later upon thinking about it I decided that practically anything cooked in garlic and butter would taste delicious.

Thus, escargot added to my list of things I don't want to see on my plate. There's plenty of things just as good that don't have a "yuck" factor.


----------



## Timothy

Gourmet Greg said:


> That reminds me of escargot. I had it one time and thought it was delicious, but later upon thinking about it I decided that practically anything cooked in garlic and butter would taste delicious.
> 
> Thus, escargot added to my list of things I don't want to see on my plate. There's plenty of things just as good that don't have a "yuck" factor.


 
So even though you've eaten and enjoyed them, you've assigned them your "Yuck factor" and decided to never enjoy them again?

I see that as a shame of lost enjoyment.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

Yes, although I feel no shame. It was a good thing to try once and I'm glad I did. Anyway they're probably expensive now and I haven't seen them on any menus lately.

How different do you think the restaurant ones are from the ordinary species found in US gardens?


----------



## Timothy

Gourmet Greg said:


> Yes, although I feel no shame. It was a good thing to try once and I'm glad I did. Anyway they're probably expensive now and I haven't seen them on any menus lately.
> 
> How different do you think the restaurant ones are from the ordinary species found in US gardens?


 
I really have no idea. I've wondered that myself.


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## Skittle68

I agree with the frog legs. I have tried them and to me they tasted like slimy, slightly fishy chicken. Not that great.


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## CWS4322

When I was in high school, after a ski meet, we would go to a restaurant in Duluth, MN that had EXCELLENT frog legs. They were my favorite--or maybe I was just exhausted after skiing and would eat anything. I also pocketed the Rye Crisps...


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## Skittle68

CWS4322 said:
			
		

> When I was in high school, after a ski meet, we would go to a restaurant in Duluth, MN that had EXCELLENT frog legs. They were my favorite--or maybe I was just exhausted after skiing and would eat anything. I also pocketed the Rye Crisps...



Lol I live in Duluth MN!! What restaurant was this? Wondering if it's still around


----------



## CWS4322

Skittle68 said:


> Lol I live in Duluth MN!! What restaurant was this? Wondering if it's still around


That is why I mentioned it--the restaurant was a "rotating" restaurant on top of a hotel...wonderful view of the city...sorry, I can't remember the name. But the frog legs were excellent. I am not a fan of frog legs, but  the ones there were excellent. Near the harbor? (Pulling this from grey matter based on the view of the water).


----------



## Skittle68

CWS4322 said:
			
		

> That is why I mentioned it--the restaurant was a "rotating" restaurant on top of a hotel...wonderful view of the city...sorry, I can't remember the name. But the frog legs were excellent. I am not a fan of frog legs, but  the ones there were excellent. Near the harbor? (Pulling this from grey matter based on the view of the water).



The Top of the Harbor, above the Radisson. The outer floor in the round building makes one rotation per hour, so you pretty much get the whole view of Duluth if you eat there. I never eat there, because the food isn't that great and it's over priced. It's more of a tourist thing I guess. No locals go there. Once I had chicken Kiev, and it was ground and pressed, straight from the freezer like you would get at the grocery store. I wish it was a decent place to eat- I love the concept.


----------



## GiddyUpGo

My mom used to make this recipe called "cream tuna peas on toast." It looked like someone threw up on a slice of bread. 

Come to think of it, I wouldn't want to see any version of peas on my plate. I still don't like them, all these years later.


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## Skittle68

GiddyUpGo said:
			
		

> My mom used to make this recipe called "cream tuna peas on toast." It looked like someone threw up on a slice of bread.
> 
> Come to think of it, I wouldn't want to see any version of peas on my plate. I still don't like them, all these years later.



Mmmmmmm that sounds sooooo good! We always called it **** on a shingle. Creamed ham or tuna, or sometimes creamed peas over mashed potatoes. Yum!!


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## GiddyUpGo

Skittle68 said:


> Mmmmmmm that sounds sooooo good! We always called it **** on a shingle. Creamed ham or tuna, or sometimes creamed peas over mashed potatoes. Yum!!



Blech!! She also used to make this thing called "salmon loaf," which didn't have any actual salmon in it. I think it was made with canned mackerel. All I remember is there were crunchy little bits of bone in it and little squishy bits of fish gut. Yuck!!

Oh and the casseroles, always with the same undercooked pastry on top. Jeez I hope my mom never reads this forum, haha.


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## buckytom

lol, giddyup. we won't tell her. 





Gourmet Greg said:


> Yes, although I feel no shame. It was a good thing to try once and I'm glad I did. Anyway they're probably expensive now and I haven't seen them on any menus lately.
> 
> How different do you think the restaurant ones are from the ordinary species found in US gardens?


 

i remember seeing a travel show once about places in the french countryside where people would go out after a long rainfall to collect dozens of snails from their walkways and around their yards. then they'd cook them up for dinner.

the pastoral beauty of their homes and gardens were such that it seemed like a natural thing to do, so i wouldn't have any problem eating _their_ little slugs. but i don't think i could do the same thing in my own yard.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

Timothy said:


> I really have no idea. I've wondered that myself.



OMG!  You're defending escargot and you don't even know if they're the same snails you step on to kill them in your garden??? 

Maybe I'll do that tomorrow... (It's getting late here.)



Skittle68 said:


> I agree with the frog legs. I have tried them and to me they tasted like slimy, slightly fishy chicken. Not that great.



I was going to say the same thing but I didn't want to offend any frog lovers here on the forum. I was thinking exactly "slimy, slightly fishy chicken." If I want something that tastes like chicken I'll have chicken, thank you! 

I've heard that rattlesnake tastes like chicken too. Um, rattlesnake is also something I don't want to see on my plate, live or cooked, although I'd rather have cooked than live if that was the only choice.


----------



## GiddyUpGo

Gourmet Greg said:


> I've heard that rattlesnake tastes like chicken too. Um, rattlesnake is also something I don't want to see on my plate, live or cooked, although I'd rather have cooked than live if that was the only choice.



Haha! I would totally eat rattlesnake. I'm game for trying almost anything (I ate kangaroo just last week!) as long as it isn't entrails or bugs. I don't have to like it, though, or eat it twice!


----------



## Addie

Skittle68 said:


> The Top of the Harbor, above the Radisson. The outer floor in the round building makes one rotation per hour, so you pretty much get the whole view of Duluth if you eat there. I never eat there, because the food isn't that great and it's over priced. It's more of a tourist thing I guess. No locals go there. Once I had chicken Kiev, and it was ground and pressed, straight from the freezer like you would get at the grocery store. I wish it was a decent place to eat- I love the concept.


 
Like the Space Needle in Seattle. Only tourists go there.


----------



## Addie

Gourmet Greg said:


> OMG!  You're defending escargot and you don't even know if they're the same snails you step on to kill them in your garden???
> 
> Maybe I'll do that tomorrow... (It's getting late here.)
> 
> I was going to say the same thing but I didn't want to offend any frog lovers here on the forum. I was thinking exactly "slimy, slightly fishy chicken." If I want something that tastes like chicken I'll have chicken, thank you!
> 
> I've heard that rattlesnake tastes like chicken too. Um, rattlesnake is also something I don't want to see on my plate, live or cooked, although I'd rather have cooked than live if that was the only choice.


 
Then you don't want to go to Texas for their annual rattlesnake roundup.


----------



## joesfolk

For me the worst is liver...liver of any variety.  It smells absolutely delicious when it's being cooked.  You get all set to eat a fabulous meal and then, well... once it's in your mouth the texture is abhorrent.  It defies description.


----------



## Dumpandstir

You guys are funny.  

I don't care for Okra but here is my opinion on most of this.  Some types of food have very specific cooking techniques required for them to taste good.  Brussels Sprouts are a vegetable that are often cooked to the point of wicked bitterness.


----------



## taxlady

Skittle68 said:


> The Top of the Harbor, above the Radisson. The outer floor in the round building makes one rotation per hour, so you pretty much get the whole view of Duluth if you eat there. I never eat there, because the food isn't that great and it's over priced. It's more of a tourist thing I guess. No locals go there. Once I had chicken Kiev, and it was ground and pressed, straight from the freezer like you would get at the grocery store. I wish it was a decent place to eat- I love the concept.



Rotating restaurants are notorious for not having great food. There isn't room for a decent sized kitchen in the centre of the thing, so most have a kitchen downstairs somewhere and food gets sent up in an elevator or dumbwaiter. I have been to some quite good buffets at a rotating restaurant though.


----------



## Timothy

joesfolk said:


> For me the worst is liver...liver of any variety. It smells absolutely delicious when it's being cooked. You get all set to eat a fabulous meal and then, well... once it's in your mouth the texture is abhorrent. It defies description.


What a shame. Beef liver is pretty tough, but calves liver, if cooked to a medium rare, is as tender and flavorful as veal.

Get yourself some beef calves liver and cook it for just a couple minutes on one side and then one or two minutes on the second side. It should still be slightly pink in the middle and should also be very tender.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

joesfolk said:


> For me the worst is liver...liver of any variety.  It smells absolutely delicious when it's being cooked.  You get all set to eat a fabulous meal and then, well... once it's in your mouth the texture is abhorrent.  It defies description.



It's sort of chewy on the outside and the middle is so tender that it kind of melts as you chew. I like this but I think I can understand why somebody might not like liver and might associate this with "yuckiness."


----------



## GLC

buckytom said:


> I remember seeing a travel show once about places in the french countryside where people would go out after a long rainfall to collect dozens of snails from their walkways and around their yards. then they'd cook them up for dinner.
> 
> the pastoral beauty of their homes and gardens were such that it seemed like a natural thing to do, so i wouldn't have any problem eating _their_ little slugs. but i don't think i could do the same thing in my own yard.



Probably best not to take an edited cooking show too literally. Wild snails, even the edible kind, can be anywhere from nasty to poisonous until processed by starving and then salting to force them to purge. And what they eat has a lot to do with flavor. 



Gourmet Greg said:


> I've heard that rattlesnake tastes like chicken too. Um, rattlesnake is also something I don't want to see on my plate, live or cooked, although I'd rather have cooked than live if that was the only choice.



It's really a mild flavor and all white meat. When I was growing up, I spent many summers with grandparents in Sweetwater, Texas, where they have one of the oldest and largest rattlesnake roundups. But it's close to white chicken meat when fried. Makes a good gumbo, too. I've only eaten them in the spring, when they're flushed out of their winter dens, and most have fasted over the winter. I don't know if the taste is different later in the year. I'd say that they're one of the easiest beasties to skin and dress. You really need large snakes to get much meat. The 3-4 foot rattlers in my yard aren't worth it.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

I'm not afraid of rattlesnakes as long as they're kept at a proper and safe distance. Last time I encountered one (camping, curled up under my car) I took pictures and watched it for a while until finally encouraging it with a stick to leave my campsite.

But I just don't think of them as food. If I want something that tastes like chicken I'm perfectly happy with chicken.

I don't want to see reptiles on my plate!


----------



## Addie

GLC said:


> Probably best not to take an edited cooking show too literally. Wild snails, even the edible kind, can be anywhere from nasty to poisonous until processed by starving and then salting to force them to purge. And what they eat has a lot to do with flavor.
> 
> It's really a mild flavor and all white meat. When I was growing up, I spent many summers with grandparents in Sweetwater, Texas, where they have one of the oldest and largest rattlesnake roundups. But it's close to white chicken meat when fried. Makes a good gumbo, too. I've only eaten them in the spring, when they're flushed out of their winter dens, and most have fasted over the winter. I don't know if the taste is different later in the year. I'd say that they're one of the easiest beasties to skin and dress. You really need large snakes to get much meat. The 3-4 foot rattlers in my yard aren't worth it.


 
My son used to capture live rattlers and turn them in for the $5.00 bounty. It was his 'go to the movies' money.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

When I was a kid, on camping trips I used to catch garter snakes and sell them to the pet store when I got home, maybe a buck or two each. Garter snakes bite too but not hard enough to cause much harm.

I don't want to see garter snakes on my plate either!


----------



## buckytom

GLC said:


> Probably best not to take an edited cooking show too literally. Wild snails, even the edible kind, can be anywhere from nasty to poisonous until processed by starving and then salting to force them to purge. And what they eat has a lot to do with flavor.
> 
> .



hmm, i'd learned in survival training years ago that slug, worms, and freshwater snails were safe to eat. you just had to be careful not to eat bugs that had hair on them. those were more likely to be poisonous. i'll have to look up how snails are prepared for consumption.


----------



## Timothy

buckytom said:


> hmm, i'd learned in survival training years ago that slug, worms, and freshwater snails were safe to eat. you just had to be careful not to eat bugs that had hair on them. those were more likely to be poisonous. i'll have to look up how snails are prepared for consumption.


 
Here's a paper with that information in it:
Raising Snails


----------



## windsbud

First of all I want to say hello.  This is my first post 
 Squid..yuch.  Not because of the taste because I never tasted it.  I just can't get past what it looks like**shudder**


----------



## PattY1

Timothy said:


> What a shame. Beef liver is pretty tough, but calves liver, if cooked to a medium rare, is as tender and flavorful as veal.
> 
> Get yourself some beef calves liver and cook it for just a couple minutes on one side and then one or two minutes on the second side. It should still be slightly pink in the middle and should also be very tender.




I only eat beef liver and I cook it well done and it is fork tender.
I season with salt and pepper and lightly flour. Pan fry in canola oil. I remove from pan and fry onion rings. As they start to soften I place the liver on top, add a little water and put on the lid. Simmer until done, sturing  the onions every 5 minutes or so.


----------



## Addie

windsbud said:


> First of all I want to say hello. This is my first post
> Squid..yuch. Not because of the taste because I never tasted it. I just can't get past what it looks like**shudder**


 
Welcome windsbud. You are going to really enjoy being here at DC.

I have to agree with you on that squid. My daughter makes stuffed squid a lot. Many, many moons ago when I worked in a restaurant I use to clean squid and prepare and cut up tripe. (cow's stomach) I won't eat tripe either. Although it is a tradition in this town that all Italian restaurants make tripe in gravy on Saturday. If you show up late at your favorite restaurant, you may find that there is no more left. So you go hunting for a restaurant that still has some left. Big seller.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

windsbud said:


> First of all I want to say hello.  This is my first post
> Squid..yuch.  Not because of the taste because I never tasted it.  I just can't get past what it looks like**shudder**



Hi, welcome to the forum! 

This whole topic topic reminds us that like the saying, one man's ceiling is another man's floor, or one man's meat is another man's poison.

At first I didn't like the idea of squid, and I'm talking about the little squiddy ones tentacles and all. One time I was dining with friends at a Thai restaurant and they ordered a squid appetizer, more or less little squids maybe chopped in two or three parts, sauteed in chili peppers and some other stuff not sure of the recipe, so I tried it and discovered it was really good!

Recently I've had a craving for the same thing, having noticed that one of my favorite Thai restaurants has it on the menu (squid salad), but I don't want to eat the whole thing and I can't find any of my friends that will share it.

So I'll add to things that I _do_ want to see on my plate: little Thai style squids! 


Addie, this is a pretty good topic you started!  I'll bet it will go 100 pages and probably far beyond!


----------



## GLC

windsbud said:


> First of all I want to say hello.  This is my first post
> Squid..yuch.  Not because of the taste because I never tasted it.  I just can't get past what it looks like**shudder**



Like some other foods, they are best viewed for the first time in one of their more attractive states.







It takes some experience to get to appreciate them au natural, so to speak.


----------



## JoAnn L.

I don't eat anything that has lived in water.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

GLC please quit that! Your squid rings look good and it's starting to get near dinner time in my time zone. Uh, can I have some onion rings with that too? 


I've made a note to investigate Thai squid salad recipes in hopefully the near future.


----------



## Addie

Gourmet Greg said:


> Hi, welcome to the forum!
> 
> This whole topic topic reminds us that like the saying, one man's ceiling is another man's floor, or one man's meat is another man's poison.
> 
> At first I didn't like the idea of squid, and I'm talking about the little squiddy ones tentacles and all. One time I was dining with friends at a Thai restaurant and they ordered a squid appetizer, more or less little squids maybe chopped in two or three parts, sauteed in chili peppers and some other stuff not sure of the recipe, so I tried it and discovered it was really good!
> 
> Recently I've had a craving for the same thing, having noticed that one of my favorite Thai restaurants has it on the menu (squid salad), but I don't want to eat the whole thing and I can't find any of my friends that will share it.
> 
> So I'll add to things that I _do_ want to see on my plate: little Thai style sids!
> Addie, this is a pretty good topic you started!  I'll bet it will go 100 pages and probably far beyond!


 
Thank you. I too am surprised at how far this subject has gone.  I didn't realize just how many foods I don't want to find on my plate either. I think my aversion to squid may be because I had to clean so many of them, (cuttle bone and all) when I worked in the restaurant. The restauran was too cheap to spend a few more pennies and buy the ones already cleaned. It cost them more for my labor than they saved.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

Addie,

I think the topic is interesting because for almost every thing somebody doesn't like there's somebody else who really loves it. The squids are a good example, or the escargot, or the liver, etc. (I love liver!)




JoAnn L. said:


> I don't eat anything that has lived in water.


 
Why not? Did you have a bad experience with seafood?


----------



## JoAnn L.

Gourmet Greg said:


> Addie,
> 
> I think the topic is interesting because for almost every thing somebody doesn't like there's somebody else who really loves it. The squids are a good example, or the escargot, or the liver, etc. (I love liver!)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Why not? Did you have a bad experience with seafood?



As a child I was always made to eat everything on my plate (you sat there until you did). The foods I hated most were fish or liver. I would take these foods ( I would cut them into tiny little pieces) and mix them in my mashed potatoes in order to get it down. Even today the smell of any "sea food" or liver makes me feel ill. When my DH has his friends over for a fish fry he has to cook it outside.
I know fish is good for you to eat but I just can't do it.


----------



## Addie

Gourmet Greg said:


> Addie,
> 
> I think the topic is interesting because for almost every thing somebody doesn't like there's somebody else who really loves it. The squids are a good example, or the escargot, or the liver, etc. (I love liver!)


 
Yum! Yum! I have to be careful when I cook liver. I have a tendency to want to cook a whole mess of it at one time. That is overkill with iron for me.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

Sorry JoAnn. I hate to hear when people are forced to eat foods, particularly forced to eat everything on their plate. I think this a common reason for food aversions.

I was forced to eat vegetables to some degree when I was a kid. I didn't like them much as a young adult but when I got older I acquired a real taste for vegetables and now I crave them (most of them).


----------



## Addie

Gourmet Greg said:


> Sorry JoAnn. I hate to hear when people are forced to eat foods, particularly forced to eat everything on their plate. I think this a common reason for food aversions.
> 
> I was forced to eat vegetables to some degree when I was a kid. I didn't like them much as a young adult but when I got older I acquired a real taste for vegetables and now I crave them (most of them).


 
My youngest daughter hated peas. But there was a rule at the table. You had to eat half of everything on your plate. So I made sure that I had mashed potatoes whenever I served peas. For her I would give her two peas. One where she could see it and one hidden in her mashed potatoes. She would eat half of her potatoes after she had found the pea leaving it untouched and then cut the other pea in half. After I caught her doing that trick, I gave up. She hated peas. But I learned to give smaller portions of foods that the other kids didn't like. After a while the 'rule' went to the wayside. I didn't like using food as punishment. And that is how the kids saw it. "What did I do wrong that now I have to eat this?"


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

You should have made a pea and potato puree!


----------



## PattY1

Addie said:


> My youngest daughter hated peas. But there was a rule at the table. You had to eat half of everything on your plate. So I made sure that I had mashed potatoes whenever I served peas. For her I would give her two peas. One where she could see it and one hidden in her mashed potatoes. She would eat half of her potatoes after she had found the pea leaving it untouched and then cut the other pea in half. After I caught her doing that trick, I gave up. She hated peas. But I learned to give smaller portions of foods that the other kids didn't like. After a while the 'rule' went to the wayside. I didn't like using food as punishment. And that is how the kids saw it. "What did I do wrong that now I have to eat this?"



What I did when I was raising kids and now with my grandchildren is if you honestly don't like it you don't have to eat it. However if you like what is on the table it is not multiple choice. Ex. Boy # 2 said no to peas. He liked peas and they were the veggie for the meal, so yes he had to eat some.


----------



## windsbud

Escargot!!  Add that to things I won't eat. Creeps me out as much as squid!


----------



## buckytom

after doing some research (thanks tim), it appears eating almost all varieties of garden (aka land) snails are safe to eat. only some saltwater snails are poisonous.

i guess what you see on edited tv shows are still more accurate than what you might read on the intenet... lol.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

I don't want to see land snails, freshwater snails or sea snails on my plate!  If we ever discover space snails I don't want to see them either! 

But I'd like to see some squids on my plate!  Particularly in a Thai recipe.


----------



## GLC

buckytom said:


> after doing some research (thanks tim), it appears eating almost all varieties of garden (aka land) snails are safe to eat. only some saltwater snails are poisonous.
> 
> i guess what you see on edited tv shows are still more accurate than what you might read on the intenet... lol.



Not the Internet, and there were some things they probably didn't explain on the show. I relied on an account of the snail festival, Foire aux Escargots, at Martigny-les-Bains, in Peter Mayle's French Lessons - Advantures with Knife, Fork, and Corkscrew (2001). The issue with wild snails is not a matter or inherently poisonous snails themselves. The problem is the popularity among snails that roam the fields and forests of nightshade and poisonous mushrooms. Snail festivals in France can be any time from spring through September, but this particular one is in May, if the time of year has anything to do with it, which it well might, in the case of the mushrooms. There, they starve the collected wild snails for fifteen days and put them through three washes of fresh water to rid them of their dietary toxins. Cultivated snails, of course, don't have the problem. 

M.F.K. Fisher wrote about preparation of wild snails, also, in Serve It Forth (1937). She was writing about Dijon where the old man who was preparing the snails starved them for "a few days or a week" to rid them of poisons. 

Cultivated snails are raised on garden/farm-like rows of what looks to me like clover. If people on the show were collecting snails from their own garden, they likely know that there's nothing poisonous for them to eat. I don't know that they qualify as "wild" snails. More like free range snails. But it's clear that snails can ingest without harm to themselves things that are toxic to humans. And I have to wonder if the purging of wild snails might also have to do with unpleasant tastes imparted by recently eaten things.


----------



## GLC

Gourmet Greg said:


> I don't want to see land snails, freshwater snails or sea snails on my plate!  If we ever discover space snails I don't want to see them either!
> 
> But I'd like to see some squids on my plate!  Particularly in a Thai recipe.



Even space squid?


----------



## Addie

Gourmet Greg said:


> I don't want to see land snails, freshwater snails or sea snails on my plate! If we ever discover space snails I don't want to see them either!
> 
> But I'd like to see some squids on my plate!  Particularly in a Thai recipe.


----------



## buckytom

thanks for the explanation, glc. it's funny how easy misinformation can be spread unintentionally.

if i recall correctly, the people in the show literally were collecting snails from right around their houses and gardens. dozens at a time after a heavy rain, and like you said, kind of free range. it was almost a snail infestation from the pictures.  

i know from my own garden that all you need to do is leave out some wooden planks in a loose pile near a lawn sprinkler to collect them.


----------



## buckytom

Gourmet Greg said:


> I don't want to see land snails, freshwater snails or sea snails on my plate! If we ever discover space snails I don't want to see them either!
> 
> But I'd like to see some squids on my plate!  Particularly in a Thai recipe.


 
i love pla muk yang, or thai style flash grilled squid over a simple salad with a wedge of lime and sweet chili sauce.


----------



## Addie

buckytom said:


> thanks for the explanation, glc. it's funny how easy misinformation can be spread unintentionally.
> 
> if i recall correctly, the people in the show literally were collecting snails from right around their houses and gardens. dozens at a time after a heavy rain, and like you said, kind of free range. it was almost a snail infestation from the pictures.
> 
> i know from my own garden that all you need to do is leave out some wooden planks in a loose pile near a lawn sprinkler to collect them.


 
I would rather pour salt on them. Then I watch them melt into nothing. Nasty, slimy little critters.


----------



## buckytom

well, of course you're supposed to season them first...


----------



## Bolas De Fraile

buckytom said:


> what other kinds of fish are used there, bolas?


Cod, Rock Salmon and whale heads


----------



## Addie

Bolas De Fraile said:


> Cod, Rock Salmon and whale heads


 
We have a restaurant that imports whale meat from Japan and if it is your birthday, you can get a free order. It is located right on the Fish Pier. I would throw my plate right back into the sea if it came to me with whale on it.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

I don't want to see whale on my plate, or any other mammal that lives in the sea.


----------



## Timothy

Gourmet Greg said:


> I don't want to see whale on my plate, or any other mammal that lives in the sea.


I agree, Greg. I have absolutely no desire to eat whale.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

I don't want to see any fugu on my plate. This is a fish served as sashimi in Japan that contains neurotoxins, which gives a "high" when consumed in proper quantities, or can be lethal if improperly prepared. (Fugu chefs are required to have a government license, to ensure the safety of the public.)

If I want something that gets me high I'll have a few glasses of wine, thank you.


----------



## Timothy

Gourmet Greg said:


> I don't want to see any fugu on my plate. This is a fish served as sashimi in Japan that contains neurotoxins, which gives a "high" when consumed in proper quantities, or can be lethal if improperly prepared. (Fugu chefs are required to have a government license, to ensure the safety of the public.)
> 
> If I want something that gets me high I'll have a few glasses of wine, thank you.


 
Again, I agree 100% with you Greg. I don't tinker with foods that are deadly to people. There are too many other foods to enjoy that pose no risk at all.


----------



## Lil Ms Sueshine

I grew up in an Asian household and I've seen a bunch of odd things being cooked. I USE to eat dinuguan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinuguan) until my cousin told me what it was. Needless to say, it has not graced my plate since I was about 8. On the more normal food side, I CANNOT stand green beans. I think it's a cruel joke that my family has me make the green bean casserole every Thanksgiving :P


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

Oh yeah, blood pudding. It doesn't sound attractive to me either. Asians eat a very wide variety of foods. My local Asian market (Vietnamese owned) has coagulated blood (if that's the correct term) in the meat market, probably pork blood. It doesn't bother me to see it there but I'm never tempted to buy any. I'll also pass on the pork ears, pork snouts, pork stomach, pork hooves and even pork uterus. I admire that Asians use practically the entire animal, and I admire the wide variety and range of foods that they eat. They are certainly adventuresome! Although growing up in the culture that stuff probably doesn't seem odd at all, just commonplace. I bet I'd like all of them if nobody told me what I'm eating.


I was watching a TV program a few evenings ago, on alligators. As I watched the huge beasts swim it seemed to me that they probably have lots of meat because of their huge muscles. I kind of wondered what they taste like although I'm not tempted to try them. Probably tastes like chicken...

I don't want to see any alligator on my plate, and I don't want to see any pork uteruses either!


----------



## taxlady

Lil Ms Sueshine said:


> I grew up in an Asian household and I've seen a bunch of odd things being cooked. I USE to eat dinuguan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinuguan) until my cousin told me what it was. Needless to say, it has not graced my plate since I was about 8. On the more normal food side, I CANNOT stand green beans. I think it's a cruel joke that my family has me make the green bean casserole every Thanksgiving :P



That dinuguan sounds yummy.


----------



## Timothy

taxlady said:


> That dinuguan sounds yummy.


That's what I thought too, taxlady.

Kinda like Menudo, but sounds thicker. Like a stew maybe.

Nothing in it I don't like...

But heck, I"ll eat almost anything that anyone eats once in front of me.


----------



## Andy M.

Greg, having watched many episodes of Bizarre Foods, I can say with confidence that parts of the pig/cow/sheep/etc such as you mentioned are consumed in similar dishes around the world.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

That's quite possible Andy, and the only thing that's lacking here is my culinary knowledge which is restricted mostly to US, EU and Asia. Nonetheless I'm quite impressed with the huge variety of foods that Asians eat, from what I've seen in Asian markets, and from my familiarity with Japanese cuisine. For example, I'm always amazed at all the surprises I see on sushi menus, lots of it stuff that I'll admit is a bit too extreme for me. However I suspect that only a small percentage of Americans would even consider eating raw fish. I'll bet a Japanese who had an aversion to raw fish would be considered very odd in Japan.

Menudo, a Latino food made from beef stomach for those unfamiliar with it, probably wouldn't be something most non-Latino Americans would like to eat, but is another example of using up the entire animal for all it's nutrient value. I suspect most of the beef stomach and other parts of beef and pork end up in dog food in America. I bet if I looked closer in my local Latino markets I'd discover a lot of the same parts sold in local Asian markets.

A good example of what you say, how many cultures make blood sausage? I'll bet a lot although I can't name them. I think blood has been used traditionally in a lot of sausages that aren't blood sausage per se. And as far as I know the traditional sausage casing is intestines. How many people have eaten the intestines and not even known it?

You could write a book on all the things I don't know. In fact they already wrote it, it's called an encyclopedia!


----------



## Addie

That green bean casserole is not a real American holiday tradition. It was made up by Campnell Soup Company to increase sales for their Cream of Mushroom soup. It was printed in time for Thanksgiving in their ads in such a way that folks began to think that it was unAmerican to not make it for this time of year. Campbell also owns the French Onion brand. If they had owned a green bean product at the time they would have printed their own name brand of that also. I would rather make my own cream of anything recipe. Less salt yet more flavor. I make cream carrots with white sauce and organic carrots with the tops still on them. The kind you have to peel. I hate the texture of those little peeled carrots. They have been treated with chemicals to keep them looking fresh. I will do my own work, thank you.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

I agree, the Campbells/French's green bean casserole not being a real American tradition, except of course in the minds of Campbell marketing executives. I've made it 2-3 times for Thanksgiving or Christmas, and thought it quite good, but I suspect I'd get tired of it if I cooked it often. I think it would be a good casserole to cook when you're cooking a large complicated holiday dinner by yourself and want to simplify your job so that you don't have to spend the entire day on your feet cooking. Most of us would rather have time to visit with our company and family while we're cooking our holiday dinner.

I've often thought that recipes that require a specific name brand or a manufacturer's unique product aren't real recipes, although I've got a few recipes exactly like that. I don't feel good about a recipe until I've formulated it using nothing but basic generic ingredients.


----------



## buckytom

both of my ancestries (norwegian and irish) make blood pudding/sausage. i have to say that i've enjoyed both types.

it sounds disgusting but it doesn't taste bad. it really just adds a sort of food colouring and a slight mineral taste, but if no one told you what was in the sausage, i doubt anyone would guess.


----------



## Andy M.

Gourmet Greg said:


> I agree, the Campbells/French's green bean casserole not being a real American tradition, except of course in the minds of Campbell marketing executives...



Are you suggesting it's not real because it has origins outside the USA or that it's not real because it came from a corporate kitchen?


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

Andy M. said:


> Are you suggesting it's not real because it has origins outside the USA or that it's not real because it came from a corporate kitchen?


It's not from USA? I didn't know that.


----------



## GLC

Gourmet Greg said:


> And as far as I know the traditional sausage casing is intestines.



Kind of. Natural casing is the intestinal sub-mucosa, the thin, smooth layer just below the heavily folded an slimy mucosa. So there's some good bit of processing to remove the outer muscle and fat layers. With beef casings, a layer of esophagus or bladder or one of the stomachs is also used. (Those big baloneys.) Intestines are processed using rollers or some other pressure device to crush and loosen everything that's not the tough sub-mucosa. (Again, little is wasted. Mucosa is used to make medical blood thinner.) What's left is collagen, the substance that makes skin, tendons, etc. tough enough to work and that makes heavily used muscle meat tough - that is, until it's cooked slow and moist and becomes gelatin, as we do with "cheap" cuts. And it's the collagen that's tough enough to survive the prep process and to contain the sausage filling under pressure. Likely it wasn't any great leap for early man to discover casing. They were already using skin, tendon, etc. by cleaning off the unwanted layers, and the toughness of intestines would have suggested that there was a useful layer to be had for use as bindings, and bladders and stomachs were very early used to contain water and to cook food prior to ceramics.


----------



## Andy M.

Gourmet Greg said:


> It's not from USA? I didn't know that.



I was posing a question.


----------



## taxlady

GLC said:


> Kind of. Natural casing is the intestinal sub-mucosa, the thin, smooth layer just below the heavily folded an slimy mucosa. So there's some good bit of processing to remove the outer muscle and fat layers. With beef casings, a layer of esophagus or bladder or one of the stomachs is also used. (Those big baloneys.) Intestines are processed using rollers or some other pressure device to crush and loosen everything that's not the tough sub-mucosa. (Again, little is wasted. Mucosa is used to make medical blood thinner.) What's left is collagen, the substance that makes skin, tendons, etc. tough enough to work and that makes heavily used muscle meat tough - that is, until it's cooked slow and moist and becomes gelatin, as we do with "cheap" cuts. And it's the collagen that's tough enough to survive the prep process and to contain the sausage filling under pressure. Likely it wasn't any great leap for early man to discover casing. They were already using skin, tendon, etc. by cleaning off the unwanted layers, and the toughness of intestines would have suggested that there was a useful layer to be had for use as bindings, and bladders and stomachs were very early used to contain water and to cook food prior to ceramics.



My MIL grew up on a farm. She and her brothers had to clean intestines for casings. They did it by hand. The kids were not fond of doing it. (Big surprise)


----------



## PattY1

Andy M. said:


> I was posing a question.



Well let me throw my 2 pennies in here. No Green Bean Casserole is not a Original Tradition, but it has made it's place as a traditional holiday dish over the last 56 years.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

Addie said:


> That green bean casserole is not a real American holiday tradition. It was made up by Campnell Soup Company to increase sales for their Cream of Mushroom soup. It was printed in time for Thanksgiving in their ads in such a way that folks began to think that it was unAmerican to not make it for this time of year. Campbell also owns the French Onion brand. If they had owned a green bean product at the time they would have printed their own name brand of that also. I would rather make my own cream of anything recipe. Less salt yet more flavor. I make cream carrots with white sauce and organic carrots with the tops still on them. The kind you have to peel. I hate the texture of those little peeled carrots. They have been treated with chemicals to keep them looking fresh. I will do my own work, thank you.





Andy M. said:


> I was posing a question.



I was agreeing with Addie, for all the reasons that she stated, and her post speaks more eloquently to your question than I could.

I'm no arbiter in what constitutes anything except my own opinion, and IMO the Campbell/French's commercial recipe is not an American tradition, at least not in my family. IMO it's a commercial marketing campaign intended to promote Campbell products.

As I said, I like the recipe but I expect that if I cooked it often I'd tire of it. It's not a real recipe since it requires brand name products, and it's not an American tradition, not in my personal opinion. Your mileage may vary.


----------



## Andy M.

I apologize for creating confusion.

I guess my question should be posed to Addie.  Why isn't GBC an American holiday tradition?


----------



## Robo410

wow, for a group of foodies, there sure is a lot of dislikes.  Think I'll go cook some liver and cauliflower...


----------



## JoAnn L.

buckytom said:


> both of my ancestries (norwegian and irish) make blood pudding/sausage. i have to say that i've enjoyed both types.
> 
> it sounds disgusting but it doesn't taste bad. it really just adds a sort of food colouring and a slight mineral taste, but if no one told you what was in the sausage, i doubt anyone would guess.



My grandson just emailed and said that he went to the cafe LAVANT COMOIR in Paris (he has been working over there) and he had blood sausage, it was served with a little side of apples and cinnamon. He said he knows that it sound strange but they went together really well.


----------



## vitauta

Robo410 said:


> wow, for a group of foodies, there sure is a lot of dislikes.  Think I'll go cook some liver and cauliflower...





really!  i'll bring the blood sausage....


----------



## CWS4322

I am bringing hotdogs and smoked eel!


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

Andy M. said:


> I apologize for creating confusion.
> 
> I guess my question should be posed to Addie.  Why isn't GBC an American holiday tradition?


 
No apology necessary, but accepted nonetheless. 

But let's turn it around, if you think that GBC is an American holiday tradition, then why?

I'm noting that apparently (according to the tales) Ben Franklin wanted the American national symbol to be the turkey, not the eagle. There's an American tradition that's been around for over 200 years. I'm pretty sure stuffing has been around just as long. Or what about cranberry sauce?

It was interesting that I googled cranberry sauce and found that Wikipedia says it is "commonly associated with Thanksgiving dinner in North America and Christmas dinner in the United Kingdom." (I think they got it wrong in that cranberry sauce is associated with Christmas too in NA.) But additionally, "There are differences in flavor depending on the geography of where the sauce is made: in Europe it is generally slightly sour-tasting, while in North America it is sweetened." Maybe I'm European at heart, but I always make mine based upon fresh packaged cranberries, and I use half the recommended sugar. Perhaps I shouldn't have gone this far off topic.

I don't want to see over-sweetened cranberry sauce on my plate! Cranberry sauce should be slightly sour tasting. Maybe people want sweet tasting cranberry sauce to go with their soda-pop. Please pass the wine!


----------



## GLC

I think it's far more interesting to chop cranberries, orange, and walnuts as a mildly sweet relish. Better than overly sweet and infinitely better than that jellied puree abomination in the can.


----------



## Dawgluver

vitauta said:
			
		

> really!  i'll bring the blood sausage....



You are welcome to my portion, Vit!


----------



## buckytom

JoAnn L. said:


> My grandson just emailed and said that he went to the cafe LAVANT COMOIR in Paris (he has been working over there) and he had blood sausage, it was served with a little side of apples and cinnamon. He said he knows that it sound strange but they went together really well.


that sounds good!

there used to be a little french place here in the 50's near 8th ave. that i loved to go to years ago. they had an a la carte nenu, but if you ordered the prix fixe menu, they started you off with a charcouterie tree. it was this stainless steel hangar thing standing up from the middle of a plate on which various different kinds of small dry sausages were hung. on the plate were veggies like carrots, celery, and radishes, along with grapes and little apples. everyone at the table would help themselves to slices of whatever sausages and fruit or veggies they liked. 

with a loaf of french bread and a bottle of wine it was a meal in itself, but it was only the appetizer.

i never told anyone the delicious black sausages were blood sausage because everyone always enjoyed everything and no one needed to get freaked out.


----------



## Andy M.

Gourmet Greg said:


> No apology necessary, but accepted nonetheless.
> 
> But let's turn it around, if you think that GBC is an American holiday tradition, then why?...



Regardless of it's origin in the home economics department of Campbell's, it has been a ubiquitous dish at Thanksgiving since 1955.  If look back at the threads on this site in November (as one piece of evidence) you will see it's a recurring favorite.  

Simply based on how popular it has been across the country since its introduction makes it a tradition.  It's just a younger tradition than some others.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

So how can we make this recipe without buying brand name products? How do you make French's onions without getting it out of a can? Let's turn this into a real traditional food by losing the dependence on brand name products. I'm not willing to call anything a tradition as long as I have to buy products from one manufacturer. Instead I'd call that a marketing department success story.


----------



## buckytom

Robo410 said:


> wow, for a group of foodies, there sure is a lot of dislikes. Think I'll go cook some liver and cauliflower...


 

it stands to reason that people who are passionate about the many foods they love would also be passionate about the ones they hate.

what i don't get is how many things that people haven't ever tried (within reason) but say they are disgusted by the thought of eating them.

i'm not talking about eating weird creatures or things that can make you sick, but a real foodie will at least try something at least once that other people like them normally eat. and if it's made by someone you trust who says their version is good, maybe try something twice.

i'm going to play a trick on my son to see if my theory holds water. he told me recently that he absolutely hates liver. his opinion is from a combination of my wife repeatedly saying how disgusting it is, and from the one time my macedonian neighbor gave him some to try. i've had her cooking a few times and it's pretty bad for the most part. almost eveything is greasy. she could make a caprese salad or a baked potato greasy.

i gave my son some pate' on toast once that he liked, right up until my wife told him it was made from liver. now he won't touch it.

anyway, i'm going to cook some liver with bacon and onions one night when dw is out and tell him that it's a calf steak. we'll see how he feels about it then.


----------



## buckytom

Gourmet Greg said:


> So how can we make this recipe without buying brand name products? How do you make French's onions without getting it out of a can? Let's turn this into a real traditional food by losing the dependence on brand name products. I'm not willing to call anything a tradition as long as I have to buy products from one manufacturer. Instead I'd call that a marketing department success story.


 
frizzled onions are pretty easy to make, and so is cream of mushroom soup.


----------



## vitauta

Gourmet Greg said:


> So how can we make this recipe without buying brand name products? How do you make French's onions without getting it out of a can? Let's turn this into a real traditional food by losing the dependence on brand name products. I'm not willing to call anything a tradition as long as I have to buy products from one manufacturer. Instead I'd call that a marketing department success story.




c'mon greg, gbc may not be your tradition or mine, but like it or not i think we have to admit that americans across this land agreed on this one with or without us a half century ago....


----------



## Daizymae

GLC said:


> I think it's far more interesting to chop cranberries, orange, and walnuts as a mildly sweet relish. Better than overly sweet and infinitely better than that jellied puree abomination in the can.



 "Jellied puree abomination" 

However, would you add no sweetener at all, or simply less?  Does the orange have enough sweetness for you?


----------



## Kathleen

Many practices are marketing successes.  (We can thank Hallmark for several!)  However, once they are adopted by a population and are then handed down from generation to generation - especially by word of mouth or practice - the practice becomes a "tradition" by definition.  I've not run into this casserole anywhere else besides the USA (thankfully as I don't like most casseroles.)  However, it WILL be on the table at Thanksgiving if I visit many a relative.  

My mother reminds me yearly that I should have a red carnation (or poppy) pinned on me for Mother's Day and I am sure that she will visit me after she is gone if I do not have a white carnation pinned on me for that day.  I suppose that I can thank a war-torn country, Julia Howe, and the florist industry for a life time of flower-wearing on the second Sunday in May.  Without one, I shudder to think what may one day land on my plate.


----------



## buckytom

it wouldn't be the day after thanksgiving if my leftover turkey, stuffing, and gravy sandwich didn't have some jellied pureed abomination on it.


----------



## Andy M.

Gourmet Greg said:


> ...Let's turn this into a real traditional food by losing the dependence on brand name products. I'm not willing to call anything a tradition as long as I have to buy products from one manufacturer. Instead I'd call that a marketing department success story.



So, using that logic, you wouldn't buy a Butterball turkey, you'd have to go hunt your own?  No Ocean Spray cranberries, grow your own?


----------



## Timothy

Andy M. said:


> So, using that logic, you wouldn't buy a Butterball turkey, you'd have to go hunt your own? No Ocean Spray cranberries, grow your own?


I think Greg was talking more about using bottom shelf products instead of always picking from the top shelf.

The first time I made my own cranberry sauce, I was floored at how easy it was and how really good it was. I was used to the jellied crap from a can.


----------



## Andy M.

Timothy said:


> I think Greg was talking more about using bottom shelf products instead of always picking from the top shelf.
> 
> The first time I made my own cranberry sauce, I was floored at how easy it was and how really good it was. I was used to the jellied crap from a can.



I make my own too but still enjoy the canned.


----------



## Aunt Bea

I agree with Andy and BT!  Some days I feel like crap and some days I don't.

As far as the GB casserole being an American tradition, I think based on the definition of tradition, it has arrived.

Tradition - A belief, custom, story, or practice (etc.) handed down from generation to generation by word of mouth or demonstration.


----------



## GLC

I don't know if it's exactly something that qualifies something as a "tradition," but GBC is at least something you can mention, and nearly everyone will say, "Oh, yeah. That." and will mean the canned soup/canned fired onions variety. 

What else is there like that?


----------



## Lil Ms Sueshine

See...GBC causing problems again...



buckytom said:


> i'm not talking about eating weird creatures or things that can make you sick, but a real foodie will at least try something at least once that other people like them normally eat. and if it's made by someone you trust who says their version is good, maybe try something twice.


 
I completely agree. Once I've declared that I don't like something, I've always made it a point to try it again later down the road to see if my tastes have changed. I tried green beans again at my office Christmas party a few weeks ago....yeah, still dont like them but who's to say I won't like them when I'm 75? Always try it again.


----------



## bakechef

Gourmet Greg said:
			
		

> So how can we make this recipe without buying brand name products? How do you make French's onions without getting it out of a can? Let's turn this into a real traditional food by losing the dependence on brand name products. I'm not willing to call anything a tradition as long as I have to buy products from one manufacturer. Instead I'd call that a marketing department success story.



Trader Joe's sells all of the components for gbc (all natural of course, their brand).  Most stores also sell store brands of most of the components, I've even seen the onions in store brands other than Trader Joe's.  

I've never made it, I don't like it, but for many it is a traditional dish on their holiday table.


----------



## Andy M.

GBC is readily fabricated from basic ingredients.  If you can make cream of mushroom soup from scratch and fry up some onion rings, GBC is not that far away.

While that would taste really good, it wouldn't be the traditional recipe so it wouldn't be authentic.


----------



## vitauta

Andy M. said:


> GBC is readily fabricated from basic ingredients.  If you can make cream of mushroom soup from scratch and fry up some onion rings, GBC is not that far away.
> 
> While that would taste really good, it wouldn't be the traditional recipe so it wouldn't be authentic.



funny little twist of fate, that--huh?


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

Andy M. said:


> So, using that logic, you wouldn't buy a Butterball turkey, you'd have to go hunt your own?  No Ocean Spray cranberries, grow your own?





Timothy said:


> I think Greg was talking more about using bottom shelf products instead of always picking from the top shelf



No, see below.



Andy M. said:


> GBC is readily fabricated from basic ingredients.  If you can make cream of mushroom soup from scratch and fry up some onion rings, GBC is not that far away.
> 
> While that would taste really good, it wouldn't be the traditional recipe so it wouldn't be authentic.



I was talking about making it from basic ingredients, frizzle your own potatoes, add the various components that the canned soup provides but add them individually, preferably from fresh ingredients. I don't know what goes in cream of mushroom soup off the top of my head, but instead I'd add sauteed mushrooms to my casserole, chicken stock, cream, whatever else it takes.

I'm just stating my own opinion about this stuff. I don't expect any but a few forum members will agree, maybe none at all, but I'll accept that.



Timothy said:


> The first time I made my own cranberry sauce, I was floored at how easy  it was and how really good it was. I was used to the jellied crap from a  can.



I used to use the canned cranberry stuff until I bought real cranberries and made my own. BTW I use half the sugar ordinarily recommended for cranberries.

I don't like the gelatinous stuff out of the can any more but I'll use it if I'm preparing just a small amount of turkey, like a roasted turkey thigh, because it makes no sense to prepare a pound of cranberries for just one serving.


----------



## vitauta

greg, you have been shooting out a delightful spray of smart, informative and (wryly) humorous posts at us dcers daily.  often, i'm in agreement with your views, though not as much in this particular thread as elsewhere.  please, you should not be surprised nor dismayed that some people will be disagreeing with your opinions or ideas from time to time.  i follow your posts with great interest, greg--just keep 'em coming!


----------



## GLC

Earlier I wondered what else was like GBC. Then I remembered tuna noodle casserole. The rational behind Campbell's GBC wasn't to promote their own way of making what was already a staple. It was purely an attempt to develop a recipe that would call for their products, theirs and the beans, that were probably in every cupboard. 

TNC was attractive as a promotion to makers of tuna, noodles, and, of course, Campbell's, as well as the President of the United States. TNC was one of the "Meatless Monday" dishes in the late 40's when Truman asked that food be conserved on account of dire shortages in Europe and the effects on U.S. food prices. And TNC was arguably even more of a success than GBC. GBC was associated with holiday meals. TNC was an everyday regular. If you grew up in the 50's in the U.S., you probably ate more TNC than GBC. 

(Truman's speech actually called for a Meatless Tuesday, but he apparently couldn't overcome the memory of Meatless Monday during WWI. I don't know how Chickenless/Eggless Thursday worked out, but it wasn't hard to get restaurants to not offer bread and butter except by request.)


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

vitauta said:


> greg, you have been shooting out a delightful spray of smart, informative and (wryly) humorous posts at us dcers daily.  often, i'm in agreement with your views, though not as much in this particular thread as elsewhere.  please, you should not be surprised nor dismayed that some people will be disagreeing with your opinions or ideas from time to time.  i follow your posts with great interest, greg--just keep 'em coming!



Thank you. I participate in the forum because I want to have interesting discussions on cooking. Sometimes cooking is a matter of opinion, in fact probably more often than not. I don't expect my opinion to be any more or less valuable than the opinion of anybody else. Sometimes anybody including myself finds themselves on the wrong side of the majority opinion. There's not much one can do except grin and bear it.



GLC said:


> Earlier I wondered what else was like GBC. Then I remembered tuna noodle casserole. The rational behind Campbell's GBC wasn't to promote their own way of making what was already a staple. It was purely an attempt to develop a recipe that would call for their products, theirs and the beans, that were probably in every cupboard.



I see the GBC as an effort to encourage use of Campbell soup and French's onion rings. There's nothing dishonest in that. My own vision of cooking is recipes that are cooked from scratch using basic ingredients, fresh if possible. I don't feel like I've completely mastered a recipe until I can cook it without resorting to brand name already cooked ingredients. I'm sure I'm in the minority on feeling that way. It's just how I individualize my own cooking.

My goal is to come up with recipes like I see in _Mastering the Art of French Cooking_ by Julia Child or _Joy of Cooking_ by Rombauer and Becker. I don't see them quoting brand name ingredients in their books. I aim to emulate them.


Tuna casserole! Yech! That's something I never want to see on my plate, anything made from canned tuna. I'll accept tuna salad sandwiches but only if there's no alternative. Fresh tuna is fine with me, cooked or raw, I just don't like canned tuna. Perhaps it's because tuna sandwiches showed up so often in my brown bag lunches in grade school.


----------



## Dawgluver

TNC was one thing my grade school cafeteria made well, and we all loved it!

I now know what's for dinner tonight!  I make a pretty good one.  (oxymoron?)


----------



## Andy M.

Greg, I enjoy your posts though we will sometimes disagree.  No harm in that.  People disagree with me on a regular basis (even though I'm always right).

The GBC recipe was developed in Campbell's kitchen to sell products.  It's what became of it afterwards that's important to our discussion.

That said, I almost never use canned soup as an ingredient (or as soup for that matter).  I prefer to start from scratch.  I stopped eating tuna casserole when I divorced.

I don't think it's a foodie sin to use a convenience food from time to time.


----------



## taxlady

Gourmet Greg said:


> ...
> 
> My goal is to come up with recipes like I see in _Mastering the Art of French Cooking_ by Julia Child or _Joy of Cooking_ by Rombauer and Becker. I don't see them quoting brand name ingredients in their books. I aim to emulate them.



I understand completely; me too. I will make an exception for stuff like Worcestershire sauce. It was one of the reasons I have made ketchup. Oh my, homemade ketchup is sooooo much better than the store bought stuff.




> Tuna casserole! Yech! That's something I never want to see on my plate, anything made from canned tuna. I'll accept tuna salad sandwiches but only if there's no alternative. Fresh tuna is fine with me, cooked or raw, I just don't like canned tuna. Perhaps it's because tuna sandwiches showed up so often in my brown bag lunches in grade school.



I have never tried tuna casserole. I can't stand the smell of it.


----------



## Aunt Bea

Dawgluver said:


> TNC was one thing my grade school cafeteria made well, and we all loved it!
> 
> I now know what's for dinner tonight!  I make a pretty good one.  (oxymoron?)




I always think of my sister when I make that.  It was the only thing she could cook when we were kids.  I still make it in the winter time and I have to buy a snack size bag of potato chips for the topping.  It is more about the memories for me than anything else.  I wish my sister had been a lobster fisherman or a cattle rancher!


----------



## buckytom

i've only had cold elbow macaroni and tuna twice in my life and liked it both times.

one was on a skiing trip, the other time backpacking.  both times i was so hungry that i would have eaten a shoe, so the tuna mac was delicious.

is the tuna noodle casserole that we're talking about the same thing? is it served hot or cold?


----------



## Aunt Bea

buckytom said:


> i've only had cold elbow macaroni and tuna twice in my life and liked it both times.
> 
> one was on a skiing trip, the other time backpacking.  both times i was so hungry that i would have eaten a shoe, so the tuna mac was delicious.
> 
> is the tuna noodle casserole that we're talking about the same thing? is it served hot or cold?




At my house cold elbow macaroni and tuna fish is called macaroni salad.

TNC is egg noodles, tuna, cream of mushroom soup mixed and topped with stale potato chip crumbs then baked.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

taxlady said:


> I understand completely; me too. I will make an exception for stuff like Worcestershire sauce. It was one of the reasons I have made ketchup. Oh my, homemade ketchup is sooooo much better than the store bought stuff.



Just to make it clear, some of my recipes, even some of my favorites use branded ingredients, like for example Wright's Liquid Smoke. My favorite BBQ sauce recipe uses that. It's a family recipe. I'm not about to spend hours making my own liquid smoke. But I never feel that I entirely own a recipe until it looks like something that could found be in _Joy of Cooking_ or _Mastering the Art of French Cooking_.

Sorry, I think I've taken things way off topic.

I wouldn't mind seeing *Campbell* GBC on my plate.


----------



## Dawgluver

buckytom said:
			
		

> i've only had cold elbow macaroni and tuna twice in my life and liked it both times.
> 
> one was on a skiing trip, the other time backpacking.  both times i was so hungry that i would have eaten a shoe, so the tuna mac was delicious.
> 
> is the tuna noodle casserole that we're talking about the same thing? is it served hot or cold?



Hot.  Cooked egg noodles (thick or thin, I like thin, DH prefers thick),  tuna, celery, onion, cream of something soup, bit of mayo, dash of Worcerster, dash soy sauce, frozen baby peas, maybe some mushrooms and peppers, a few dashes hot sauce, ground black pepper, and (ta-dah!) small chunks of Velveeta!

Bake or nuke.  Yummmm.


----------



## Chief Longwind Of The North

GBC, TNC, CBHC, it's all good. I wasn't that picky eater in the grade, or high school cafeteria. I liked the fish sticks, the wierd pizza made with unseasoned tomato sauce, ground beef, and lots of cheese. I liked the comod's cheese, and the tuna casserole, and everything else they served. It was all made fresh and served hot. The bread was made fresh, on site, every day. The food was good. The milk was cheap. 

That being said, I've seen what they put on the kids' plates in school cafeteria's now. It's all made in a central location and transported to the schools. My children ate far less apetizing food in their cafeterias than did I. Who can forget pigs-in-a-blanket, with freshly made bread dough wrapped aroudn a good hot dog, sealed at both ends, and baked to a perfect golden brown? Often, other kids would give me the food from their trays that they didn't like. 

And in case you don't know what CBHC is, it's Corned Beef Hash Caserole. It's just like TNC, but with canned corned beef hash in place of the tuna. Yum.

And yes, I am an omnivore!

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


----------



## bakechef

Dawgluver said:


> TNC was one thing my grade school cafeteria made well, and we all loved it!
> 
> I now know what's for dinner tonight!  I make a pretty good one.  (oxymoron?)



In my grade school, Tuna Wiggle was a staple!  It was also a staple in many households in Maine because it was cheap and easy to make.  It was basically a white sauce with a can of drained tuna added and peas.  You could season it the way you like, and serve it over saltine crackers.  I never ate the stuff, never liked tuna.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

I don't want to see Velveeta on my plate. Give me Gruyere instead!


----------



## Dawgluver

Gourmet Greg said:
			
		

> I don't want to see Velveeta on my plate. Give me Gruyere instead!



If I could find it here, I would not disagree!  Dang, TNC with Gruyere.  Mmmmmmm.

Ooh!  Got some mediocre Costco blue cheese!


----------



## PattY1

andy m. said:


> gbc is readily fabricated from basic ingredients.  If you can make cream of mushroom soup from scratch and fry up some onion rings, gbc is not that far away.
> 
> While that would taste really good, it wouldn't be the traditional recipe so it wouldn't be authentic.




View attachment 12738


----------



## Skittle68

My dad used to make "Macaroni and tuna". Milk poured over cooked macaroni, add a can of tuna, a pat of butter, and some salt and pepper. Serve hot. Everyone in my family seemed to like it, but it never did much for me. 

I am a fan of hot milk poured over toast, with salt and pepper though lol. I think I liked dipping my toast in the macaroni and tuna milk than I did eating the meal itself


----------



## PattY1

Chief Longwind Of The North said:


> GBC, TNC, CBHC, it's all good. I wasn't that picky eater in the grade, or high school cafeteria. I liked the fish sticks, the wierd pizza made with unseasoned tomato sauce, ground beef, and lots of cheese. I liked the comod's cheese, and the tuna casserole, and everything else they served. It was all made fresh and served hot. The bread was made fresh, on site, every day. The food was good. The milk was cheap.
> 
> That being said, I've seen what they put on the kids' plates in school cafeteria's now. It's all made in a central location and transported to the schools. My children ate far less apetizing food in their cafeterias than did I. Who can forget pigs-in-a-blanket, with freshly made bread dough wrapped aroudn a good hot dog, sealed at both ends, and baked to a perfect golden brown? Often, other kids would give me the food from their trays that they didn't like.
> 
> And in case you don't know what CBHC is, it's Corned Beef Hash Caserole. It's just like TNC, but with canned corned beef hash in place of the tuna. Yum.
> 
> And yes, I am an omnivore!
> 
> Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North




This post reminded me of my years in the California School System. The food was great!! It was all made on site. The thing I remember most was "Tuna Surprise". It was Tuna Salad baked inside of Whole Wheat Dough. I make that every once in while.View attachment 12739


----------



## Dawgluver

PattY1 said:
			
		

> This post reminded me of my years in the California School System. The food was great!! It was all made on site. The thing I remember most was "Tuna Surprise". It was Tuna Salad baked inside of Whole Wheat Dough. I make that every once in while.



My great aunt, one of the world's best cooks, was one of our Lunch Ladies when I was in grade school.  All the food was good!


----------



## bakechef

Dawgluver said:
			
		

> My great aunt, one of the world's best cooks, was one of our Lunch Ladies when I was in grade school.  All the food was good!



I grew up in a tiny little town and our lunch ladies were a bunch of older ladies and they sure could cook!  Almost nobody brought their own lunch when they served holiday lunches! Their fresh rolls were so good!


----------



## Dawgluver

bakechef said:
			
		

> I grew up in a tiny little town and our lunch ladies were a bunch of older ladies and they sure could cook!  Almost nobody brought their own lunch when they served holiday lunches! Their fresh rolls were so good!



I've worked at small town schools for many years, and lunch ladies all over can cook!  And they'll give you an extra helping!

You're right, Bakechef, the rolls are excellent!


----------



## Kathleen

GLC said:


> I don't know if it's exactly something that qualifies something as a "tradition," but GBC is at least something you can mention, and nearly everyone will say, "Oh, yeah. That." and will mean the canned soup/canned fired onions variety.
> 
> What else is there like that?



In our family, we had several traditions.  Some are great and others are not great for my plate!  On the great side, Mondays often meant "red beans and rice" and Fridays often meant fish.  Waldorf salad was served at every Christmas....I'm not a huge fan, but it was good enough to enjoy the holiday tradition.  On the I don't want it on my plate side, sweet potato casserole topped with marshmallows.  I *really* did not like it. 

Dawgluver, Aunt Bea and BuckyTom, TNC is one of the few casseroles that I like, and we had it on the Fridays without the paycheck as Dad was paid bi-monthly.  Mom made it with elbow macaroni, cream of mushroom soup -half diluted with milk, a package of frozen peas and carrots, and topped it with smooshed potato chips.  I still love it.  BT, it was always served hot at our house.



Gourmet Greg said:


> I don't want to see Velveeta on my plate. Give me Gruyere instead!



I've never been a fan of Velveeta, but we had an aunt who made the most amazing macaroni and cheese ever.  She did not share the recipe and it was her TNT recipe that she brought to every family gathering.  After she passed, one of my cousins brought macaroni and cheese.  Auntie's mac and cheese!  We were so thrilled and begged for the recipe.  (I believe that the begging consisted of threats to toss her in the pool in mid-winter.)  After heavy pleading (threats,) she caved in and gave us the recipe...and Velveeta was the secret.  Our grandparents were not picky about things being called "cheese food" and neither are my parents.  My cousins and I are more "picky" and my nieces and nephews are militant about what they eat.  That being said, the mac-n-cheese is devoured at every family gathering.  My cousin's wife once made a very nice mac-n-cheese with Gruyere...and it was so very tasty, but there were leftovers!  



Dawgluver said:


> My great aunt, one of the world's best cooks, was one of our Lunch Ladies when I was in grade school.  All the food was good!



Our junior high lunch ladies were amazing cooks.  Everything was made from scratch.  Plus, they put up with zero nonsense.  Their food was the best eats in town outside of home.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

PattY1 said:


> The thing I remember most was "Tuna Surprise". It was Tuna Salad baked inside of Whole Wheat Dough. I make that every once in while.



That reminds me, I don't want to see anything on my plate that has the word "surprise" as part of the name.



Kathleen said:


> I've never been a fan of Velveeta, but we had an aunt who made the most amazing macaroni and cheese ever.



Sorry Kathleen, and nice to meet you, but I don't want to see "mac & cheese" on my plate.

Give me some meat, poultry or fish on my plate. I have no patience to sit through a dinner with only cheese. I like to nibble cheese as an appetizer while I'm cooking dinner, not as the main course. And vegetarian is fine with me but give me a meat/poultry/fish serving on the side, thank you!


----------



## Dawgluver

Aww, Kathleen, thanks so much!  You summarized it well!


----------



## Kathleen

Gourmet Greg said:


> Sorry Kathleen, and nice to meet you, but I don't want to see "mac & cheese" on my plate.
> 
> Give me some meat, poultry or fish on my plate. I have no patience to sit through a dinner with only cheese. I like to nibble cheese as an appetizer while I'm cooking dinner, not as the main course. And vegetarian is fine with me but give me a meat/poultry/fish serving on the side, thank you!



In large southern family gatherings, mac-n-cheese is never a main course.  Like greens, coleslaw and salads, mac-n-cheese would go on the side.  Main courses would be the pit beef, bbq, fried chicken, ham, etc.  In any case, my point was that sometimes, what made something sooo good, is an eye-opener.

Dawgluver, thanks!  One of my favorite memories was of a lunch lady named Ms. Mills.  My friend had given her a tiny bit of lip over cleaning up his table the day before.  Just as he got up to her in line, she very deliberately handed him a plate with a very pointed look and said, "Do be VERY sure to clean up today."  He poked at his dish a good 10 minutes before eating it and left a very clean spot from that point on out.  We teased him about it for years.


----------



## taxlady

Gourmet Greg said:


> That reminds me, I don't want to see anything on my plate that has the word "surprise" as part of the name.
> 
> 
> 
> Sorry Kathleen, and nice to meet you, but I don't want to see "mac & cheese" on my plate.
> 
> Give me some meat, poultry or fish on my plate. I have no patience to sit through a dinner with only cheese. I like to nibble cheese as an appetizer while I'm cooking dinner, not as the main course. And vegetarian is fine with me but give me a meat/poultry/fish serving on the side, thank you!



Not even bachelor surprise? (Stir fried leftover vegis, meat, & rice - seasoned with whatever sauce seems appropriate).

I once made a mac and cheese I liked. I wish I had the recipe. A chef had been told to bring mac & cheese to a potluck. She made it with three kinds of cheese. I think there were sun dried tomatoes and garlic, as well as cream.


----------



## PattY1

Kathleen said:


> I've never been a fan of Velveeta, but we had an aunt who made the most amazing macaroni and cheese ever.  She did not share the recipe and it was her TNT recipe that she brought to every family gathering.  After she passed, one of my cousins brought macaroni and cheese.  Auntie's mac and cheese!  We were so thrilled and begged for the recipe.  (I believe that the begging consisted of threats to toss her in the pool in mid-winter.)  After heavy pleading (threats,) she caved in and gave us the recipe...and Velveeta was the secret.  Our grandparents were not picky about things being called "cheese food" and neither are my parents.  My cousins and I are more "picky" and my nieces and nephews are militant about what they eat.  That being said, the mac-n-cheese is devoured at every family gathering.  My cousin's wife once made a very nice mac-n-cheese with Gruyere...and it was so very tasty, but there were leftovers!



I have posted my ingredients before for my much requested Mac-N-Cheese. Yes I do use some Velveeta, but I also use Sharp Cheddar, Mozzarella, smaller portion of Parmesan. And any other cheese I might have stuffed in the fridge. The Velveeta combined with the 1/2 & 1/2 and a little butter make it creamy. I also cut hearty bread in cubes and dip in melted Butter for the top to keep the top layer of noodles from drying out. Diffidently not diet food. My son once commented that you would never put Mac-N-Cheese on toast but this is great. View attachment 12741


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

Kathleen, I think mac & cheese is a favorite all over the country, not just in the South. And alas, nothing I covet. I'm sure there's something wrong with me! 

TL, maybe bachelors have a reputation for being desperate for anything, even surprises. I'm not particularly fond of leftovers, although there's plenty of times when budgetary necessities require me to eat what I have instead of what I want.

The sun dried tomatoes sound like a good addition to the mac & cheese, and the cream and garlic too. How about adding a couple pounds of cooked shrimp?


----------



## Kathleen

PattY1 said:


> I have posted my ingredients before for my much requested Mac-N-Cheese. Yes I do use some Velveeta, but I also use Sharp Cheddar, Mozzarella, smaller portion of Parmesan. And any other cheese I might have stuffed in the fridge. The Velveeta combined with the 1/2 & 1/2 and a little butter make it creamy. I also cut hearty bread in cubes and dip in melted Butter for the top to keep the top layer of noodles from drying out. Diffidently not diet food. My son once commented that you would never put Mac-N-Cheese on toast but this is great. View attachment 12741



It sounds great!  There were other cheeses in Auntie's recipe too, but we were all like  when we saw the Velveeta as a key ingredient.  The experience rates up there with my wine snob friend finding (at a wine tasting) that she enjoyed Trader Joe's "Two Buck Chuck" as much as some of the other (expensive) wines.  

Your son's comment is awesome and sums it up well.  I may use it.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

"Two Buck Chuck" is _my_ house wine. 

For those who are confused, "Two Buck Chuck" is Charles Shaw wines sold at Trader Joe's Market (several states) for $1.99/bottle." (It's "Three Buck Chuck" in New Mexico, for obvious reasons.)


----------



## PrincessFiona60

My favorite lunch lady was Izola Kopf, c'mon, no one could make up that name.  She was fantastic and was really surprised and happy to share when I asked for her recipes.  I used to go to her house to help make bucket loads of cookies and then we would do a recipe that she cooked at school but scaled way back, me writing as we went along.  At the end, I had enough to take home for our dinner that night.  I continued to visit her for many years after she retired, she passed away a few years ago.


----------



## PattY1

Gourmet Greg said:


> The sun dried tomatoes sound like a good addition to the mac & cheese, and the cream and garlic too. How about adding a couple pounds of cooked shrimp?



IMHO if you start ADDING other ingredients it is no longer Mac-N-Cheese. It is a Macaroni Casserole. Example- add Shrimp, it is Macaroni and Shrimp Casserole with Cheese. A totally different Food Group. (Sea Food)


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

PattY1 said:


> IMHO if you start ADDING other ingredients it is no longer Mac-N-Cheese. It is a Macaroni Casserole. Example- add Shrimp, it is Macaroni and Shrimp Casserole with Cheese. A totally different Food Group. (Sea Food)



Sorry! I didn't mean to impugn your traditional recipe. Maybe that's what I wanted, a different food group!  Yeah... That's the ticket!


----------



## PattY1

Gourmet Greg said:


> Sorry! I didn't mean to impugn your traditional recipe. Maybe that's what I wanted, a different food group!  Yeah... That's the ticket!



You didn't impung on my traditional recipe. I use the basic traditional ingredients. View attachment 12742


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

Well I'd leave out the Velveeta and the macaroni if I made it. 

Then add some butter and garlic and shallots (to my shrimp, raw this time, and saute it), a bit of wine and a squeeze of lemon and that's something I'd want to see on my plate!


----------



## Dawgluver

Well, I plan to post my awesome peasant tuna casserole recipe, which includes Velveeta and mediocre Costco blue cheese. Dang, it was good!  Manana, as I must go to work.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

DL could you add some pheasant to that?  Maybe leave out the tuna...

Actually the blue cheese sounds quite good.


----------



## Dawgluver

Gourmet Greg said:
			
		

> DL could you add some pheasant to that?  Maybe leave out the tuna...



Then it wouldn't be tuna casserole!

Trust me, it's good!  

Manana.


----------



## CWS4322

Canned tuna is another one of those foods I don't want to eat...but I'd try the recipe with chicken, oops, no, maybe turkey?


----------



## PattY1

Gourmet Greg said:


> Well I'd leave out the Velveeta and the macaroni if I made it.
> 
> Then add some butter and garlic and shallots (to my shrimp, raw this time, and saute it), a bit of wine and a squeeze of lemon and that's something I'd want to see on my plate!




And still call it Macaroni and Cheese??


----------



## Vanilla Bean

I love tuna casserole.

There are more, but what first came to mind are liver and okra.


----------



## PrincessFiona60

It's a good thing some folks don't like what we like...more for us!

I don't want to see Rocky Mountain Oysters on my plate.


----------



## vitauta

PrincessFiona60 said:


> It's a good thing some folks don't like what we like...more for us!
> 
> I don't want to see Rocky Mountain Oysters on my plate.




and what are they?


----------



## CWS4322

vitauta said:


> and what are they?


I'll let PF answer that question...those were quite popular at beer keggers when I lived in North Dakota--deep fried.


----------



## Addie

Gourmet Greg said:


> I agree, the Campbell's/French's green bean casserole not being a real American tradition, except of course in the minds of Campbell marketing executives. I've made it 2-3 times for Thanksgiving or Christmas, and thought it quite good, but I suspect I'd get tired of it if I cooked it often. I think it would be a good casserole to cook when you're cooking a large complicated holiday dinner by yourself and want to simplify your job so that you don't have to spend the entire day on your feet cooking. Most of us would rather have time to visit with our company and family while we're cooking our holiday dinner.
> 
> I've often thought that recipes that require a specific name brand or a manufacturer's unique product aren't real recipes, although I've got a few recipes exactly like that. I don't feel good about a recipe until I've formulated it using nothing but basic generic ingredients.


 
I know that one year I made potato salad for a party. In order to decorate the bowl of potato salad, I took some not to thick/not to thin sliced onions, dredged them in seasoned flour with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning, sauteed them in a small amount of oil and spread them around the bottom edge of the pile of salad. They were a big hit. The next time I did the same thing only I made even more of them. I thought the flour mixture would fall off in the cooking. But enough natural liquid was released from the onion to cause the flour to cling to the onion ring. The secret was to do the onions on a low medium heat giving the liquid time to release and don't disturb them while they are cooking at first. Then you can turn them over. They should be golden brown. And in the time it takes for the flour mixture to brown, it has had time to cook the rawness out of it. Works for me.


----------



## PrincessFiona60

vitauta said:


> and what are they?



Calf testicles, Vit.

I was one of the kids that had to wrestle them down so they could be castrated when I worked on my Uncle's Dairy farm.  Not my most favorite job.  But Shrek knows about it and it keeps him in line...


----------



## PrincessFiona60

Addie said:


> I know that one year I made potato salad for a party. In order to decorate the bowl of potato salad, I took some not to thick/not to thin sliced onions, dredged them in seasoned flour with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning, sauteed them in a small amount of oil and spread them around the bottom edge of the pile of salad. They were a big hit. The next time I did the same thing only I made even more of them. I thought the flour mixture would fall off in the cooking. But enough natural liquid was released from the onion to cause the flour to cling to the onion ring. The secret was to do the onions on a low medium heat giving the liquid time to release and don't disturb them while they are cooking at first. Then you can turn them over. They should be golden brown. And in the time it takes for the flour mixture to brown, it has had time to cook the rawness out of it. Works for me.



Cool Addie, thanks for the description...I'm going to try this.


----------



## JGDean

*Generic/Off Brand*



Gourmet Greg said:


> So how can we make this recipe without buying brand name products? How do you make French's onions without getting it out of a can? Let's turn this into a real traditional food by losing the dependence on brand name products. I'm not willing to call anything a tradition as long as I have to buy products from one manufacturer. Instead I'd call that a marketing department success story.


 I've seen off brands of both the soup and onions not Campbells/French's. If I make GBC I use C/F because I am familiar with the quality.
 What I hate to see on anyones plate is the gloopy jello, marshmellow & fruit salad.


----------



## vitauta

PrincessFiona60 said:


> Calf testicles, Vit.
> 
> I was one of the kids that had to wrestle them down so they could be castrated when I worked on my Uncle's Dairy farm.  Not my most favorite job.  But Shrek knows about it and it keeps him in line...




oh pf, i think it's time we "table" this whole rocky mountain oyster subject...


----------



## JGDean

OH, BTW I use mostly Velveeta in my Mac & Cheese. The few times I made it with individual cheeses it didn't go over as well. My EE husband had a job interview with Kraft in Illinois and got a tour of the processing machines. He saw Velveeta and Cheese Whiz boxes as far as the eye could see. The HR guy told him the products came about as a way to use the end pieces of Swiss, Cheddar etc. that weren't standard size. So, technically it is "real" cheese.


----------



## Chief Longwind Of The North

JGDean said:


> OH, BTW I use mostly Velveeta in my Mac & Cheese. The few times I made it with individual cheeses it didn't go over as well. My EE husband had a job interview with Kraft in Illinois and got a tour of the processing machines. He saw Velveeta and Cheese Whiz boxes as far as the eye could see. The HR guy told him the products came about as a way to use the end pieces of Swiss, Cheddar etc. that weren't standard size. So, technically it is "real" cheese.


 
That was originally true.  I remember reading the cheeses listed in the ingredient listing on the box, and recreating the product at home, just to see if I could do it.  Read the ingredient listing now.  Cheese is not in the list.  It doesn't taste the same as it did when I was in my twenties either.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


----------



## Addie

Chief Longwind Of The North said:


> That was originally true. I remember reading the cheeses listed in the ingredient listing on the box, and recreating the product at home, just to see if I could do it. Read the ingredient listing now. Cheese is not in the list. It doesn't taste the same as it did when I was in my twenties either.
> 
> Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


 
I never by any product that says 'cheese product', 'processed cheese', 'cheese food' or anything that doesn't say "Cheese." Just Cheese!! And my favorite cheese has to come from Cabot's in Vermont. I have been fortunate enough to get my hands on their Reserved Extra Sharp Cheese. It is hard to find.


----------



## JGDean

Oh my... I just looked....


----------



## JGDean

Cabot's does make good cheese. The Habanero Cheddar is one of my favorites. The Chipolte Cheddar is good for cooking.


----------



## PrincessFiona60

Addie said:


> I never by any product that says 'cheese product', 'processed cheese', 'cheese food' or anything that doesn't say "Cheese." Just Cheese!! And my favorite cheese has to come from Cabot's in Vermont. I have been fortunate enough to get my hands on their Reserved Extra Sharp Cheese. It is hard to find.



The whole foods type store here gets the Cabot's Reserved Extra Sharp in a "snack pack."  I take that to work with me!  Yum!!!  I let it warm up before eating it.


----------



## Addie

PrincessFiona60 said:


> The whole foods type store here gets the Cabot's Reserved Extra Sharp in a "snack pack." I take that to work with me! Yum!!! I let it warm up before eating it.


 
Anytime I see a cheese that says "Reserved" I snatch it right up. It is always so creamy, regardless of how sharp it may be and melts right in your mouth.


----------



## Addie

PrincessFiona60 said:


> Cool Addie, thanks for the description...I'm going to try this.


 
I put the flour mixture in a ziplock or small brown bag, place a few rings in it and shake before frying them. And do't forget to separate the rings. Sounds like you would know that. But I had one person who didn't and couldn't understand why they didn't come out like mine. I rolled my eyes so hard, I thought they were going to stay up in my head!


----------



## PrincessFiona60

Addie said:


> I put the flour mixture in a ziplock or small brown bag, place a few rings in it and shake before frying them. And do't forget to separate the rings. Sounds like you would know that. But I had one person who didn't and couldn't understand why they didn't come out like mine. I rolled my eyes so hard, I thought they were going to stay up in my head!



Some people don't think things through...


----------



## GLC

vitauta said:


> oh pf, i think it's time we "table" this whole rocky mountain oyster subject...



So, then, I guess it would be wrong to stroll casually past the door and holler... LAMB FRIES! and run.


----------



## PrincessFiona60

GLC said:


> So, then, I guess it would be wrong to stroll casually past the door and holler... LAMB FRIES! and run.



Those I've never helped collect...same thing though, I don't want them on my plate.


----------



## Addie

JGDean said:


> Oh my... I just looked....


 
If you look at the list of ingredients on all those 'supposedly cheese products," you will see they are mostly oil and chemicals. No thanks I will pass. REAL cheese for me.


----------



## Addie

PrincessFiona60 said:


> The whole foods type store here gets the Cabot's Reserved Extra Sharp in a "snack pack." I take that to work with me! Yum!!! I let it warm up before eating it.


 
"Reserved" if there is not enough of it to release to the public, it is saved for their special customers. Or it is sold in smaller pieces like the snack pack. Sometimes there is so little of it, only the employees can buy it. It is never released to the public. I never ate so well as when my youngest son lived adn worked in Vermont. Reserved cheese, maple syrup right after it had been bottled. fresh eggs the day they were laid. Now he only works up there one weekend per dien per month and doesn't have the time to collect all the good stuff for me.


----------



## Addie

PrincessFiona60 said:


> Some people don't think things through...


 
How true. But that taught me to think that all folks may be just like her. So I make it a point to try to give exact directions right down to the nth. Excluding yourself.


----------



## GLC

PrincessFiona60 said:


> Those I've never helped collect...same thing though, I don't want them on my plate.



Then it wouldn't really help to call mountain oysters by their other name... swinging beef.


----------



## Addie

GLC said:


> Then it wouldn't really help to call mountain oysters by their other name... swinging beef.


 
What would my 4-H kids think if they were a part of this conversation? 

Well it has taken me all this time to get to the last post. I am going back to bed.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

PattY1 said:


> And still call it Macaroni and Cheese??


Well, Yankee Doodle stuck a feather in his hat and called it macaroni, so I don't see why I can't make shrimp scampi and call it mac 'n cheese.  (I was just kidding.)


----------



## Chief Longwind Of The North

Gourmet Greg said:


> Well, Yankee Doodle stuck a feather in his hat and called it macaroni, so I don't see why I can't make shrimp scampi and call it mac 'n cheese.  (I was just kidding.)


 
In the time period of Yankee Doodle, macaroni was the title given to a "dandy" like Yankee Doodle Dandy.  Feathers were often worn as a symbol of the prestigous elite.

Maybe if you stuck a feather in your shrimp scampi, you could call it macaroni.

Seeeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

I don't want to see feathers on my plate!


----------



## Kayelle

This is my first post on this very long thread, as there really is little within reason that I can't tolerate on my plate, including fried Mountain Oysters. 

I was reminded last night while fixing a typical British dinner, of a food item that I will never again see on my plate.  Has anyone ever had *"Mushy Peas"*?  In my opinion they are the most foul of any vegetable known to man, and yet millions upon millions of Brits will claim I have no idea what I'm talking about.  naaaaaaaaassssty

Mushy peas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


----------



## Timothy

Kayelle said:


> This is my first post on this very long thread, as there really is little within reason that I can't tolerate on my plate, including fried Mountain Oysters.
> 
> I was reminded last night while fixing a typical British dinner, of a food item that I will never again see on my plate. Has anyone ever had *"Mushy Peas"*? In my opinion they are the most foul of any vegetable known to man, and yet millions upon millions of Brits will claim I have no idea what I'm talking about. naaaaaaaaassssty
> 
> Mushy peas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


 
Do they taste like peas or like something else? Pea soup is popular here in the USA. I wonder if they taste similar?


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

Kayelle said:


> I was reminded last night while fixing a typical British dinner, of a food item that I will never again see on my plate.  Has anyone ever had *"Mushy Peas"*?



I think I can top that although I've never had this so not sure. Just read the description for Poutine (Canadian dish).

I'm pretty sure I don't want to see Mushy Peas or Poutine on _my_ plate.


----------



## Timothy

Gourmet Greg said:


> I think I can top that although I've never had this so not sure. Just read the description for Poutine (Canadian dish).
> 
> I'm pretty sure I don't want to see Mushy Peas or Poutine on _my_ plate.


 
French Fries with brown gravy and farmers cheese? I would try that!

Sounds pretty good to me!

But then, I'll eat almost anything...


----------



## Dawgluver

Kayelle said:
			
		

> This is my first post on this very long thread, as there really is little within reason that I can't tolerate on my plate, including fried Mountain Oysters.
> 
> I was reminded last night while fixing a typical British dinner, of a food item that I will never again see on my plate.  Has anyone ever had "Mushy Peas"?  In my opinion they are the most foul of any vegetable known to man, and yet millions upon millions of Brits will claim I have no idea what I'm talking about.  naaaaaaaaassssty
> 
> Mushy peas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



They sound disgusting!  Though I love pea soup....


----------



## CWS4322

Timothy said:


> French Fries with brown gravy and farmers cheese? I would try that!
> 
> Sounds pretty good to me!
> 
> But then, I'll eat almost anything...


Fresh cheese curds are better than farmer's cheese on poutine. I love to make it with turkey giblet gravy, left over turkey, and fresh white cheddar curds....yum-yum. I believe they are called Jersey fries in the states/New Jersey. I also make poutine with salsa (warmed up) and curds...topped with freshly chopped hot peppers. It seems to me a chef from Montreal won Iron Chef or Chopped with his lobster poutine. When I first moved to Canada, I thought "yuck" but then I tried poutine (there wasn't anything else--we were at a poutine place en route from NB to Quebec City, I was hungry). I was hooked! That was almost 30 years' ago.


----------



## taxlady

CWS4322 said:


> Fresh cheese curds are better than farmer's cheese on poutine. I love to make it with turkey giblet gravy, left over turkey, and fresh white cheddar curds....yum-yum. I believe they are called Jersey fries in the states/New Jersey. I also make poutine with salsa (warmed up) and curds...topped with freshly chopped hot peppers. It seems to me a chef from Montreal won Iron Chef or Chopped with his lobster poutine. When I first moved to Canada, I thought "yuck" but then I tried poutine (there wasn't anything else--we were at a poutine place en route from NB to Quebec City, I was hungry). I was hooked! That was almost 30 years' ago.



Oh, you had the original, real stuff, before it got popular in Montreal. It was eaten in small places all over Quebec way before it hit Montreal. Do you remember where you had it? I had my first poutine in or near Rivière du Loup. I was hooked too.


----------



## Kayelle

Timothy said:


> Do they taste like peas or like something else? Pea soup is popular here in the USA. I wonder if they taste similar?



Timothy and Dawg, while I really enjoy split pea soup, and steamed baby peas are quite nice,  the taste of *Mushy Peas* is nothing like either one. They are Marrofat peas that  are green mature (ie OLD) peas that have been allowed to dry out naturally in  the field, rather than be harvested in their prime of youth like the  normal garden pea we all know.
I think for that reason the pea flavor is *super* strong and the "mushy" nasty paste is somewhat like glue.  It's really disgusting like nothing else.
I hope I haven't offended our British friends.


----------



## Skittle68

Kayelle said:
			
		

> Timothy and Dawg, while I really enjoy split pea soup, and steamed baby peas are quite nice,  the taste of Mushy Peas nothing like either one. They are Marrofat peas that  are green mature (ie OLD) peas that have been allowed to dry out naturally in  the field, rather than be harvested in their prime of youth like the  normal garden pea we all know.
> I think for that reason the pea flavor is super strong and the "mushy" nasty paste is somewhat like glue, It's really disgusting like nothing else.
> I hope I haven't offended our British friends.



I grew up with my grandma's garden, and I can attest to the strong flavor of the peas that were allowed to grow too large. When I first read the description, it sounded pretty good, but imagining it with these too mature, bitter, old peas.... Yuck!!

Today one of my customers put lemon and tobasco sauce in his water. Wouldn't want to see that anywhere near my plate...


----------



## Dawgluver

Kayelle said:
			
		

> Timothy and Dawg, while I really enjoy split pea soup, and steamed baby peas are quite nice,  the taste of Mushy Peas is nothing like either one. They are Marrofat peas that  are green mature (ie OLD) peas that have been allowed to dry out naturally in  the field, rather than be harvested in their prime of youth like the  normal garden pea we all know.
> I think for that reason the pea flavor is super strong and the "mushy" nasty paste is somewhat like glue.  It's really disgusting like nothing else.
> I hope I haven't offended our British friends.



Blech.  Spit spit.  (gargling with dish soap).  

Dang, Kayelle, that does sound nasty!


----------



## Alix

Gourmet Greg said:


> I think I can top that although I've never had this so not sure. Just read the description for Poutine (Canadian dish).
> 
> I'm pretty sure I don't want to see Mushy Peas or Poutine on _my_ plate.



Oooooohhhhh! I haven't had poutine in AGES. Now I want some. Gourmet Greg, you can just pass your plate to me and I'll look after the poutine for you. 

For me, cottage cheese can remain on store shelves. Blech. There aren't many other things I won't at least try. Cottage cheese remains on my "do not eat" list though.


----------



## CWS4322

taxlady said:


> Oh, you had the original, real stuff, before it got popular in Montreal. It was eaten in small places all over Quebec way before it hit Montreal. Do you remember where you had it? I had my first poutine in or near Rivière du Loup. I was hooked too.


 That's where we stopped! They had about 12 different (if not more) options for toppings. It was SOOOO good. Homemade gravy, handcut fries, and fresh curds...still remember it as one of the very best poutines ever. Locally, the chip wagon puts ground beef on the poutine and calls it Morrisburg poutine.


----------



## CWS4322

Kayelle said:


> This is my first post on this very long thread, as there really is little within reason that I can't tolerate on my plate, including fried Mountain Oysters. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mushy_peas


 It depends on how much beer you've consumed <g>. In MN, we'd have fried smelts when the smelt were running at keggers.


----------



## vitauta

i've never had mushy peas, but it probably won't surprise anyone who knows me here, that i would love to try them.  and i'll almost certainly like them once i do.  i make my pea soup with whole dried peas, which can be difficult to find at times.  one time when i was out of regular dried peas, i used marrofat peas for my soup.  this resulted in a soup with a deeper and more satisfying flavor than my usual.  but those marrofat peas were soo expensive....


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

Alix said:


> Oooooohhhhh! I haven't had poutine in AGES. Now I want some. Gourmet Greg, you can just pass your plate to me and I'll look after the poutine for you.
> 
> For me, cottage cheese can remain on store shelves. Blech. There aren't many other things I won't at least try. Cottage cheese remains on my "do not eat" list though.


I'm pleased that my comments struck a responsive chord. I'd love to think that I have a friend in Edmonton who would feed me.  There's no better friends in the world above friends who would feed you.

The poutine recipe struck me as too fatty, too starchy. I consider both to be dietary sins, not upon nature but merely that I fancy my waste line and I struggle to maintain thinness and fitness even through my senior years. I think poutine would make me fat if I consumed it regularly. That's why I put it on my "do not" list. Maybe I'm wrong. (I have a lot of experience in that.)


----------



## Timothy

Isn't it marvelous how many different cultures are represented here on DC with likes and dislikes spread across the spectrum?

We should all remember that no matter how much we may dislike something, to someone else, it's nectar of the Gods or manna from Heaven.

That's one of the reasons I love to watch Andrew Zimmern's Bizarre Foods show. He shows the foods that are loved by people in far off lands who will never know how revolting their foods are to some of us in our own lands.

The endless variety of life sometimes fascinates me.


----------



## Alix

Gourmet Greg, you are welcome at my table anytime! We eat fairly healthy most of the time, but I will admit to indulging in complete and total crap from time to time. Poutine fits squarely in the indulgence category. 

Make sure you visit in the summer so I can make sure to showcase all the healthiest recipes in my repertoire!


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

Alix and Timothy, I'd love to dine with either of you. I'm somewhat unused to discussing cooking with real, enthusiastic chefs. That's one of the best things that I got out of this forum, being able to discuss cooking with fellow enthusiasts. At present I have only one friend who is an ardent chef, and all the rest of the people I know are either foodies, non-foodies, and none of them but one are chefs at all. I sometimes think that I'm the only chef/cook out there, just thankful that many of my friends are foodies even though they are not interested in cooking.

People who enjoy cooking are rare in life if my experience is any indication. Barring professional chefs most people divide into either foodies or gourmands, and few if any of them have any interest at the stove. Me and thee excepted of course!


----------



## Chief Longwind Of The North

Gourmet Greg said:


> Alix and Timothy, I'd love to dine with either of you. I'm somewhat unused to discussing cooking with real, enthusiastic chefs. That's one of the best things that I got out of this forum, being able to discuss cooking with fellow enthusiasts. At present I have only one friend who is an ardent chef, and all the rest of the people I know are either foodies, non-foodies, and none of them but one are chefs at all. I sometimes think that I'm the only chef/cook out there, just thankful that many of my friends are foodies even though they are not interested in cooking.
> 
> People who enjoy cooking are rare in life if my experience is any indication. Barring professional chefs most people divide into either foodies or gourmands, and few if any of them have any interest at the stove. Me and thee excepted of course!



I first entered the world of cooking at the tender age of 4 years.  At the time, I stayed with my mother on week-days, and with my father on week-ends.  They were divorced and lived on opposite sides of the town (small town).  I was at Mom's house and she was baking stuffed acorn squash in the oven.  This was back in 1959.  I made my way to the stove/range and twisted the oven dial a bit.  I increased the oven temperature, innocently of course.  The squash was burned and I got the strap, literally. I still remember how much it stung on my little bare bottom.  I never touched the stove again, without close adult supervision until I was about 12.  By then, I knew how to make pancakes, fried eggs, and could could heat up a can of beans with hot dogs as well as anyone, not to mention "Chef Boy-Ar-Dee" (sp) pizza kits.  But it was the breaded, fried sardines that caught my parents attention.  And I've been experimenting ever since.  

Now I'm sure that many of my early experiments would be things not wanted on any plate.  But my rule was, and is - if I make it, I gotta eat it.  

How many of you can remember cooking that first, perfect grilled cheese sandwich, or your first perfect beef roast on the charcoal grill, with everything from well done, to rare on the same roast, something for everyone.  

I can cook so many more kinds of food than could my parents.  But I can't make goulash, Great Lakes style, or pan fried, fresh, Lake Superior Brook Trout as good as my Dad could(of course that may have something to do with the quality of the fish).  Nor can I top my Mother's chili, or baked foods (though I can make baked goods as good, and better pasties).

What my parents and grandparents made, they made very, very good.  I've just branched out more into the world's cuisines than they did.

Do I love cooking?  My wife gave up on cooking early in our marriage as I was always pestering her to try this, and change that, and add a bit of this, to her already good recipes.  She threw up her hands one day and said, "That's it.  I quit.  The kitchen is yours."  I've been the chef in my house ever since (chef means chief of the kitchen, and in my house, that's me.).

Here's a challenge for you.  My oldest sister and I used to see who could make, and eat the most ridiculous sandwich.  One would make it, and the other had to eat it.  The challenge is to take a bit of anything available from the fridge and make a sandwich out of it.  Then the person you are playing with must eat it, and return the favor.  Mooohuahahahaha.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


----------



## recipedirect

Okra unless they are pickled and anything cooked with an anise flavor. I don't even like the word liquorice! I love all veggies unless they are cooked to mush.


----------



## Timothy

Gourmet Greg said:


> Alix and Timothy, I'd love to dine with either of you. I'm somewhat unused to discussing cooking with real, enthusiastic chefs. That's one of the best things that I got out of this forum, being able to discuss cooking with fellow enthusiasts. At present I have only one friend who is an ardent chef, and all the rest of the people I know are either foodies, non-foodies, and none of them but one are chefs at all. I sometimes think that I'm the only chef/cook out there, just thankful that many of my friends are foodies even though they are not interested in cooking.
> 
> People who enjoy cooking are rare in life if my experience is any indication. Barring professional chefs most people divide into either foodies or gourmands, and few if any of them have any interest at the stove. Me and thee excepted of course!


 
Thank you Greg. I would love to make sushi for you. I can make any type of recipe. I follow recipes very well and know how to perform the various tasks needed to be a competent cook. I've had only a very few of my meals turn out badly. 

I love to cook and quite often dedicate an entire day on one meal, between marketing for it, preparing and cooking it and of course the eating of it.

I find it to be one of the most relaxing things in the world to do. Time passes so quickly for me when I'm making something that has a high degree of difficulty.

I can't wait for my new kitchen to be built. That part of my renovations is scheduled to happen towards the end of next summer.

I certainly hope so. I'm sick of cooking in 4 square feet of space and having no real oven.


----------



## GLC

Chief Longwind Of The North said:


> Do I love cooking?  My wife gave up on cooking early in our marriage as I was always pestering her to try this, and change that, and add a bit of this, to her already good recipes.  She threw up her hands one day and said, "That's it.  I quit.  The kitchen is yours."  I've been the chef in my house ever since (chef means chief of the kitchen, and in my house, that's me.).



I retired my wife from cooking as a matter of self-preservation. I dared not suggest recipes to her. The ones she had "mastered" were quite enough. I threw up my hands one day and said, "That's it. You're out. The kitchen is mine." I'm the chief in the kitchen, and there are no Indians.


----------



## buckytom

i was talking to my wife the other day about how good her dinner was and how good of a cook she's become, and she  made a comment about always having been a good cook.

so i reminded her that i taught her how to cook many things, including meatballs, steaks, roast chicken, stir fry, and so on.

she rebutted with the fact that she taught me how to drive stick in her old prelude, and that i almost destroyed it's manual transmission before i finally got it. i quickly remembered the battle over it. 

lol, i should have just left her alone with her original thoughts about cooking.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

Chief Longwind Of The North said:


> I first entered the world of cooking at the tender age of 4 years...



My story is somewhat like yours, although not as complex. I used to like watching my mother cook when I was a child. At about 15 I saw the cover of Sunset's Favorite Recipes showing a beef pot pie (family size). I already knew how to make pie crusts because I'd make cinnamon cookies the same way, so I got permission and made the beef pot pie, and it came out fine. I've been cooking ever since. I've almost never had a bad outcome.



Timothy said:


> I find it to be one of the most relaxing things in the world to do. Time passes so quickly for me when I'm making something that has a high degree of difficulty.



That's why I like to cook, because it relaxes me. Secondary motivation is that I can customize what I cook to my liking, that I can be much more comfortable eating at home than a restaurant, and it's all around less hassle to just cook my favorite stuff and eat at my own dining table. I really enjoy learning new things, finding new recipes, and developing my own original recipes. Cooking can be very creative and gives a lot of satisfaction of achievement.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

I don't know why it took me this long to come up with this, maybe we already discussed this.

I don't want to find dog on my plate. (ew! yech!!!)


----------



## Addie

Gourmet Greg said:


> I don't know why it took me this long to come up with this, maybe we already discussed this.
> 
> I don't want to find dog on my plate. (ew! yech!!!)


 
When I lived in Hawaii It was common knowledge to not let your dog run loose. 'Nuf said!


----------



## CWS4322

Addie said:


> When I lived in Hawaii It was common knowledge to not let your dog run loose. 'Nuf said!


One of the many reasons I don't buy products manufactured in China--a newspaper story I was sent years ago about how St. Bernards reported they were "fattened up" for slaughtered. And because of their "fast" growth rate, Saints were considered an ideal breed for eating. The breed was developed to have a strong sense of smell and the ability to find people. The breed was also developed to be man's friend. Being involved with St. Bernard rescue, it made me sick (physically) and broke my heart. The first Saint rescued had heartworm. He cried like a baby following his treatments if s/one was not sitting with him and holding his head. He died in my arms on February 15, 2007. I miss him still. He was such a clown.


----------



## Addie

CWS4322 said:


> One of the many reasons I don't buy products manufactured in China--a newspaper story I was sent years ago about how St. Bernards reported they were "fattened up" for slaughtered. And because of their "fast" growth rate, Saints were considered an ideal breed for eating. The breed was developed to have a strong sense of smell and the ability to find people. The breed was also developed to be man's friend. Being involved with St. Bernard rescue, it made me sick (physically) and broke my heart. The first Saint rescued had heartworm. He cried like a baby following his treatments if s/one was not sitting with him and holding his head. He died in my arms on February 15, 2007. I miss him still. He was such a clown.


 
Dog meat is a common food throughout Asia. You will see dogs kept in cages in marketplaces.


----------



## Timothy

Addie said:


> Dog meat is a common food throughout Asia. You will see dogs kept in cages in marketplaces.


Before we all go off on a "OMG, they eat dogs in Asia" thing, lets remember that as disgusting as that is to us, the cow is held sacred to the Hindus. I don't mean that they give "lip service" to holding the cow as a sacred animal, they really do. To murder and eat a cow is just as disgusting to all 900 Million of the Hindus in our world.

Yet, in the Hindus eyes, we murder 13,670,000 TONS of beef cattle each year in just the USA.

Who are we to look down upon anyone for eating dogs or anything else?

It's literally the perspective from which you view the world.


----------



## Addie

Timothy said:


> Before we all go off on a "OMG, they eat dogs in Asia" thing, lets remember that as disgusting as that is to us, the cow is held sacred to the Hindus. I don't mean that they give "lip service" to holding the cow as a sacred animal, they really do. To murder and eat a cow is just as disgusting to all 900 Million of the Hindus in our world.
> 
> Yet, in the Hindus eyes, we murder 13,670,000 TONS of beef cattle each year in just the USA.
> 
> Who are we to look down upon anyone for eating dogs or anything else?
> 
> It's literally the perspective from which you view the world.


 
I have to agree with you Tim. I got used to the idea when I lived in Hawaii. It wasn't for my palate, but then neither are ants or grasshoppers.


----------



## Timothy

Addie said:


> I have to agree with you Tim. I got used to the idea when I lived in Hawaii. It wasn't for my palate, but then neither are ants or grasshoppers.


 
Dog is eaten in Hawaii? I hadn't heard that before.


----------



## PrincessFiona60

Timothy said:


> Dog is eaten in Hawaii? I hadn't heard that before.



Lots of mysterious dog disappearances occurred here years ago after an influx of immigrants...took them a while to learn that Americans don't eat their dogs.  Their first Generation born are now pet owners instead of food handlers.


----------



## Addie

Timothy said:


> Dog is eaten in Hawaii? I hadn't heard that before.


 
It was said to be common among the Filipinos. That's why you kept your dogs on a leash at all times.


----------



## Timothy

PrincessFiona60 said:


> Lots of mysterious dog disappearances occurred here years ago after an influx of immigrants...took them a while to learn that Americans don't eat their dogs. Their first Generation born are now pet owners instead of food handlers.


 
The same thing happened at the last Army Posting I had. The dogs on the base started disappearing and the Post Commander had to put out a notice about the issue. I had lots of Korean friends on base and I was told once that I had shared a meal with a family that was dog in a type of stew. I have no idea which meal or family it was, but I must have enjoyed it. The women in the Korean families I shared meals with were all great cooks. It's where I got addicted to kimchi. The wife of my best friend at the time  "Sookie", made awesome kimchi. Spicy enough to remove paint, but incredibly tasty! I think it might have been their home where I must have eaten the dog.


----------



## GLC

Food taboos are pretty interesting. Some religious taboos aren't much of a burden. Jews and Muslims can't eat bats. Today, at least, few in Europe and near east would want to, but some minority non-Muslim in Indonesia prize them as food. 

Some African cultures avoid fish. It may be that they were herders and institutionalized a fish taboo to prevent the major change in culture that would result from adopting fishing, a fixed occupation.

It's no more true that "they eat dogs in Asia" than "they eat squirrels in America." Dogs as food are limited to a few regions and not really seen much outside of China, Vietnam, and Korea. Most Asian cultures reject it on various grounds, some religious, as do Hindi, Muslims, and Jews. I think it's possible that the taboos arose where dogs were developed form wolves as extremely valuable to hunting and protecting crops where large herbivores were numerous. Too much value to eat. If a people gave up hunting very early, they weren't so valuable any more. The beef taboo in some places is on account of the opinion that it's ungrateful to eat such an otherwise helpful and productive animal. 

The eating of cats in China has some especially odd aspects. It's centered in one region, and Chinese in many other regions object to it. Even where they are popular, it's often referred to by euphemisms, like "roof hare," just as other cultures referred to human meat as "long pig." They are eaten, but not proudly. 

Sometimes, it's more a matter of having nothing else. In ancient Mexico, there were no large domesticated animals. Dogs and turkey were about it, so dogs had value as food but not as hunters. It's not always that way. Plains Indians were hunters and gatherers but enjoyed their dog stew. But they were subject to annual periods of near starvation, so the habit kept being reinforced. Jews can't eat camel. But Muslims can, a departure from the cloven hoof rule, maybe because there aren't many sources of meet where they were living. 

There are even vegetable taboos, mostly onion type plants. But some taboo root vegetables, because you have to kill the plant to eat them. 

Sheep and goats seem to be okay everywhere, except for institutional vegetarians, like Zoroastrians.


----------



## CWS4322

Addie said:


> Dog meat is a common food throughout Asia. You will see dogs kept in cages in marketplaces.


For 10 years +, my unpaid job was caring for Saint Bernards that people threw away. I have the urn of ashes of each one that did not make it because of the neglect suffered. I do not wish to discuss cultural differences. I respect that the cow is sacred in India, but do not respect that animals are tortured before slaugther in Asian countries. I've held dogs in my arms that have cried like babies because of pain and suffering. Don't even go there with me.


----------



## Skittle68

Chief Longwind Of The North said:
			
		

> I first entered the world of cooking at the tender age of 4 years.  At the time, I stayed with my mother on week-days, and with my father on week-ends.  They were divorced and lived on opposite sides of the town (small town).  I was at Mom's house and she was baking stuffed acorn squash in the oven.  This was back in 1959.  I made my way to the stove/range and twisted the oven dial a bit.  I increased the oven temperature, innocently of course.  The squash was burned and I got the strap, literally. I still remember how much it stung on my little bare bottom.  I never touched the stove again, without close adult supervision until I was about 12.  By then, I knew how to make pancakes, fried eggs, and could could heat up a can of beans with hot dogs as well as anyone, not to mention "Chef Boy-Ar-Dee" (sp) pizza kits.  But it was the breaded, fried sardines that caught my parents attention.  And I've been experimenting ever since.
> 
> Now I'm sure that many of my early experiments would be things not wanted on any plate.  But my rule was, and is - if I make it, I gotta eat it.
> 
> How many of you can remember cooking that first, perfect grilled cheese sandwich, or your first perfect beef roast on the charcoal grill, with everything from well done, to rare on the same roast, something for everyone.
> 
> I can cook so many more kinds of food than could my parents.  But I can't make goulash, Great Lakes style, or pan fried, fresh, Lake Superior Brook Trout as good as my Dad could(of course that may have something to do with the quality of the fish).  Nor can I top my Mother's chili, or baked foods (though I can make baked goods as good, and better pasties).
> 
> What my parents and grandparents made, they made very, very good.  I've just branched out more into the world's cuisines than they did.
> 
> Do I love cooking?  My wife gave up on cooking early in our marriage as I was always pestering her to try this, and change that, and add a bit of this, to her already good recipes.  She threw up her hands one day and said, "That's it.  I quit.  The kitchen is yours."  I've been the chef in my house ever since (chef means chief of the kitchen, and in my house, that's me.).
> 
> Here's a challenge for you.  My oldest sister and I used to see who could make, and eat the most ridiculous sandwich.  One would make it, and the other had to eat it.  The challenge is to take a bit of anything available from the fridge and make a sandwich out of it.  Then the person you are playing with must eat it, and return the favor.  Mooohuahahahaha.
> 
> Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North



I also started cooking at a young age- my mom would assign us all jobs, starting with stirring things, and peeling vegetables, and getting more complex as we got older. It was great that she was patient with us and insisted we be in the kitchen to learn and witness how things work. I have a friend whose mother wouldn't let her in the kitchen because she was viewed as a pest, and I am not exaggerating, she can barely cook Mac and cheese.


----------



## Chief Longwind Of The North

It wasn't so much that I was encouraged to cook, expecially at my Mom's.  Rather, I tended to be very independant.  If there was no one else to cook for me, I just did it myself.  My Dad taught me to make pancakes, and heat up beans and hot dogs, and a pan-fried steak, but that's about it.

At Mom's house, her favorite saying was "get outside and let the wind blow the stink off of ya."  Second to that was "Kids are to be seen and not heard."  Maybe that's why I was so fiercely independant.  When there's no one to teach you how to do things, or to entertain you, you learn to do everything yourself.


I have always been that guy that had to know how to do everything.  And when I was introduced to new foods and flavors, I had to learn how to make them.  It's just who I am, and what I do.

Seeeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


----------



## Timothy

CWS4322 said:


> For 10 years +, my unpaid job was caring for Saint Bernards that people threw away. I have the urn of ashes of each one that did not make it because of the neglect suffered. I do not wish to discuss cultural differences. I respect that the cow is sacred in India, but do not respect that animals are tortured before slaughter in Asian countries. I've held dogs in my arms that have cried like babies because of pain and suffering. Don't even go there with me.


 
You've made me curious CWS. These people keep these animals as food stock. How and why would they "torture" the animals prior to it's intended use? It just makes no sense to me.

Excuse me if this sounds insensitive, but cows are not treated very well prior to slaughter either. They keep them in pens, walking around in feces, over crowded, and then shoot a bolt of steel through their heads to kill them. This is done about 100,000 times a day in just the USA.

I'm very sorry for you having had your terrible experiences, but I don't see any difference between "Humanely" murdering a cow by shooting it in the head, and killing dogs to eat them. 

Imagine how you would feel if you really loved cows and rescued a few of them from a slaughterhouse before they got shot in the head. 

I'm looking at this realistically, not emotionally. Seriously, if you had to shoot a cow in the head, skin and butcher it and wrap each "still warm" piece of it in freezer paper, how would you feel about eating hamburger?

Surely you don't think a cow enjoys it's treatment prior to being murdered? I watched a clip about Kobe Beef Cows that showed a young cow romping and having so much fun in its field. Standing so still while this Japanese guy brushed it's skin with a soft brush while petting it.

The little thing was obviously having a great time playing while being fattened up for murdering.

All kidding aside; what's the difference? Cows have feelings too! 

As do all creatures that we accept the killing of. I think your upset is because of your personal experience with a few of the dogs you've cared for. I understand your feelings, but don't understand how you condone the slaughter of all the billions of other creatures.

We become numb to cruelty in huge numbers. We all think that because we *want* that steak on our plate, cooked rare with taters slid up next to it, that the cow was treated as good as possible prior to slamming a steel bolt into it's head.

I think that's nothing more than selective reasoning and a case of fooling oneself. Mankind has killed creatures for food for millions of years, never caring much about how it must feel for the creatures he murders.

My niece, who is a animal loving person who also works with Great Dane rescue, explained this all to me one day while we were discussing her being a vegan.

I understand her point of view and I understand yours as well, but that part of me is going to remain numb so I can enjoy my steaks.

I'm very sorry if this topic upsets you, but I won't be scolded for thinking the same exact way everyone who eats beef thinks, weather they admit it or not.

In many countries, a dog is thought of exactly as a cow is thought of in the USA... Food. Nothing more, nothing less. It's handlers care no more about it's feelings than someone who works in a cow slaughterhouse cares about a cows feelings.


----------



## Andy M.

Tim, I think a lot of the emotion comes from how dogs are loved as members of the family in this country.  Cows are not.

Think back to the Michael Vick/dog fighting/killing business of a few years ago.  He was vilified and received a stiff prison sentence.  A much harsher sentence than another pro football player who killed a human while drunk driving.  Vick is still hounded by people because of his crimes.

You can't take the emotion out of it.


----------



## Timothy

Andy M. said:


> Tim, I think a lot of the emotion comes from how dogs are loved as members of the family in this country. Cows are not.
> 
> Think back to the Michael Vick/dog fighting/killing business of a few years ago. He was vilified and received a stiff prison sentence. A much harsher sentence than another pro football player who killed a human while drunk driving. Vick is still hounded by people because of his crimes.
> 
> You can't take the emotion out of it.


 
I understand that, Andy, but I have a problem removing logic from it as well. I'm fully capable of removing the emotion from this issue out of necessity. Otherwise, I could never eat a deer or a rabbit.

People are a little weird in how they thing sometimes. Take for example; all the wars.

More people are killed every single year in the USA in car fatalities than were killed in the entire time of the Iraq War.

40 thousand people. But where is the outrage at 40,000 deaths? Where is the political action to prevent it? Where are the sit-ins, the protests and the public outrage at 40,000 people dying each year on our highways?

Practically non-existent. People just accept it, year in, and year out.

We have the technology to eliminate car accidents now. If we spent a quarter of the money we spend on wars, on car accident prevention, we could reduce them enough to save 20-30,000 needless deaths each year. Every year!

We don't, because we, as a species are as illogical as can be in matters of death. We cringe at someone mistreating a domesticated animal and spend millions of dollars prosecuting them, but we let drunks leave bars across the country every single night that drive and kill PEOPLE! (Easily prevented by requiring Alcohol Breathilizers by LAW, in every single vehicle. Over the limit...car won't start!)

Well, I'm starting to feel like I'm on a soap-box shouting at an uncaring crowd, so I'll climb down and quit now.


----------



## Chief Longwind Of The North

For the first time ever, on DC, I'm staying out of this one.  When it comes to people whose emotions are tweaked, in one way or the other, things can go bad very quickly.

I applaude the efforts of everyone to remain respectful of each other in this thread.  Just be careful.  Tread lightly.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


----------



## jusnikki

THere's a vegetable in the califlower family that I wouldn't want on my plate. It looks hideous. I believe it's origins came from outerspace...I'd bet Tim's had it, .


----------



## Andy M.

Timothy said:


> I understand that, Andy, but I have a problem removing logic from it as well. I'm fully capable of removing teh emotion from this issue out of necessity. Otherwise, I could never eat a deer or a rabbit.



The logical part of the discussion is that people eat animals.  Emotions govern which are OK to eat.  That emotion can be cultural or religious.


----------



## Addie

Timothy said:


> You've made me curious CWS. These people keep these animals as food stock. How and why would they "torture" the animals prior to it's intended use? It just makes no sense to me.
> 
> In many countries, a dog is thought of exactly as a cow is thought of in the USA... Food. Nothing more, nothing less. It's handlers care no more about it's feelings than someone who works in a cow slaughterhouse cares about a cows feelings.


 
When we lived in Texas we went to a "culling auction." That is where they auction off animals that are culled from a herd because they don't look like champion stock. We got a two month old heifer Black Angus and a one month old piglet. Took them home, fed them really good and in less than six months they were ready for the freezer. We called the slaughter truck. He came and did his job. All the time the animals were growing, I kept telling my kids not to get fond of them They were going to become food. I refused to let them name them. I must have done a good job because that winter we had meat and the kids knowing where it came from ate it without a fuss.

When I worked with the 4-H kids, they knew from the day their animal was born, what their future was. And they accepted it without question. I am not an animal lover per say. Yet I will be the first one to call the authorities if I see you abusing or torturing any animal. I just try to be realistic. I think horses are some of the most beautiful animals. But they are very dumb and skittish. Unless you have the money to bury your horse like they do on big farms in Kentucky, you know what the end will be for a horse. 

I tend to lean toward the side that says animals are here to serve us. We don't have to abuse them or torture them before we are through using them for our own means. But I would rather put my money towards feeding a hungry child than spend it burying an animal once it can no longer serve us. 

I love my son's Maltese. It has been what keeps my son going since his wife died. And for that I am grateful to the dog. But if something happened to the dog, I would be more concerned about what will happen to my son.


----------



## Timothy

jusnikki said:


> THere's a vegetable in the califlower family that I wouldn't want on my plate. It looks hideous. I believe it's origins came from outerspace...I'd bet Tim's had it, .


 
Are you talking about the one that is the green cauliflower, bred with broccoli? I think they call it Broc-O-flower or something...


----------



## Timothy

Chief Longwind Of The North said:


> For the first time ever, on DC, I'm staying out of this one. When it comes to people whose emotions are tweaked, in one way or the other, things can go bad very quickly.
> 
> I applaude the efforts of everyone to remain respectful of each other in this thread. Just be careful. Tread lightly.


 
Dang if that ain't a fact! I'm not saying another word about it. I think I made my feelings on the matter as clear as can be.


----------



## Timothy

Addie said:


> I love my son's Maltese. It has been what keeps my son going since his wife died. And for that I am grateful to the dog. But if something happened to the dog, I would be more concerned about what will happen to my son.


 
After reading many, many of your posts and thoughts, Addie, I've come to realize that you have a heart as big as the great outdoors!

You're just a sweetie!


----------



## Addie

Timothy said:


> After reading many, many of your posts and thoughts, Addie, I've come to realize that you have a heart as big as the great outdoors!
> 
> You're just a sweetie!


 
Thank you. You're not so bad yourself.


----------



## GLC

Gawd! If ya'll keep that up, I'm gonna have to go put my boots back on.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

I'm sorry to say, I meant to say that I don't want to see hot dogs on my plate, not dog!!! 

Okay I didn't understand how much controversy it would stir up. Sorry.

I think our food preferences and proscriptions are cultural. People from India don't eat beef, people from America don't eat dog.

This supports a concept I've advocated from the beginning of the topic, that your culture and heritage determines what foods you like and which you avoid or even consider disgusting. If you come from a insular or narrow culture you will feel constricted in your food choices. If you come from an adventuresome culture with wide exposure to other cultures then you may accept a far wider range of foods.


----------



## buckytom

i've told this story before but it bears repeating.

a friend and co-worker named young choi emigrated to america from seoul, korea a number if years ago.

when he first came here, a bunch if the guys at work invited him to come along to a baseball game to show him his new nation's pasttime. he was eager to go, both to make new friends, as well as see a real proffesional american baseball game.

as he walked through the stadium, he noticed a bunch of vendors selling hot dog. he thought it was strange that he'd never heard of americans eating dog before, but he had eaten it a few times in korea so it wasn't that big of a deal.

after the guys took their seats, a vendor walked by selling hot dogs, so choi, in order to thank his friends, bought one for everyone.

the hot dogs were passed down the row, and as choi paid he opened up the wrapper of his hot dog and exclamied, "i'm sorry, i don't eat that part. may i have a different piece?"

everyone burst out laughing and had to describe to choi what a hot dog was, an thinking about it mentioned that it was made from all of the undesirable parts of a cow or pig.

choi wasn't sure if we were joking or not, and we weren't sure if he was, but it sure was funny.
.


----------



## jusnikki

Timothy said:


> Are you talking about the one that is the green cauliflower, bred with broccoli? I think they call it Broc-O-flower or something...



I don't remember what it was called. But it is green. I'll have to find a pic of it.


----------



## buckytom

broccolini?


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

I think either Tim or BC is right, not sure which. I don't understand how they bred a cross that had all the worst parts of both broccoli and cauliflower.

I love broccoli, hate cauliflower, and equally hate broccolini or brocoflower or whatever you name this evil cross.

Whatever you call it I don't want to see it on my plate.


----------



## jusnikki

buckytom said:


> broccolini?



lol i dont remember but i know it was listed with the califlower.


----------



## Steve Kroll

jusnikki said:


> THere's a vegetable in the califlower family that I wouldn't want on my plate. It looks hideous. I believe it's origins came from outerspace...I'd bet Tim's had it, .


You're not talking about Romanesco, are you? It looks like this:







It's actually not bad. But then again, I like cauliflower.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

Steve Kroll said:


>



Holy fractal!!! That looks so fractal I wonder if it's even real or some computer generated or artist generated illustration.

I usually edit pictures out of my quotes... but this one bears repeating. That can't be real!


----------



## jusnikki

I'm going to find where i saw it and post the pic. It almost looked like a small aloe vera plant but in a creepy way. it had texture to it. i can see it in my head and it makes my skin itch...


----------



## jusnikki

Steve Kroll said:


> You're not talking about Romanesco, are you? It looks like this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It's actually not bad. But then again, I like cauliflower.



THATS IT!!!!! It'n it ugly???!


----------



## PrincessFiona60

I think it's beautiful, Greg is right, Fractals!

 What's it taste like, Steve?


----------



## taxlady

Gourmet Greg said:


> Holy fractal!!! That looks so fractal I wonder if it's even real or some computer generated or artist generated illustration.
> 
> I usually edit pictures out of my quotes... but this one bears repeating. That can't be real!



Fractal. That's the word. I couldn't think of it. Very nifty.


----------



## jusnikki

Gourmet Greg said:


> Holy fractal!!! That looks so fractal I wonder if it's even real or some computer generated or artist generated illustration.
> 
> I usually edit pictures out of my quotes... but this one bears repeating. That can't be real!



I told you it was hideous..lol.


----------



## Steve Kroll

Gourmet Greg said:


> I think our food preferences and proscriptions are cultural. People from India don't eat beef...


This is a bit of a misconception. It's true that some Hindu sects don't eat beef. But some do - primarily those in the southern part of the country. Some Indians are also vegetarian and don't eat any meat for that reason. And it should be noted there are also quite a few Christians in India, who have no qualms at all about eating beef... or pork, for that matter. Pork Vindaloo is a popular dish in the Goa region.

Sorry, I had to bring this up because I was once chastised by a co-worker who immigrated here from India. I said the same thing to him, and then he proceeded to take me out to lunch at his favorite burger joint.


----------



## Steve Kroll

PrincessFiona60 said:


> I think it's beautiful, Greg is right, Fractals!
> 
> What's it taste like, Steve?


Ok, ok, it tastes like cauliflower.


----------



## PrincessFiona60

Steve Kroll said:


> Ok, ok, it tastes like cauliflower.



Then I will allow it to stay beautiful and Fractal...right where it is!


----------



## jusnikki




----------



## Timothy

buckytom said:


> broccolini?


 

Yer killin me! Hahahahhahahahhahahh


----------



## Timothy

jusnikki said:


> THATS IT!!!!! It'n it ugly???!


 
It looks like it needs a steam and some butter!


----------



## vitauta

what is it that makes you see ugly, nikki?  the symmetry, the color?  i don't see it, myself....


----------



## Addie

Yes, it is butt ugly!! Looks like a Christmas tree that has gone amok on steroids. I'd be afraid to even bring it into my home for fear that it would attack me.


----------



## Aunt Bea

IMHO God or Mother Nature did a fine job! 

 It looks much more interesting than a potato or a turnip!


----------



## Dawgluver

I think it looks quite pretty, and very edible!  Yum!


----------



## Addie

Aunt Bea said:


> IMHO God or Mother Nature did a fine job!
> 
> It looks much more interesting than a potato or a turnip!


 
I think Mother Nature's hormones ran amok when she made that. Perhaps she did it when she was going through the change. She must have been having one of her hot flashes.


----------



## Timothy

Here's a photo of a head of Broccoflower:


----------



## Chief Longwind Of The North

jusnikki said:


> THATS IT!!!!! It'n it ugly???!



I first saw Romanesco in Tacoma, Wa., while visiting my family out there.  Sprout was showing me a couple of great places to purchase fresh veggies.  She pointed the Romanesco out to me as an interesting looking veggie.  I had to have some, so we bought a head of it.  We loved it.  If I recall, it tastes similar to cauliflower.  I also love both cauliflower, and broccoli.  I've never had broccolini and so can't comment on it.

Just last week, I made a bisque from broccoli, cauliflower, carrot, leeks, creamed corn, and a touch of pepperoni used as a seasoning.   It came out yummy, and not like anything I would have expected.  It came out so creamy and light, and with such a fresh flavor, it would make a great appetizer.

Don't ask me how I came up with the recipe, because I haven't a clue where they come from.  Ingredients just seem to pop into my head that I think will go well together, and then I can imagine the flavor of them, as if I'd had it before.

Anyway, another thing I don't want to see on my plate, is any member of the mint family, either as a flavoring, or candy, or leafy substance, except for basil and oregano.  I love those two.  You can keep horehound and black licorice as well.  But anise and molasses are used in my cooking.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


----------



## Dawgluver

Chief Longwind Of The North said:
			
		

> Just last week, I made a bisque from broccoli, cauliflower, carrot, leeks, creamed corn, and a touch of pepperoni used as a seasoning.   It came out yummy, and not like anything I would have expected.  It came out so creamy and light, and with such a fresh flavor, it would make a great appetizer.
> 
> Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North



Chief, a great idea!  I made a nice soup from my roasted cauli, garlic, onions, and carrots.  DH tasted it and proclaimed, " It needs something.". He couldn't tell me what.   I thought it was fine.  But will add some corn and some turkey pepperoni.  If he doesn't like it after that, tough noogies.


----------



## jusnikki

Are yall kidding me??! lol I mean look at all the little  bumps on it...and, it just looks sooo weird. 0h well, guess i shouldnt judge a book  by its cover.... lol...beauty "is" in the eye of the beholder.... and yall are blind!!!!!!LoLoLoL


----------



## jusnikki

Addie said:


> Yes, it is butt ugly!! Looks like a Christmas tree that has gone amok on steroids. I'd be afraid to even bring it into my home for fear that it would attack me.



Thk you.. i knew i couldnt be the only person who thought it was ugly... lol


----------



## Chief Longwind Of The North

For anyone interested, I'll post the bisque recipe.  Think I'll call the recipe, hmmm, how about, Vegetable Bisque?

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


----------



## Julio

Good thread!

I always thought that cooks/chefs eat everything but I was wrong.


----------



## FrankZ

Steve Kroll said:


> I said the same thing to him, and then he proceeded to take me out to lunch at his favorite burger joint.



That was tricksy of you...


----------



## CWS4322

taxlady said:


> Fractal. That's the word. I couldn't think of it. Very nifty.


 Fractal is the term used for that percentage of interest, etc., that is dropped and not paid out to the recipient. Banks make a lot of money on fractals.


----------



## buckytom

fractals are the reason we have small cell phones.


----------



## CWS4322

buckytom said:


> fractals are the reason we have small cell phones.


And why I keep pennies in a sock under my bed!!


----------



## PrincessFiona60

CWS4322 said:


> Fractal is the term used for that percentage of interest, etc., that is dropped and not paid out to the recipient. Banks make a lot of money on fractals.



This is the kind of Fractal I was talking about: Mandelbrot Set Spirals


----------



## CWS4322

Oh--I thought you meant the ones that equal cash in the bank!


----------



## PrincessFiona60

CWS4322 said:


> Oh--I thought you meant the ones that equal cash in the bank!



What do I know about cash in the bank?


----------



## Timothy

PrincessFiona60 said:


> What do I know about cash in the bank?


 
I hear that! Every month, I put a bunch of money in the bank, only to watch as it's pulled right back out by all my creditors. At the end of the month, I'm right back where I started!


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

CWS4322 said:


> Fractal is the term used for that percentage of interest, etc., that is dropped and not paid out to the recipient. Banks make a lot of money on fractals.





PrincessFiona60 said:


> This is the kind of Fractal I was talking about: Mandelbrot Set Spirals



I too was referring to the partial dimensional numbers such as related to Mandelbrot. I had never heard of any financial meaning of the word.


----------



## PrincessFiona60

Gourmet Greg said:


> I too was referring to the partial dimensional numbers such as related to Mandelbrot. I had never heard of any financial meaning of the word.



I have a strange attraction to Fractals and Mandelbrot Sets.


----------



## taxlady

PrincessFiona60 said:


> I have a strange attraction to Fractals and Mandelbrot Sets.



 Good one.

I thought you didn't like math, you strange attractor, you.


----------



## PrincessFiona60

taxlady said:


> Good one.
> 
> I thought you didn't like math, you strange attractor, you.



LOL!!!  I just sent that phrase on to my Dad, it will make him laugh.

Math can be and is beautiful...but trying to figure out why is where it falls down for me.  I enjoy music and paintings, too...but can't produce anything others would like.


----------



## taxlady

Did you read the second paragraph (near the top) of the wiki article; the first place the article mentions strange attractors?


----------



## Timothy

I love Math. It's the single common thing that connects every other thing that exists.

Nothing is exempt from the absoluteness of Math.

Nothing we know of yet, anyway.

The recently discovered "Oldest Galaxy Ever" from which light takes 13.2 Billion light years to travel to us, is so facinating to me. Space is the greatest challenge to mankind. We haven't the Math to conceive of how vast space truely is.

If one were to be at that galaxy 13.2 Billion light years from us, it's hard to realize that there is a trillion times that much distance on the other side of it and in all directions.

It makes my head feel like exploding when I think of it.


----------



## PrincessFiona60

taxlady said:


> Did you read the second paragraph (near the top) of the wiki article; the first place the article mentions strange attractors?



Read it, understand the words...I think I am Chaotic...but, the math of it makes no sense to me.  I knew/know about strange attractors, enough to create a _WORD_ pun.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

I don't want to see caterpillars on my plate!


----------



## PrincessFiona60

Reminds me of the time I saw an inch-worm "running" down the edge of the beautiful salad bar I had just set up.  I took the lettuce back and re-rinsed it.


----------



## Addie

Gourmet Greg said:


> I don't want to see caterpillars on my plate!


 
But it is really such a pretty butterfly!


----------



## vitauta

Addie said:


> But it is really such a pretty butterfly!



greg's gonna tell you he don't want no pretty butterfly on his plate neither!


----------



## JoshuaNY

I previously stated I do not want to see goat cheese on my plate. Well I was at a restaurant this weekend and they brought out an amuse bouche for everyone. 

It was fried goat cheese with pesto. Now I will admit it was the best goat cheese I have had it was the least goat tasting. And the pesto was delicious. But about 10 minutes after I finished it I was still tasting the goat. 

Once again it reaffirms my dislike of the cheese. I will taste it again in another year. I can only hope the goat cheese fad will go away.


----------



## Skittle68

Hmmm I love goat cheese lol. And because of it's smaller molecules goat cheese/milk is easier to digest, so lactose intolerant people can usually handle it. I've read that even calves do better on goats milk than mothers milk. I, for one, do not hope the fad passes


----------



## Timothy

JoshuaNY said:


> I can only hope the goat cheese fad will go away.





Skittle68 said:


> I, for one, do not hope the fad passes


 
I don't think a 40 year practice of doing something would be a fad.

I've seen goat cheese listed in recipes since the early 70's, so after 40 years of goat cheese inclusion into recipes, I seriously doubt that it's going to stop being popular.

I tried it recently for the first time, and it was ok, but not anything that stands out in my memory of foods I love.


----------



## Andy M.

Goat cheese isn't going away, just like sun-dried tomatoes haven't gone away.  They just don't show up in recipes after a while.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

I think goat cheese has been used in Mediterranean cuisine for much longer than 40 years, probably hundreds of years or more. Popularity of EU recipes in the US probably ensures that goat cheese will be with us forever.


----------



## Timothy

Andy M. said:


> Goat cheese isn't going away, just like sun-dried tomatoes haven't gone away. They just don't show up in recipes after a while.


 
I've never used "Sun Dried Tomatoes". I have a dehydrator that I use almost constantly during harvest months. I kept expanding it until I now have 15 trays for it. The thing is almost as tall as I am. I love the thing. It's as easy as can be and I freeze the results. I think they would last forever in the freezer.

I wait for veggies to be on sale and buy enough to fill the dehydrator twice.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

Timothy said:


> I've never used "Sun Dried Tomatoes".


Sun dried tomatoes are usually sold packed in olive oil and often with additional spices. However they are also available dehydrated. Most recipes I've seen or cooked use the packed in olive oil version.


----------



## JoAnn L.

My youngest son made the best butter spread using sun dried tomatoes and some spices. I loved it, it was addictive, you kept wanting more. But sad to say he has lost the recipe. He has looked on the internet but can't find the right one. Bummer.


----------



## Addie

Andy M. said:


> Goat cheese isn't going away, just like sun-dried tomatoes haven't gone away. They just don't show up in recipes after a while.


 
I have yet to find a "sun dried tomato" that was edible. I think they are so gross. I love tomatoes, but not them. Fortunately I am not a person who tries to follow the latest trend in food. Serving veggies that I can't even get my fork into, is another one I refuse to go with. Cook my food so I can eat it and get my fork into. I know. I am getting old and cranky.


----------



## buckytom

oh, c'mon addie. you're not old.


----------



## Addie

buckytom said:


> oh, c'mon addie. you're not old.


 
Well close to it. My sister died when she was 74. So now my kids have me in a contest with her. They want me to live to 75. I don't know how this rivalry with her kids cam about, but I wish it would end. Only three years to go. I didn't even expect to make it to 72. But I am working on that 75. Then I will start to get old.


----------



## JoAnn L.

JoAnn L. said:


> My youngest son made the best butter spread using sun dried tomatoes and some spices. I loved it, it was addictive, you kept wanting more. But sad to say he has lost the recipe. He has looked on the internet but can't find the right one. Bummer.



I forgot to add that he also put in some cream cheese.


----------



## GLC

Sounds like a case for repeated experimentation and the obligatory eating of the test results.


----------



## Skittle68

I've discovered I don't want to see Brie cheese on my plate. I tried a free sample of it on a cracker at the grocery store, and thought it was good, but when I tried it on a cracker at home, all I could taste was this gross musty flavor!! So I tried it with fruit preserves on a cracker, and I could still taste it over the fruit. I'm about ready to chuck it in the garbage. Not sure I want to eat something I have to try to cover up the flavor. I would be willing to try it one more time to see if I just don't have the right combo. Any suggestions?


----------



## taxlady

Skittle68 said:


> I've discovered I don't want to see Brie cheese on my plate. I tried a free sample of it on a cracker at the grocery store, and thought it was good, but when I tried it on a cracker at home, all I could taste was this gross musty flavor!! So I tried it with fruit preserves on a cracker, and I could still taste it over the fruit. I'm about ready to chuck it in the garbage. Not sure I want to eat something I have to try to cover up the flavor. I would be willing to try it one more time to see if I just don't have the right combo. Any suggestions?



My DH says that both Camembert and Brie have a slight mushroom flavour. I don't notice that. Is that the musty flavour you mean? 

How ripe it is makes a huge difference. I find that overripe Brie has a slightly ammonia smell. Under-ripe and it's a bit sour.

I like a slightly too ripe Camembert or Brie with strawberry jam. If it is perfectly ripe, I just want it with butter or plain.


----------



## Addie

Skittle68 said:


> I've discovered I don't want to see Brie cheese on my plate. I tried a free sample of it on a cracker at the grocery store, and thought it was good, but when I tried it on a cracker at home, all I could taste was this gross musty flavor!! So I tried it with fruit preserves on a cracker, and I could still taste it over the fruit. I'm about ready to chuck it in the garbage. Not sure I want to eat something I have to try to cover up the flavor. I would be willing to try it one more time to see if I just don't have the right combo. Any suggestions?


 
Sounds like you got some of the skim covering from the top of the cheese. No wonder you weren't crazy about it. Try scooping some out from the very middle. If you still get the same results, find someone who likes it or toss it.


----------



## Skittle68

Addie said:
			
		

> Sounds like you got some of the skim covering from the top of the cheese. No wonder you weren't crazy about it. Try scooping some out from the very middle. If you still get the same results, find someone who likes it or toss it.



Thanks  I actually used a wire cheese cutter to cut the rind off, and I'm pretty sure (especially the second time I tried it) that I didn't get any of the rind.  Maybe I'll make up a cheese and cracker plate for me and my bf and see if he likes it. If not, there isn't that much left so I won't feel bad about tossing cheese that neither of us likes lol

Taxlady, I think you might be right that it is over-ripe. I'm sure at the store the cheese they cut up for samples was perfectly ripe. What a waste of perfectly good crackers!


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

Here's my Brie recipe:

Toast some almond slices in a pan using butter as the fat. Reserve the toasted almond slices on a few paper towels to absorb any grease/fat.

Sprinkle the toasted almond slices over your Brie on a serving plate, then nuke it all until the Brie is softened.

Serve with suitable crackers.


----------



## buckytom

cut off the top of the rind, wrap the brie in foil, bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until it's gooey, serve on a bed of raspberry preserves with crackers or crusty bread and eat it like a raclette.  yum!


----------



## vitauta

Skittle68 said:


> I've discovered I don't want to see Brie cheese on my plate. I tried a free sample of it on a cracker at the grocery store, and thought it was good, but when I tried it on a cracker at home, all I could taste was this gross musty flavor!! So I tried it with fruit preserves on a cracker, and I could still taste it over the fruit. I'm about ready to chuck it in the garbage. Not sure I want to eat something I have to try to cover up the flavor. I would be willing to try it one more time to see if I just don't have the right combo. Any suggestions?



i'm not sure we're talking about the same thing, but it's a "musty" flavor that i like so much about brie.  for me, the rind is the tastiest part of this and many other cheeses....


----------



## Chief Longwind Of The North

Just goes to show you that everyone's tastes are different.  I love liver, and liver sausages.  I really don't like the rind on bri, camembert, and similar washed rind cheeses.  But that's Ok, because it's relative to the way my taste and odor receptors are configured in my body.  Everyone has the receptors, but they are like fingerprints, unique in configuration to everyone.  And they are what determine how particular foods taste to each of us.

I love wintergreen, but hate most mints.  My DW can tolerate mints, and used to love them, but has always hated wintergreen.  My oldest son loves maple syrup, as do I.  His and my DW's don't like maple syrup (how can you not like real maple syrup!?  It's just the way, litteraly, that we are built.

Oh, and BT, your idea sounds really good.  I might just have to try it.  Thanks, buddy.   I'd share a peanut or two with ya, but my arms aren't long enough.  I call the peanut, the nut of friends because usually, there are two in the shell, one for me, and one for a friend. 

Seeeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


----------



## Timothy

Chief Longwind Of The North said:


> I call the peanut, the nut of friends because usually, there are two in the shell, one for me, and one for a friend.


 
What a cool way of thinking. Generous and sharing. Good for you!


----------



## GLC

I suspect the distaste for brie, when it's described as musty or mushroomy, is similar to the problem with cilantro. In cilantro, the offender is aldehydes that are also present in soap, lotions, and some bugs. Or mangos, that some people describe as tasting like pine needles (how do they know?) or dirty sweat socks. (I'm a little with them there. Mango has just enough of that to put me off, even though I can eat them.) Blue cheese tastes too much like bread mold for some. 

It appears to be mostly genetic. All of those things present a balance of flavors. Their appeal is actually the thing that haters hate about them. Why eat brie and not just cream cheese? Because of the flavor that the haters hate. With brie, the balance of mushroom/must is the intentionally cultivated flavor developed in balance with the sweet dairy flavor. But if something upsets the balance, it triggers an alarm that it's rotten. With blue cheese, it's obvious. It actually is moldy, and to like it, you have to taste the balance against the dairy, which is rather acidic, another potential alarm, and therefore there seem to be more blue haters than brie haters. Cilantro's unique appeal is the stinkbug flavor that likers don't connect to the bug or to soap, any more than they connect blue with bread mold, because they are able to taste it in balance with the green flavor. (A little stinkbug goes a long way.)  So likers have a hard time understanding the haters' dislikes. I understand mango haters, only because I experience it mildly out of kilter. 

I wonder if there's any part of this that relates to risk. People have widely varying appreciations for and attractions to risk. Voluntarily eating something that the brain remembers from something to be avoided might be a kind of risk-taking. In evolutionary terms, go back to early humans (or early animals or any kind), and consider that, without any possibility of medical intervention, risks of food poisoning and intake of potentially dangerous rotten food was far more dangerous than we would think of it today. Even being temporarily disabled or even significantly slowed by illness could get you killed. Good enough reason for the alarm, when they sound, to be heard loud and clear. But at the same time, you can shy away from every occurrence of the offending flavor factor, because you might starve before you found enough that was free of any of them.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

vitauta said:


> i'm not sure we're talking about the same thing, but it's a "musty" flavor that i like so much about brie.  for me, the rind is the tastiest part of this and many other cheeses....





Chief Longwind Of The North said:


> Just goes to show you that everyone's tastes are different.  I love liver, and liver sausages.  I really don't like the rind on bri, camembert, and similar washed rind cheeses.  But that's Ok...



That's why my brie recipe uses the whole thing. Those who like the rind can scoop some up with their cracker, those who don't can dig down in the brie and skip the rind. Sometimes I like the rind and sometimes I don't. It seems more palatable to me when it's warm.


----------



## Chief Longwind Of The North

GLC said:


> I suspect the distaste for brie, when it's described as musty or mushroomy, is similar to the problem with cilantro. In cilantro, the offender is aldehydes that are also present in soap, lotions, and some bugs. Or mangos, that some people describe as tasting like pine needles (how do they know?) or dirty sweat socks. (I'm a little with them there. Mango has just enough of that to put me off, even though I can eat them.) Blue cheese tastes too much like bread mold for some.
> 
> It appears to be mostly genetic. All of those things present a balance of flavors. Their appeal is actually the thing that haters hate about them. Why eat brie and not just cream cheese? Because of the flavor that the haters hate. With brie, the balance of mushroom/must is the intentionally cultivated flavor developed in balance with the sweet dairy flavor. But if something upsets the balance, it triggers an alarm that it's rotten. With blue cheese, it's obvious. It actually is moldy, and to like it, you have to taste the balance against the dairy, which is rather acidic, another potential alarm, and therefore there seem to be more blue haters than brie haters. Cilantro's unique appeal is the stinkbug flavor that likers don't connect to the bug or to soap, any more than they connect blue with bread mold, because they are able to taste it in balance with the green flavor. (A little stinkbug goes a long way.) So likers have a hard time understanding the haters' dislikes. I understand mango haters, only because I experience it mildly out of kilter.
> 
> I wonder if there's any part of this that relates to risk. People have widely varying appreciations for and attractions to risk. Voluntarily eating something that the brain remembers from something to be avoided might be a kind of risk-taking. In evolutionary terms, go back to early humans (or early animals or any kind), and consider that, without any possibility of medical intervention, risks of food poisoning and intake of potentially dangerous rotten food was far more dangerous than we would think of it today. Even being temporarily disabled or even significantly slowed by illness could get you killed. Good enough reason for the alarm, when they sound, to be heard loud and clear. But at the same time, you can shy away from every occurrence of the offending flavor factor, because you might starve before you found enough that was free of any of them.


 
Interesting conjecture.  These are the kinds of discussions that I love to have with Sprout, and PurpleAlienGiraffe.  They are great with these types of topics.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


----------



## GLC

Well, I don't have anything scientific to support the risk idea. And if there was anything, it would be hard to find, because those search terms leave you swamped in the topic of risk behavior in eating unhealthy foods, which is conscious choice making and not at all what we mean.  But if you offer someone a food of a sort that's new to them,few people will grab it and toss it down. People normally will say things like, "I'll try it" or "I'll take a chance." And we encourage them with, "Come on. Live dangerously" or "It won't hurt you." That's normal caution in the context of a dangerous environment, and they will smell first. If no alarms go off, they'll take a small taste and only then eat it, if nothing puts them off. 

We can all detect the things that triggers the haters' hate. And surely, since we all share the same core experience and innate knowledge, we all, somewhere down inside, make the connection with the hazard that flavor associates with. But maybe some just don't hear the alarm. Maybe they're not brave or risk-taking eaters, just not protected. 

That's a question, whether haters taste in different proportions or taste similarly to others but react differently. But it seems to be pretty well wired in, and it doesn't seem likely that you can change a hater. Is anyone a former hater of cilantro, brie, blue, etc. who thought they tasted foul (rather than never having tried them) who learned to like them? Former haters as children don't count. We know there are significant changes in taste from childhood to adulthood.


----------



## Aunt Bea

The thing I have trouble understanding is the passion that some "haters" need to express when they encounter something they do not care for.   We all have likes and dislikes but for me it is just take it or leave it, no big deal.

By the way, I will leave black beans.


----------



## taxlady

I wouldn't be surprised if the genetic, built-in, like/dislike is partly a question of what is good/tolerable for your body, with your ancestry.

I can also easily believe the risk taker notion. It's probably best if the majority of the tribe is cautious about new smelling/tasting foods. It is also good if someone in the tribe is willing to take chances to find out if that new food is safe.


----------



## taxlady

Aunt Bea said:


> The thing I have trouble understanding is the passion that some "haters" need to express when they encounter something they do not care for.   We all have likes and dislikes but for me it is just take it or leave it, no big deal.
> 
> By the way, I will leave black beans.



I think it's so people will remember quit giving it to us.

I am soooo tired of people trying to give me a _treat_ of cooked salmon.


----------



## Timothy

taxlady said:


> I am soooo tired of people trying to give me a _treat_ of cooked salmon.


 
taxlady, I'm right there with you on that one! I can't stand cooked salmon other than smoked. I love smoked salmon. I think I could eat my own body weight of it.


----------



## taxlady

Timothy said:


> taxlady, I'm right there with you on that one! I can't stand cooked salmon other than smoked. I love smoked salmon. I think I could eat my own body weight of it.



I love *cold* smoked salmon. I adore gravad laks. Just don't go spoiling my salmon by cooking it. 

BTW, have you ever tried gravad laks? It's very similar to smoked salmon with a subtler/more refined flavour. And, you can make it at home in your fridge!


----------



## Timothy

taxlady said:


> I love *cold* smoked salmon. I adore gravad laks. Just don't go spoiling my salmon by cooking it.
> 
> BTW, have you ever tried gravad laks? It's very similar to smoked salmon with a subtler/more refined flavour. And, you can make it at home in your fridge!


 
Not only have I never tasted it, but until now, I'd never even heard of it.

Please tell me more! Do you have a recipe for making it?

This is what I found on Wiki:

"During the Middle Ages, gravlax was made by fishermen, who salted the salmon and lightly fermented it by burying it in the sand above the high-tide line. The word gravlax comes from the Scandinavian word grav, which literally means "grave" or "to dig" (in Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch and Estonian), and lax (or laks), which means "salmon", thus gravlax means "buried salmon".

Today fermentation is no longer used in the production process. Instead the salmon is "buried" in a dry marinade of salt, sugar, and dill, and cured for a few days. As the salmon cures, by the action of osmosis, the moisture turns the dry cure into a highly concentrated brine, which can be used in Scandinavian cooking as part of a sauce. This same method of curing can be used for any fatty fish, but salmon is the most common."

EDIT: Just found a simple recipe for making it:

http://www.hub-uk.com/tallyrecip01/recipe0042.htm


----------



## taxlady

Timothy said:


> Not only have I never tasted it, but until now, I'd never even heard of it.
> 
> Please tell me more! Do you have a recipe for making it?
> 
> This is what I found on Wiki:
> 
> "During the Middle Ages, gravlax was made by fishermen, who salted the salmon and lightly fermented it by burying it in the sand above the high-tide line. The word gravlax comes from the Scandinavian word grav, which literally means "grave" or "to dig" (in Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch and Estonian), and lax (or laks), which means "salmon", thus gravlax means "buried salmon".
> 
> Today fermentation is no longer used in the production process. Instead the salmon is "buried" in a dry marinade of salt, sugar, and dill, and cured for a few days. As the salmon cures, by the action of osmosis, the moisture turns the dry cure into a highly concentrated brine, which can be used in Scandinavian cooking as part of a sauce. This same method of curing can be used for any fatty fish, but salmon is the most common."
> 
> EDIT: Just found a simple recipe for making it:
> 
> Gravlax, Gravad laks, Gravlaks Recipe - Recipes by Tallyrand



I agree with everything except the last paragraph that you quoted.

Here's one of the recipes that I use: Gravlaks. I have also used Julia Child's recipe from _The Way to Cook_ with good results. I have never made it in less than three days. I also cut down the recipe a whole lot and make a much smaller amount. Here's another modern Scandinavian recipe for it: Gravlaks

BTW, I buy frozen salmon. Commercially frozen salmon should be parasite free. If you buy fresh salmon for this, either buy sushi grade or google to see how long you need to freeze it at home to make sure any parasites are dead.


----------



## Addie

taxlady said:


> I love *cold* smoked salmon. I adore gravad laks. Just don't go spoiling my salmon by cooking it.
> 
> BTW, have you ever tried gravad laks? It's very similar to smoked salmon with a subtler/more refined flavour. And, you can make it at home in your fridge!


 
I love creamed salmon and peas over mashed taters. A traditional dish for July 4th. Will pick at smoked salmon. BRW, Mom and Pop stores during the salmon run in the NW, keep a tray of smoked salmon on their countertop and the kids buy it by the square piece on the way to school in the morning. Sort of like I used to buy oily pizza as a teenager.


----------



## Timothy

taxlady said:


> I agree with everything except the last paragraph that you quoted.
> 
> Here's one of the recipes that I use: Gravlaks. I have also used Julia Child's recipe from _The Way to Cook_ with good results. I have never made it in less than three days. I also cut down the recipe a whole lot and make a much smaller amount. Here's another modern Scandinavian recipe for it: Gravlaks
> 
> BTW, I buy frozen salmon. Commercially frozen salmon should be parasite free. If you buy fresh salmon for this, either buy sushi grade or google to see how long you need to freeze it at home to make sure any parasites are dead.


 
Thank you so much for this recipe. Gravlaks , of those I've read now, this one is my favorite. I'll be doing this soon!

btw, any meat frozen at minus 4F for 7 days will be free of parasites. I have a sushi freezer I use for this that maintains -20F

I'll buy fresh fillets and freeze them prior to making this recipe.


----------



## taxlady

Timothy said:


> Thank you so much for this recipe. Gravlaks , of those I've read now, this one is my favorite. I'll be doing this soon!
> 
> btw, any meat frozen at minus 4F for 7 days will be free of parasites. I have a sushi freezer I use for this that maintains -20F
> 
> I'll buy fresh fillets and freeze them prior to making this recipe.



Sushi freezer 

I wouldn't bother turning the salmon more than every 12 hours, unless you want to turn it every 6 hours. Sometimes I want to check on it 

I tried the mustard sauce and didn't much like it. YMMV. Oops, I haven't tried that one. It was a different recipe I didn't like.


----------



## buckytom

i made refrigerator gravlax a year or two ago using a recipe from cooking for engineers.

it was ok, but too salty for me. maybe i let it salt too long, or didn't rinse it well enough.


----------



## CWS4322

Gravlaks. A friend of mine (who happens to be from Greenland), makes excellent Gravlaks. I like mine with lots of fresh dill, so besides the salmon, I need to be able to get fresh dill as well. TL--is there a type of salmon you prefer (Atlantic vs. Pacific vs. Alaskan)? This is on my 2012 Bucket list--to make gravlaks. I've been nervous about doing so because I question the freshness of the salmon available. But I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE gravlaks.


----------



## buckytom

cws, the recipe i used has you wrap the salmon in a load of dill, then encase it in salt. the dill is a must, imo.


----------



## Dawgluver

Several years ago, I made gravlax from salmon we caught from Lake Huron.  It was really good.  Fresh dill was key.


----------



## taxlady

CWS4322 said:


> Gravlaks. A friend of mine (who happens to be from Greenland), makes excellent Gravlaks. I like mine with lots of fresh dill, so besides the salmon, I need to be able to get fresh dill as well. TL--is there a type of salmon you prefer (Atlantic vs. Pacific vs. Alaskan)? This is on my 2012 Bucket list--to make gravlaks. I've been nervous about doing so because I question the freshness of the salmon available. But I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE gravlaks.



Every "authentic" recipe I have every seen for gravad laks includes a lot of fresh dill.

Atlantic salmon. I have never tried Alaskan, but isn't that Pacific? I don't think it really makes a huge difference, as long as the fish is fresh enough.

I'm going to try an experiment. I have some HighLiner frozen, boneless, wild, Pacific salmon fillets. I'm going to use frozen dill and put the whole thing in the fridge frozen and let it thaw in the marinade. I'm not sure if I want to use vodka, brandy, akvavit, or lemon juice, probably not akvavit, 'cause I'd rather drink that.


----------



## Timothy

Well, it seems like everyone except me has made or eaten gravad laks.

My next trip to the store, I"ll have to pick up the ingredients for it. 

I can hardly wait to try it!


----------



## Addie

CWS4322 said:


> Gravlaks. A friend of mine (who happens to be from Greenland), makes excellent Gravlaks. I like mine with lots of fresh dill, so besides the salmon, I need to be able to get fresh dill as well. TL--is there a type of salmon you prefer (Atlantic vs. Pacific vs. Alaskan)? This is on my 2012 Bucket list--to make gravlaks. I've been nervous about doing so because I question the freshness of the salmon available. But I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE gravlaks.


 
Did you know that the Atlantic salmon do not return to the place of birth to reproduce and then die? They do not die. They return to the ocean.


----------



## Skittle68

I LOVE salmon! Raw, smoked, or grilled. Yum!! And trout.


----------



## Timothy

Skittle68 said:


> I LOVE salmon! Raw, smoked, or grilled. Yum!! And trout.


 
Canned Salmon was one of the things that was on our supper table 3 times a week when I was a kid. I got so burnt out on it. That was always cooked Salmon. Then, I was introduced to sushi. Both regular raw salmon and smoked salmon are like treats to me. I'm really looking forward to trying this gravlax. If it's as good on sushi as I think it will be by all of your descriptions of it, then it will become a staple in my house.

After curing it, rinsing it and rewrapping it, how long should it last in the fridge? My fridge is at 36F.


----------



## CWS4322

taxlady said:


> Every "authentic" recipe I have every seen for gravad laks includes a lot of fresh dill.
> 
> Atlantic salmon. I have never tried Alaskan, but isn't that Pacific? I don't think it really makes a huge difference, as long as the fish is fresh enough.
> 
> I'm going to try an experiment. I have some HighLiner frozen, boneless, wild, Pacific salmon fillets. I'm going to use frozen dill and put the whole thing in the fridge frozen and let it thaw in the marinade. I'm not sure if I want to use vodka, brandy, akvavit, or lemon juice, probably not akvavit, 'cause I'd rather drink that.


You and me both (re: akvavit)! Let me know how that works. My friend lives in St. Lazare....I'll email him and ask him where he gets the salmon.


----------



## vitauta

vitauta said:


> yams, rutabaga, okra, raw bananas. it's primarily a texture problem with the okra and the bananas....


 
just a quick update:  strike 'yams' off my list, I like them fine now.  only I call them sweet potatoes, and don't combine them with marshmallows....

...and just to be fair, lets give rutabagas a pass too.  actually, I can't even recall the last rutabaga encounter I had.  it's entirely possible I've never even eaten a rutabaga.  don't know what it's doing on my list of inedibles--sorry, rutabagas.

hmm, that leaves raw bananas.  now, that's gonna be a tough one....


----------



## Addie

vitauta said:


> just a quick update:  strike 'yams' off my list, I like them fine now.  only I call them sweet potatoes, and don't combine them with marshmallows....
> 
> ...and just to be fair, lets give rutabagas a pass too.  actually, I can't even recall the last rutabaga encounter I had.  it's entirely possible I've never even eaten a rutabaga.  don't know what it's doing on my list of inedibles--sorry, rutabagas.
> 
> hmm, that leaves raw bananas.  now, that's gonna be a tough one....



What about turnips? Almost the same flavor as a rutabaga. I love the taste of either one. Wouldn't be a true New England boiled dinner without them.


----------



## Chief Longwind Of The North

Addie said:


> Did you know that the Atlantic salmon do not return to the place of birth to reproduce and then die? They do not die. They return to the ocean.



That depends on the species of Salmon migrating inland from the atlantic.  If we are talking about the species - Atlantic Salmon, you are correct.  But if we are talking Chinook/King Salmon, they die after spawning in the Great Lakes tributaries.  I think pinks also return to the sea, as do coho.  So, some salmon from the Atlantic do spawn and die.

In addition, we have rainbow trout from the Great lakes that go to see, and return every year to spawn.  Those that do are called steelhead.  If they stay in fresh water, they remain rainbow trout.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


----------



## taxlady

Chief Longwind Of The North said:


> That depends on the species of Salmon migrating inland from the atlantic.  If we are talking about the species - Atlantic Salmon, you are correct.  But if we are talking Chinook/King Salmon, they die after spawning in the Great Lakes tributaries.  I think pinks also return to the sea, as do coho.  So, some salmon from the Atlantic do spawn and die.
> 
> In addition, we have rainbow trout from the Great lakes that go to see, and return every year to spawn.  Those that do are called steelhead.  If they stay in fresh water, they remain rainbow trout.
> 
> Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


Chinook/king salmon are from the Pacific, not the Atlantic.


----------



## CarolPa

Well, someone revived this old thread, so I will say that I can't think of any food that I don't like, just those that I prefer more than others.  I love to try new foods and will try just about anything, as long as it is a known food....not just something someone decided to serve on a plate.  So that eliminates worms, insects, and anything that's still moving.  I didn't eat sweet potatoes for the first 60 years of my life but when I was offered one baked...not with all the brown sugar and marshmallows, I found that I love them.  So I decided that most foods can be prepared in different ways so that there's some way that I will eat them.


----------



## CWS4322

Star fruit. I just don't like the after taste.


----------



## Raspberrymocha55

I'll eat almost anything except liver or raisins.  However, my hubby is another story.  How does one cook for someone who hates: cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, green beans , dried beans, carrots, olives, sweet potatoes, eggplant, rutabagas, turnips, celery, okra.  In short as far as veggies go the only thing he will eat is corn, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms and cucumber. He eats meat, cheese,potatoes, pasta an rice. He hates casseroles. Doesn't matter what I make, he always gives it a suspicious look.  I was a vegetarian, so I love spices and veggies.  My cooking has become so limited and downright dull.  He tells me to cook as I please, but his pickiness takes the joy away. Some days I cook my way and throw him a cold ring of bologna to eat (disgusting, but it is his favorite). Sorry, I'm new here, but this thread rang a big bell.


----------



## CWS4322

Welcome to DC! I am so glad I don't have to cook for a picky eater! That must be extremely challenging. I eat a heavy on the veggies diet (huge gardens). I find I like some veggies better than others, but I will eat them all. I do not eat bananas, pears, star fruit, kidney, tripe, smoked eel, canned tuna, or raw fish.


----------



## Addie

CarolPa said:


> Well, someone revived this old thread, so I will say that I can't think of any food that I don't like, just those that I prefer more than others.  I love to try new foods and will try just about anything, as long as it is a known food....not just something someone decided to serve on a plate.  So that eliminates worms, insects, and anything that's still moving.  I didn't eat sweet potatoes for the first 60 years of my life but when I was offered one baked...not with all the brown sugar and marshmallows, I found that I love them.  So I decided that most foods can be prepared in different ways so that there's some way that I will eat them.



 You realize Carol that there are some folks who think sweet 'taters and marshmallows grow together. I don't want to disillusion them.


----------



## taxlady

CWS4322 said:


> Welcome to DC! I am so glad I don't have to cook for a picky eater! That must be extremely challenging. I eat a heavy on the veggies diet (huge gardens). I find I like some veggies better than others, but I will eat them all. I do not eat bananas, pears, star fruit, kidney, tripe, smoked eel, canned tuna, or raw fish.


I've seen you eat fish that wasn't cooked.  For some values of raw, smoked salmon and pickled herring are raw.


----------



## PrincessFiona60

Raspberrymocha55 said:


> I'll eat almost anything except liver or raisins.  However, my hubby is another story.  How does one cook for someone who hates: cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, green beans , dried beans, carrots, olives, sweet potatoes, eggplant, rutabagas, turnips, celery, okra.  In short as far as veggies go the only thing he will eat is corn, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms and cucumber. He eats meat, cheese,potatoes, pasta an rice. He hates casseroles. Doesn't matter what I make, he always gives it a suspicious look.  I was a vegetarian, so I love spices and veggies.  My cooking has become so limited and downright dull.  He tells me to cook as I please, but his pickiness takes the joy away. Some days I cook my way and throw him a cold ring of bologna to eat (disgusting, but it is his favorite). Sorry, I'm new here, but this thread rang a big bell.



Welcome to DC.

There's a couple of us who cook for themselves and then for a spouse who doesn't like anything.  Yes, it is challenging.  I've learned to cook what I want and then if Shrek (the spousal unit) doesn't like it he is free to fix whatever he wants.


----------



## CWS4322

taxlady said:


> I've seen you eat fish that wasn't cooked.  For some values of raw, smoked salmon and pickled herring are raw.


That was excellent herring, btw. I thought of that after I posted. I make exceptions re: herring and salmon.


----------



## PrincessFiona60

CWS4322 said:


> That was excellent herring, btw. I thought of that after I posted. I make exceptions re: herring and salmon.




It's Sashimi you don't care for...


----------



## Dawgluver

PrincessFiona60 said:


> It's Sashimi you don't care for...



I'll take CWS's sashimi for her.....

I'm lucky, DH usually likes what I cook.  If he turns up his nose, he's free to scrounge.

Welcome to DC, Raspberry!


----------



## taxlady

CWS4322 said:


> That was excellent herring, btw. I thought of that after I posted. I make exceptions re: herring and salmon.


If you ever get the chance, make an exception for cold smoked trout.


----------



## Addie

CarolPa said:


> Well, someone revived this old thread, so I will say that I can't think of any food that I don't like, just those that I prefer more than others.  I love to try new foods and will try just about anything, as long as it is a known food....not just something someone decided to serve on a plate.  So that eliminates worms, insects, and anything that's still moving.  I didn't eat sweet potatoes for the first 60 years of my life but when I was offered one baked...not with all the brown sugar and marshmallows, I found that I love them.  So I decided that most foods can be prepared in different ways so that there's some way that I will eat them.



Twasn't me. I started it back in /011. It lasted for about one year and Vit woke it up to updated her post from then. But it sure is a thread that evokes a lot of replies. I would say we all are passionate regarding our food!


----------



## PrincessFiona60

Dawgluver said:


> I'll take CWS's sashimi for her.....
> 
> I'm lucky, DH usually likes what I cook.  If he turns up his nose, he's free to scrounge.
> 
> Welcome to DC, Raspberry!



I've turned into a real Sashimi junkie...run out and get a couple of pieces and eat them in the car...


----------



## taxlady

PrincessFiona60 said:


> It's Sashimi you don't care for...


I'm not a fan of sashimi either. I have no problem with eating it. I just find it too bland.


----------



## CWS4322

taxlady said:


> If you ever get the chance, make an exception for cold smoked trout.


I love smoked lake trout. I always buy it when I am in MN (unless I'm lucky enough and my cousin drops some of his off).


----------



## Dawgluver

PrincessFiona60 said:


> I've turned into a real Sashimi junkie...run out and get a couple of pieces and eat them in the car...



Our local HyVee now has a sushi/sashimi bar, have been wanting to try some, but since we're not located anywhere near an ocean, I'm a bit skittish.


----------



## taxlady

Dawgluver said:


> Our local HyVee now has a sushi/sashimi bar, have been wanting to try some, but since we're not located anywhere near an ocean, I'm a bit skittish.


If it is frozen on the fishing boat, it's fresher than the stuff brought to port. Ask if it's made from frozen fish. That kills parasites too.


----------



## Dawgluver

taxlady said:


> If it is frozen on the fishing boat, it's fresher than the stuff brought to port. Ask if it's made from frozen fish. That kills parasites too.



Yes, good point.  It just seems strange that we in a small town in the Heartland of USA would be getting fresh ocean fish!


----------



## PrincessFiona60

Dawgluver said:


> Yes, good point.  It just seems strange that we in a small town in the Heartland of USA would be getting fresh ocean fish!



We have lots of sushi bars in town, they get their's in fresh frozen.  I'm still looking for the best price per piece...get tired of going by myself...


----------



## Raspberrymocha55

Thanks. I'm having a terrible navigating these forums and some times I can't find the post button.  Doing this all on cell phone as I don't have a computer.

Anyhow, now my picky husband is telling me the meats have been too dry lately. I always add a touch of olive oil to keep meat moist.  I have to make sure everything is tender ( he refuses to wear his dentures), which usually means stewed or ground meats.  He hates veggies. I'd tell him to cook for himelself but he is in a wheelchair.  He used to own a restaurant, but he shakes too much to cook. As he gets older, he has gotten sooooo picky. Good thing our cats aren't! Every time I put his meal in frOnt of him I get a look. I'm about ready to plop the plate on his picky head!  I hate picky eaters, they take the joy out of cooking. ***end of rant***


----------



## PrincessFiona60

Yep, mine won't wear his dentures either.  Not yet in a wheelchair but he's angling towards one.


----------



## Aunt Bea

PrincessFiona60 said:


> Yep, mine won't wear his dentures either.  Not yet in a wheelchair but he's angling towards one.



My Grandfather only wore his dentures for special occasions like weddings and funerals, even then he took them out to eat.  

Now they sit on top of the toilet tank in my bathroom.


----------



## taxlady

Aunt Bea said:


> My Grandfather only wore his dentures for special occasions like weddings and funerals, even then he took them out to eat.
> 
> Now they sit on top of the toilet tank in my bathroom.


Your grandfather's dentures?  Why?


----------



## Aunt Bea

taxlady said:


> Your grandfather's dentures?  Why?



Why not?

When he passed away the undertaker asked my Grandmother about them and she told him that she did not want my Grandfather to be uncomfortable for eternity so they went back into the drawer.  When my Grandmother died in 1972 I gave them a home.

Some people inherit Grandfather clocks or family silver, I got dentures.


----------



## taxlady

Aunt Bea said:


> Why not?
> 
> When he passed away the undertaker asked my Grandmother about them and she told him that she did not want my Grandfather to be uncomfortable for eternity so they went back into the drawer.  When my Grandmother died in 1972 I gave them a home.
> 
> Some people inherit Grandfather clocks or family silver, I got dentures.


Oh, okay. I guess it reminds you of him.


----------



## Raspberrymocha55

Well, I'm trying another meal he won't eat tonight. I found some Texas Hash in the freezer.  Refreshing it with some fried bacon, onion and a bit of tomato sauce.  I love it, but I won't get my hopes up for hubby. ( he didn't even like the KFC that he wanted the other night...). He needs to start a picky eaters anonymous...  I hope there's a ring of cold bologna in the frig which I can throw at him just in case!


----------



## CWS4322

Raspberrymocha55 said:


> Well, I'm trying another meal he won't eat tonight. I found some Texas Hash in the freezer.  Refreshing it with some fried bacon, onion and a bit of tomato sauce.  I love it, but I won't get my hopes up for hubby. ( he didn't even like the KFC that he wanted the other night...). He needs to start a picky eaters anonymous...  I hope there's a ring of cold bologna in the frig which I can throw at him just in case!


Could it be that hubby is being this picky as a means of expressing his frustration about the loss of control of his life? I'd probably whir everything in a blender and give him a "shake."


----------



## Steve Kroll

taxlady said:


> If you ever get the chance, make an exception for cold smoked trout.



I've been eating smoked trout for much of the last two weeks. A friend of mine smokes his own and had an overabundance, so he's been bringing the overflow to me. I love the stuff. In fact, I prefer smoked trout over salmon because it has more flavor.


----------



## CarolPa

Raspberrymocha55 said:


> I'll eat almost anything except liver or raisins.  However, my hubby is another story.  How does one cook for someone who hates: cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, green beans , dried beans, carrots, olives, sweet potatoes, eggplant, rutabagas, turnips, celery, okra.  In short as far as veggies go the only thing he will eat is corn, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms and cucumber. He eats meat, cheese,potatoes, pasta an rice. He hates casseroles. Doesn't matter what I make, he always gives it a suspicious look.  I was a vegetarian, so I love spices and veggies.  My cooking has become so limited and downright dull.  He tells me to cook as I please, but his pickiness takes the joy away. Some days I cook my way and throw him a cold ring of bologna to eat (disgusting, but it is his favorite). Sorry, I'm new here, but this thread rang a big bell.




I love liver but I don't cook it because DH won't eat it anymore.  He used to, but after he found out what it is he will no longer eat it.  I order it at a restaurant in town once in a while.  He will eat certain meats, cooked a certain way, most veggies in small quantities and all potatoes.  He is very hard to cook for.  He also won't eat casseroles.  He says casseroles are for women.  (?)  I keep telling him the next time I get married I'm marrying someone who will eat whatever I put in front of him.


----------



## CarolPa

Raspberrymocha55 said:


> Thanks. I'm having a terrible navigating these forums and some times I can't find the post button.  Doing this all on cell phone as I don't have a computer.
> 
> Anyhow, now my picky husband is telling me the meats have been too dry lately. I always add a touch of olive oil to keep meat moist.  I have to make sure everything is tender ( he refuses to wear his dentures), which usually means stewed or ground meats.  He hates veggies. I'd tell him to cook for himelself but he is in a wheelchair.  He used to own a restaurant, but he shakes too much to cook. As he gets older, he has gotten sooooo picky. Good thing our cats aren't! Every time I put his meal in frOnt of him I get a look. I'm about ready to plop the plate on his picky head!  I hate picky eaters, they take the joy out of cooking. ***end of rant***




After getting his last 2 teeth pulled a year ago, my husband decided it's too late in the game to get dentures.  He does a pretty good job of eating without teeth.  He eats steak....cuts it in very small pieces and gums it.  Most everything else he eats is soft foods. I don't think that's why he's a picky eater though, because he was picky when he had them, too.


----------



## RPCookin

Well, I read bits and pieces of this thread (no way I could read all 68 pages  ), and I find it surprising some of the things that people who frequent a cooking forum won't eat (Beets?  Really?).  There are things I don't care for, but very few that I won't eat if they are put in front of me.

I really don't much like:

Okra (slimy and eeewww)
Eggplant (I seem to have overactive bitter taste buds - all I taste is bitter)
Coffee (see eggplant) (it can actually give me nausea)
Lima beans (hard, dry, ick!) 
Liver and most organ meat (Awful texture and flavor)
Any raw animal flesh, including fish (it's a texture thing again)

I have eaten or drunk all of the above at one time or another (that's how I know I don't like it ).  I've had things like sheep's tongue souse, which is okay and I can eat it, but I'd rather have chicken and conch souse.  Frog's legs are quite tasty.


----------



## CatPat

I do not like the sushi and the raw oysters. Sushi has the terrible taste and the raw oysters feel like the swallowing of a large amount of snot.

~Cat


----------



## Chief Longwind Of The North

It's funny how an experience can change one's eating habits.  I ate oyster stew as a child.  It was up there in the flavor department, along with New England clam chowder.  I loved them both.  And then one day, I bit into an oyster, and saw this green sludge inside.  I haven't been able to eat oysters ever since, and that was 45 years back, or so.  And yet, I have no issues with organ meats, head cheese, and many other foods that people find objectionable.  All I can say is that sometimes, how we react to things, just makes no sense.

Fried spiders, anyone?  They're eaten with abandon in parts of Cambodia.  Or maybe you'd prefer that Filipino delicacy, balut. 

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


----------



## MrsLMB

Okra
Lima Beans
Anchovies
A-1 Steak Sauce


----------



## GotGarlic

Okra 
Lima beans 
Radishes 
Liver
Tongue 
Feet
Insects 

I had a sweetmeat appetizer at a fine dining restaurant and loved it. The sauce was amazing.


----------



## CarolPa

CatPat said:


> I do not like the sushi and the raw oysters. Sushi has the terrible taste and the raw oysters feel like the swallowing of a large amount of snot.
> 
> ~Cat




That is exactly how I feel about raw oysters!  LOL  I have tasted sushi and it's OK, but I don't understand what the big fuss it all about.  It is not something I would go out of my way to get, but if it is available to me again, somewhere else, I would try it to see if maybe I just didn't like the way they made it at the first place I tried it.  If I try two places and still don't like it, then I'm done.


----------



## CarolPa

Chief Longwind Of The North said:


> It's funny how an experience can change one's eating habits.  I ate oyster stew as a child.  It was up there in the flavor department, along with New England clam chowder.  I loved them both.  And then one day, I bit into an oyster, and saw this green sludge inside.  I haven't been able to eat oysters ever since, and that was 45 years back, or so.  And yet, I have no issues with organ meats, head cheese, and many other foods that people find objectionable.  All I can say is that sometimes, how we react to things, just makes no sense.
> 
> Fried spiders, anyone?  They're eaten with abandon in parts of Cambodia.  Or maybe you'd prefer that Filipino delicacy, balut.
> 
> Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North



I had something, I think it was Oysters Rockefeller that was OK because I think the oysters were cooked.  And my mother used to put chopped up oysters in her stuffing for Thanksgiving.  I ate it but didn't notice the oysters.  

The fried spiders are classified with non-food items that I will not try.  I don't care if they eat it in Cambodia.  I'm in the US and I'm not eating them.


----------



## CarolPa

SaraEdward said:


> A few years ago, I didn't like pumpkin but know I eat whatever it comes to my plate.



Your tastes change from time to time, that's why you should try something once in a while, that you didn't care for before.  When I make pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving, I can eat the pumpkin straight from the can, but once I mix it with the sugar and spices I don't like it, because I don't like sweets.


----------



## CWS4322

There are those foods to which one has an aversion, and then there are those foods for which one just doesn't get too jazzed about. I don't dislike pumpkin, I just like squash better and prefer squash over pumpkin. I don't dislike parsnips, I just prefer rutabaga. Whereas I do not like bananas or pears, it is a texture thing. I can, however, eat both in baked goods. I do not like lutefisk, it is definitely a texture thing. However, if served s/thing I do not like at s/one else's home, I will eat it. It just is not something that shows up in my grocery cart or in my house. We all have foods we enjoy, and those that are just so-so.


----------



## CarolPa

CWS4322 said:


> There are those foods to which one has an aversion, and then there are those foods for which one just doesn't get too jazzed about. I don't dislike pumpkin, I just like squash better and prefer squash over pumpkin. I don't dislike parsnips, I just prefer rutabaga. Whereas I do not like bananas or pears, it is a texture thing. I can, however, eat both in baked goods. I do not like lutefisk, it is definitely a texture thing. However, if served s/thing I do not like at s/one else's home, I will eat it. It just is not something that shows up in my grocery cart or in my house. We all have foods we enjoy, and those that are just so-so.



That's exactly how I feel about it too.  I will try a new food instead of looking at it and saying Yuk!


----------



## GotGarlic

CarolPa said:


> That's exactly how I feel about it too.  I will try a new food instead of looking at it and saying Yuk!



I will try new foods, too, usually. The ones I listed are ones I have tried and don't like. Except the insects. I have no desire to try insects.

Last New Year's Eve, we went to some friends' house and shared appetizers. I thought I didn't like pate-type pulverized chicken, but she served a curried chicken pate and I really liked it.


----------



## Raspberrymocha55

Lutefisk is also tasteless except for the drawn butter.  Ever notice how Norsk food tends toward white and bland? Although I love Norsk baked goods: jule kake, sandbakkel, lefsa, rosettes, etc.  I make all of it for the holidays.  And smoked chubs are wonderful, but I hate pulling off the heads.  I don't like food looking at me!


----------



## CWS4322

Raspberrymocha55 said:


> Lutefisk is also tasteless except for the drawn butter.  Ever notice how Norsk food tends toward white and bland? Although I love Norsk baked goods: jule kake, sandbakkel, lefsa, rosettes, etc.  I make all of it for the holidays.  And smoked chubs are wonderful, but I hate pulling off the heads.  I don't like food looking at me!


It is called "snow blindness." The goods you mentioned are traditional Christmas baked goods that our grandmothers made (and, by tradition, we still make). Lefse was a way to use up the leftover mashed potatoes. 

Modern Scandinavian cooking is not at all like my grandma's cooking. Check out:

New Scandinavian Cooking | Welcome to culinary Scandinavia
Food & drink in Sweden - SWEDEN.SE

Marcus Samuelsson:

About « Chef Marcus Samuelsson

Tina Nordstrom:

Tina Nordstrom | New Scandinavian Cooking

The recipes published in Viking Magazine:

Sons of Norway - Norwegian Culture - Viking Magazine (one of my favorites is the meatballs in gjetost sauce - Sons of Norway - Recipe Box)

Swedish food

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/01/d...nordic-food-heritage.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Modern Swedish Food on Vimeo


----------



## taxlady

I can think of several not-bland, tasty, traditional dishes: frikadeller, rødkål (red cabbage), Danish meatloaf, rullepølse, smoked or gravad salmon and trout, leverpostej (Danish liver pate), smoked herring (not kippers ), cod liver pate, Danish smørrebrød (open faced sandwiches), ...


----------



## CWS4322

taxlady said:


> I can think of several not-bland, tasty, traditional dishes: frikadeller, rødkål (red cabbage), Danish meatloaf, rullepølse, smoked or gravad salmon and trout, leverpostej (Danish liver pate), smoked herring (not kippers ), cod liver pate, Danish smørrebrød (open faced sandwiches), ...


I can think of several non-white, not-bland dishes as well--Biff à la Lindström always showed up at the ASI potlucks I attended (http://www.sweden.se/eng/Home/Lifestyle/Food-drink/Swedish-culinary-classics/Biff-a-la-Lindstrom/)


----------



## taxlady

CWS4322 said:


> I can think of several non-white, not-bland dishes as well--Biff à la Lindström always showed up at the ASI potlucks I attended (Biff à la Lindström - SWEDEN.SE)


Thank you for reminding me about this dish. I'll probably make it tomorrow.


----------



## frenchguycooking

Andy M. said:


> and anything I'd normally call an exterminator to get rid of.



LOL. That was really fun.


----------



## frenchguycooking

Bugs I think would not like it, although I am ok to give it a tiny try if these are no cockroaches.... brrrr....


----------



## taxlady

taxlady said:


> Thank you for reminding me about this dish. I'll probably make it tomorrow.


Stirling reminded me that we have a jar of Polish pickled beet salad. I'll use that in the bøf Lundstrøm (Danish spelling). That will simplify making it and I'm lazy and out of pickled beets.


----------



## Addie

taxlady said:


> Stirling reminded me that we have a jar of Polish pickled beet salad. I'll use that in the bøf Lundstrøm (Danish spelling). That will simplify making it and I'm lazy and out of pickled beets.



 Don't think of it as being lazy, you are just saving your energy for more difficult chores that require vast amounts of effort.


----------



## CWS4322

Addie said:


> Don't think of it as being lazy, you are just saving your energy for more difficult chores that require vast amounts of effort.


And, it will free up a spot on the shelf in the pantry.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

Addie said:


> You realize Carol that there are some folks who think sweet 'taters and marshmallows grow together. I don't want to disillusion them.



Sweet potatoes and/or yams mixed with marshmallows seems so gross to me that I've sometimes convinced other people to cook something else if I'm invited, or let me bring the yams.

Yams are already sweet.  No need to add candy to them.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

taxlady said:


> I've seen you eat fish that wasn't cooked.  For some values of raw, smoked salmon and pickled herring are raw.



I'm eating raw salmon (with wasabi and soy sauce) as I'm perusing this topic! Mmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

taxlady said:


> I'm not a fan of sashimi either. I have no problem with eating it. I just find it too bland.



Mix some wasabi. Take some of the wasabi and add it to your soy sauce. Use your chop sticks to pick up a bit of sashimi and a bit of wasabi infused soy sauce, and eat that.

I can still taste the salmon but it's very spicy witht he wasabi and soy sauce. You pick how spicy you want it by the amount of wasabi you use.

I usually eat tuna sashimi. This salmon sashimi is great!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I picked up a couple of 1# packages of frozen sashimi grade tuna today, saw a nice small package of partially frozen salmon that immediately changed my dinner menu from barbecued baby back ribs to salmon sashimi, a (cooked) crab cocktail chaser, and scrounge around my fridge if I'm still hungry. (I have a 1/4# of last night's rib eye steak and hamburger buns...)


----------



## taxlady

Greg Who Cooks said:


> Mix some wasabi. Take some of the wasabi and add it to your soy sauce. Use your chop sticks to pick up a bit of sashimi and a bit of wasabi infused soy sauce, and eat that.
> 
> I can still taste the salmon but it's very spicy witht he wasabi and soy sauce. You pick how spicy you want it by the amount of wasabi you use.


Yeah, yeah, I can add some flavour. Still much prefer gravad or cold smoked.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

Dawgluver said:


> Our local HyVee now has a sushi/sashimi bar, have been wanting to try some, but since we're not located anywhere near an ocean, I'm a bit skittish.



I'm pretty sure my tuna comes from several thousand miles away, and cut up into serving sizes (about a pound) and flash frozen right on the ship. Do a bit of research and you'll probably find same as me, that it's a good idea to freeze fish for perhaps 24-48 hours to kill (possible) parasites. IMO it is distinctly a bad idea to eat raw fish that hasn't gone through this freezing parasite killing process. Really, I mean read up and report back in this topic!

I'm pretty sure all my sushi grade fish (tuna, salmon) has been frozen for weeks or more. The tuna I bought today was still frozen solid, the salmon was defrosted (and sitting in the same display case, I don't understand that). I get my sashimi grade from my favorite of only two markets in the San Fernnado Valley (suburb of Los Angeles), I prefer Greenland Market in Northridge because I lived near there and ate their products for 30 years, but 99 Ranch in Van Nuys also sells a credible sashimi, and perhaps Galleria Market in Northridge although I haven't bought raw fish there. (Just a few tips for my L.A. friends.) Here in L.A. we can also go downtown to our Little Japan area, but prices are high and commuting is a PITA.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

taxlady said:


> If it is frozen on the fishing boat, it's fresher than the stuff brought to port. Ask if it's made from frozen fish. That kills parasites too.



Didn't read your post until my previous post but I concur. It's a bad idea to eat raw fish that hasn't been frozen for at least 24-48 hours.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

PrincessFiona60 said:


> We have lots of sushi bars in town, they get their's in fresh frozen.  I'm still looking for the best price per piece...get tired of going by myself...



I get my frozen sushi grade tuna for $19.99 per pound.

Compare that to the price in a restaurant, and while you're pondering that consider the recipe for sashimi... (Do you got a sharp knife?)


----------



## mysterychef

Chicken liver Pate or any organ meats.  Had to make 5 lbs of Pate for dinner service every night.  I eat any kind of pickles but can't eat cukes.  I eat honeydews but can't eat cantaloupes. Kind of a gag reflex. Weird!


----------



## CarolPa

Raspberrymocha55 said:


> Lutefisk is also tasteless except for the drawn butter.  Ever notice how Norsk food tends toward white and bland? Although I love Norsk baked goods: jule kake, sandbakkel, lefsa, rosettes, etc.  I make all of it for the holidays.  And smoked chubs are wonderful, but I hate pulling off the heads.  I don't like food looking at me!




I have never even heard of these foods, except for chubs.  I heard of them but don't really know what they are.  I would not want to be pulling the head off of anything.


----------



## CarolPa

Greg Who Cooks said:


> Sweet potatoes and/or yams mixed with marshmallows seems so gross to me that I've sometimes convinced other people to cook something else if I'm invited, or let me bring the yams.
> 
> Yams are already sweet.  No need to add candy to them.




One year for Thanksgiving instead of making them candied I sliced them and baked them in a sauce similar to scalloped potatoes.  I was the only one who ate them.  I will make them candied for my family, but I will only eat them plain myself.


----------



## CWS4322

CarolPa said:


> I have never even heard of these foods, except for chubs.  I heard of them but don't really know what they are.  I would not want to be pulling the head off of anything.


You have be Scandinavian or have Scandinavian roots or live where there are Scandinavians. Not far from where my parents live there is a lefse factory. Around Christmastime, the local Sons of Norway hosts a lutefisk dinner. You can buy lutefisk in the local grocery stores and at the Locker Plant. The local bakeries sell the baked goods mentioned. And, all the restaurants with salad bars have at least one kind of pickled herring on the salad bar year around. I learned how to make the various Christmas baked goods from my grandmother who was 100% Swedish. But I never developed a taste for lutefisk. The lutefisk I tasted was definitely not tasteless and the texture left a lot to be desired.


----------



## CarolPa

CWS4322 said:


> You have be Scandinavian or have Scandinavian roots or live where there are Scandinavians. Not far from where my parents live there is a lefse factory. Around Christmastime, the local Sons of Norway hosts a lutefisk dinner. You can buy lutefisk in the local grocery stores and at the Locker Plant. The local bakeries sell the baked goods mentioned. And, all the restaurants with salad bars have at least one kind of pickled herring on the salad bar year around. I learned how to make the various Christmas baked goods from my grandmother who was 100% Swedish. But I never developed a taste for lutefisk. The lutefisk I tasted was definitely not tasteless and the texture left a lot to be desired.



I used to go to a Swedish church.  The only things I heard of there was Swedish Meatballs, Swedish Rye Bread and Potatis Korv.  I loved it then, but I had it recently and it was too greasy for me.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

CarolPa said:


> I have never even heard of these foods, except for chubs.  I heard of them but don't really know what they are.  I would not want to be pulling the head off of anything.



A reasonable part of chef duties is doing the butchering. Often a chef encounters the full animal (whether fish, chicken, rabbit or whatever) and has to butcher the meat or fish into cookable portions.

I'm fortunate that as a child I was expected to clean my own trout when my family went camping and fishing. Recently I had to clean my own whole squid and my anti-gag training cleaning trout came through! 

I often prefer to purchase a whole chicken and part it out myself. Supermarket butchers have one credo: "do not throw away a single part, put every last bit in a weighed package for sale to customers." As the customer you end up buying a whole bunch of stuff you would toss out or make stock or render the fat and make soap.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

CarolPa said:


> I have never even heard of these foods, except for chubs.  I heard of them but don't really know what they are.  I would not want to be pulling the head off of anything.



Oh I forgot, chubs invaded the Eastern Sierra (the High Sierras in eastern California) about 25-30 years ago. They are a voracious fish that is well known to fisherman because of their huge amount of bones compared to meat. As far as I know all fisherman just kill chubs when they catch them, and toss them in the trash.

Just to be clear, these fish are not native to the Sierras and were introduced by man whether intentionally or unintentionally I do not know. The only purpose they serve is that they kill game fish and they compete with game fish for food.


----------



## CatPat

The insects also. Uuuurrrpppp!

Your friend,
~Cat


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

No, insects are totally off my table, off my plate. I refuse to voluntarily eat insects, although as a matter of practical camping and outdoor cooking I'm certain I have unintentionally eaten insects.

Also, "insect parts" is an ingredient in most grains, usually stated as a minimum. Even the USDA realizes that you can't produce grain without a miniscule amount of insect parts. We're talking about a few ppm (parts per million) here.


----------



## Raspberrymocha55

My college mascot was the Norsemen ( now to be PC it is the Norsk). My home church always has a Christmas Norwegian supper: boiled potatoes, meatballs, fruit soup and all the lefsa one can eat! I love making lefsa. Our family rices boiled potatoes rather than using mashed.  However, I can't stand picked herring.  But then I'm only 1/8 Norwegian descent! Lol. Not enough Olson fisherman blood in these veins...


----------



## taxlady

Raspberrymocha55 said:


> My college mascot was the Norsemen ( now to be PC it is the Norsk). My home church always has a Christmas Norwegian supper: boiled potatoes, meatballs, fruit soup and all the lefsa one can eat! I love making lefsa. Our family rices boiled potatoes rather than using mashed.  However, I can't stand picked herring.  But then I'm only 1/8 Norwegian descent! Lol. Not enough Olson fisherman blood in these veins...


Is the area particularly of Norwegian descent, as opposed to Scandinavian?

Norsemen means Northerners/Vikings. Norsk means Norwegian. I've noticed that English speakers get Norse/Norsk confused. E.g., Old Norse isn't Old Norwegian, it's Old Scandinavian/Nordic.


----------



## CWS4322

Raspberrymocha55 said:


> My college mascot was the Norsemen ( now to be PC it is the Norsk). My home church always has a Christmas Norwegian supper: boiled potatoes, meatballs, fruit soup and all the lefsa one can eat! I love making lefsa. Our family rices boiled potatoes rather than using mashed.  However, I can't stand picked herring.  But then I'm only 1/8 Norwegian descent! Lol. Not enough Olson fisherman blood in these veins...


We start with mashed potatoes (cold from the day before) that we then push through the ricer. I must admit, it is the only time I ever think to use my ricer. I do use my lefse grill and stick when I make tortillas. When I was in high school, pickled herring, coleslaw, and gherkins were "road food" when we went to ND to go shopping. I love pickled herring but won't eat it if the jar/container has been opened and been sitting in the fridge more than 12 hours.


----------



## CarolPa

CWS4322 said:


> We start with mashed potatoes (cold from the day before) that we then push through the ricer. I must admit, it is the only time I ever think to use my ricer. I do use my lefse grill and stick when I make tortillas. When I was in high school, pickled herring, coleslaw, and gherkins were "road food" when we went to ND to go shopping. I love pickled herring but won't eat it if the jar/container has been opened and been sitting in the fridge more than 12 hours.




I use my ricer to help squeeze some of the water out of shredded zucchini when I'm putting it in zucchini bread.  I saw that on a TV cooking show.  

Now that's something I love to see on my plate.  Just not the chubs.


----------



## CWS4322

CarolPa said:


> I use my ricer to help squeeze some of the water out of shredded zucchini when I'm putting it in zucchini bread.  I saw that on a TV cooking show.
> 
> Now that's something I love to see on my plate.  Just not the chubs.


Timely--I'm making more zucchini fritters for the freezer today. Thanks.


----------



## Raspberrymocha55

Northeastern Iowa where my college is located is chock full of Norwegians and Czechs.  I was born in northern Wisconsin and the former ALC synod Lutheran church is Norwegian based.  The LCA synod Lutherans were more Swedes.  Now they are combined.  I lived in Minnesota, full of misc Scandinavians.  I now live in west central Illinois, where you'd be hard pressed to find an Olson, Johnson or Magnuson in a phone book. No one knows what lefsa is, much less finding it in a supermarket.


----------



## PrincessFiona60

I'm 1/4 Czech...I have no idea what they eat.  My Grandmother, who was born there, never did anything or cooked anything that was from Czechoslovakia.


----------



## Andy M.

PrincessFiona60 said:


> I'm 1/4 Czech...I have no idea what they eat...



Chex Mix????


----------



## PrincessFiona60

Andy M. said:


> Chex Mix????




ROFLMFAO!!!   Now for the Bad-Czech jokes...


----------



## Raspberrymocha55

I'm 1/2 Czech (Bohemian). My sister is the president of the biggest Moravian society in the Chicago area. Dad didn't learn English til he went to school.  Grandma made wonderful kolache and rolls/breads.  Czech cuisine is much like southern German.  Lots of sour kraut, pork, etc. Milk soup, blood sausage, head cheese, garlic, and beer.


----------



## PrincessFiona60

Raspberrymocha55 said:


> I'm 1/2 Czech (Bohemian). My sister is the president of the biggest Moravian society in the Chicago area. Dad didn't learn English til he went to school.  Grandma made wonderful kolache and rolls/breads.  Czech cuisine is much like southern German.  Lots of sour kraut, pork, etc. Milk soup, blood sausage, head cheese, garlic, and beer.



Dad is 1/2...he likes all that stuff.  I learned how to make kolaches from a cookbook.   Gran made a wonderful poppyseed coffeecake type thing that was heavenly.  I've never been able to reproduce it.  It was a sweet yeast dough wrapped with the sweet poppyseed mixture, baked as a loaf and a sugar glaze on top.  It's the poppyseed mixture I cannot duplicate.


----------



## Raspberrymocha55

I love the poppyseed stuff.  We even have a poppyseed grinder.  When I head north this week, I want to buy some bulk poppyseed.  Oh, I found a recipe you might like.  Let me dig for it , and I promise that it isn't liverball soup.


----------



## Raspberrymocha55

*Poppyseed Loaf*.    
Poppy Seed Loaf Recipe - Allrecipes.com

This isn't the one I was looking for, as Grandma never used lemon in hers.  I'll keep looking.


----------



## Raspberrymocha55

Aha!  I found a liverball recipe (liver dumplings). Dad always put them in a beef broth soup with celery, carrot and onion.  They are traditional Czech food which I personally hated.  Grinding liver was so disgusting!

Liver Dumplings Recipe - Allrecipes.com


----------



## taxlady

Raspberrymocha55 said:


> Aha!  I found a liverball recipe (liver dumplings). Dad always put them in a beef broth soup with celery, carrot and onion.  They are traditional Czech food which I personally hated. * Grinding liver was so disgusting!*
> 
> Liver Dumplings Recipe - Allrecipes.com


That's why I seldom make Danish leverpostej (liver pate). It's yummy and better and cheaper than store-bought pate, but it makes such a gory mess.


----------



## PrincessFiona60

Raspberrymocha55 said:


> *Poppyseed Loaf*.
> Poppy Seed Loaf Recipe - Allrecipes.com
> 
> This isn't the one I was looking for, as Grandma never used lemon in hers.  I'll keep looking.



It sure looks good, I'm trying to remember if Gran used chopped nuts in hers.  But it looks like the same texture and the flavor (minus the lemon) is real close on my minds tongue.

Thanks for the assist.


----------



## Letrell

vitauta said:


> just a quick update:  strike 'yams' off my list, I like them fine now.  only I call them sweet potatoes, and don't combine them with marshmallows....
> 
> ...and just to be fair, lets give rutabagas a pass too.  actually, I can't even recall the last rutabaga encounter I had.  it's entirely possible I've never even eaten a rutabaga.  don't know what it's doing on my list of inedibles--sorry, rutabagas.
> 
> hmm, that leaves raw bananas.  now, that's gonna be a tough one....



Pfffft...that's an easy one....dip the banana in dark chocolate and roll it around in...nuts.  Food of the Gods...oh wait..that's the chocolate.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

CarolPa said:


> I use my ricer to help squeeze some of the water out of shredded zucchini when I'm putting it in zucchini bread.  I saw that on a TV cooking show.
> 
> Now that's something I love to see on my plate.  Just not the chubs.



Wrap your shredded zucchini in cheesecloth then twist it until all the water comes out.


----------



## Addie

When I started this thread, I never dreamt that it would go this far. Such a varied list of disliked foods among all of us.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

I want raw, dead fish on my plate. I might even eat raw live fish considering exactly wha it is...

If it weren't for parasites I'd love to catch a live tuna and carve hunks of sashimi out of its living body and dip it in wasabi and soy sauce and consume it!

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!!!!!

Reminds me of the song:



> Fish heads fish heads,
> Roly poly fish heads,
> Fish heads fish heads,
> Eat them up yum.
> 
> Fish heads fish heads,
> Roly poly fish heads,
> Fish heads fish heads,
> Eat them up yum.
> 
> In the morning,
> Laughing happy fish heads,
> In the evening,
> Floating in the soup,
> 
> Fish heads fish heads,
> Roly poly fish heads,
> Fish heads fish heads,
> Eat them up yum.
> 
> Ask a fish head,
> Anything you want to,
> They won't answer,
> They can't talk.
> 
> Fish heads fish heads,
> Roly poly fish heads,
> Fish heads fish heads,
> Eat them up yum.
> 
> I took a fish head,
> Out to see a movie,
> Didn't have to pay
> To get it in.
> 
> Fish heads fish heads,
> Roly poly fish heads,
> Fish heads fish heads,
> Eat them up yum.
> 
> They cant play baseball,
> They don't wear sweaters,
> They're not good dancers,
> They don't play drums.
> 
> Fish heads fish heads,
> Roly poly fish heads,
> Fish heads fish heads,
> Eat them up yum.
> 
> Roly poly fish heads are never seen
> Drinking cappuccino in Italian restaurants,
> With oriental women, yeah!
> 
> Fish heads fish heads,
> Roly poly fish heads,
> Fish heads fish heads,
> Eat them up yum.
> 
> Fish heads fish heads,
> Roly poly fish heads,
> Fish heads fish heads,
> Eat them up yum, (yum!)
> 
> Fish heads fish heads,
> Roly poly fish heads,
> Fish heads fish heads,
> Eat them up yum.
> 
> Fish heads fish heads,
> Roly poly fish heads,
> Fish heads fish heads,
> Eat them up yum,
> 
> Yea....!!!


----------



## PrincessFiona60

Just hit my URK factor...


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

I remember there was a spoof website, something like *manmeat.com* that purported to sell steaks made from human flesh.

It looked like a real site. Perhaps the jokesters tired of their jokes, or perhaps they were pressured to quit teasing about such a sensitive subject.

I also remember petv.org, "People for the Ethical Treatment of Vegetables," which is also now defunct. It was a great spoof of the PETA site.

Personally I have no objection to killing any animals except those who are our common pets (dogs & cats) ... and humans of course ... for meat. As far as plants, I don't think they have any ability to perceive pain or any central nervous system to recognize it, so kill all the plants you like (except endangered species).

I recall a story told to me by my Chinese friend and colleague Qiuyan who was loaned a pet dog when she was a girl growing up in China. (She eventually earned an engineering degree and emigrated to the US and worked with me at a medical electronic company.) One day her neighbor who loaned her the pet dog reclaimed it, hung it by its hind legs and beat it with a baseball bat (to tenderize it) until it died, and then he cooked it and offered Qiuyan some of the meat, which of course she declined.

It was a pretty strong story, I hope you don't mind me sharing it, but it illustrates that other cultures may regard our pets as food animals. And to cap off the story, many people regard cows as sacred in India yet beef is one of our biggest meat sources in Western society.

Is it a pet or is it food? It depends on your cultural and culinary values and customs.


----------



## CWS4322

Greg Who Cooks said:


> Wrap your shredded zucchini in cheesecloth then twist it until all the water comes out.


The ricer actually does a better job. I used to drain it with a bit of salt added and then use cheesecloth or a dishtowel.


----------



## Mad Cook

Greg Who Cooks said:


> I remember there was a spoof website, something like *manmeat.com* that purported to sell steaks made from human flesh.
> 
> It looked like a real site. Perhaps the jokesters tired of their jokes, or perhaps they were pressured to quit teasing about such a sensitive subject.
> 
> I also remember petv.org, "People for the Ethical Treatment of Vegetables," which is also now defunct. It was a great spoof of the PETA site.
> 
> Personally I have no objection to killing any animals except those who are our common pets (dogs & cats) ... and humans of course ... for meat. As far as plants, I don't think they have any ability to perceive pain or any central nervous system to recognize it, so kill all the plants you like (except endangered species).
> 
> I recall a story told to me by my Chinese friend and colleague Qiuyan who was loaned a pet dog when she was a girl growing up in China. (She eventually earned an engineering degree and emigrated to the US and worked with me at a medical electronic company.) One day her neighbor who loaned her the pet dog reclaimed it, hung it by its hind legs and beat it with a baseball bat (to tenderize it) until it died, and then he cooked it and offered Qiuyan some of the meat, which of course she declined.
> 
> It was a pretty strong story, I hope you don't mind me sharing it, but it illustrates that other cultures may regard our pets as food animals. And to cap off the story, many people regard cows as sacred in India yet beef is one of our biggest meat sources in Western society.
> 
> Is it a pet or is it food? It depends on your cultural and culinary values and customs.


I think this illustrates a point about how food animals are treated during their lives and at the end. I find it odd that (at least in the UK) people will eat meat killed in abattoirs where animals are frequently stressed both in transport and in the killing areas but will castigate anyone who shoots his own dinner. At least in the latter case the animal or bird has had a comfortable free life. 

My uncle and a couple of cousins were in the meat trade and they have all, at different times told me that the quality and flavour of the meat is seriously undermined if the animal is subjected to stress during transport and the killing procedure.


----------



## simonbaker

Egg yolks, liver, & venison all top my list of un-liked foods.


----------



## Addie

simonbaker said:


> Egg yolks, liver, & venison all top my list of un-liked foods.



I am not one to eat wild meat. Too gamey tasting for me. But I just bought two pieces of liver. After cutting them into portion size, I now have enough for six meals. Want to come to supper?


----------



## simonbaker

I cannot even stomach the smell of liver, Nasty stuff!   I am not overly fond of most meat.


----------



## CarolPa

Addie said:


> I am not one to eat wild meat. Too gamey tasting for me. But I just bought two pieces of liver. After cutting them into portion size, I now have enough for six meals. Want to come to supper?




I'll be there Addie!!


----------



## Addie

CarolPa said:


> I'll be there Addie!!



Oh goodie! Dredged liver sautéed with a pile of fried onions and mashed potatoes. Creamed peas and carrots for the veggie. Coffee, tea, milk or water for a drink.


----------



## PrincessFiona60

Addie said:


> Oh goodie! Dredged liver sautéed with a pile of fried onions and mashed potatoes. Creamed peas and carrots for the veggie. Coffee, tea, milk or water for a drink.



Bacon, could there be bacon, too???


----------



## Addie

PrincessFiona60 said:


> Bacon, could there be bacon, too???



Sure thing. I aim to please! And someone can have mine as I don't like bacon with my liver.


----------



## PrincessFiona60

Addie said:


> Sure thing. I aim to please! And someone can have mine as I don't like bacon with my liver.



My liver loves bacon...


----------



## KatyCooks

Heart, brains, stomach lining, lungs, bulls testicles.  (from Britain)

Chittlings. (US)  I am pretty sure these would be on my list of things to avoid.

And from seeing some shows about China ......

I am not a big fan of offal.  


Mind you, there is nothing wrong with a bit of black pudding or Haggis...  just so long as you don't read the "ingredients" list too closely!


----------



## Mad Cook

Addie said:


> Oh goodie! Dredged liver sautéed with a pile of fried onions and mashed potatoes. Creamed peas and carrots for the veggie. Coffee, tea, milk or water for a drink.


M-m-m-m-m! Sorry I missed it.


----------



## Mad Cook

KatyCooks said:


> Heart, brains, stomach lining, lungs, bulls testicles. (from Britain)
> 
> Chittlings. (US) I am pretty sure these would be on my list of things to avoid.
> 
> And from seeing some shows about China ......
> 
> I am not a big fan of offal.
> 
> 
> Mind you, there is nothing wrong with a bit of black pudding or Haggis... just so long as you don't read the "ingredients" list too closely!


I have to agree about tripe (stomach lining). 

Have never come across bull's testicles in the UK but have had "lamb's fry" (Which are lamb's gentlemen's bits) once - not impressed - tasteless.

I often saw Chitterlings in Ryde's Pork butchers (a small, family owned chain f butchers in Derbyshire) when I lived in Belper in the 1970s but there aren't many pork-specific butchers left in the midlands and north nowadays.

Love liver if it isn't over-cooked and devilled kidneys.

Bananas, kippers and sardines (tinned or fresh) are on my list of "bleuch" foods.


----------



## Mad Cook

Greg Who Cooks said:


> Oh I forgot, chubs invaded the Eastern Sierra (the High Sierras in eastern California) about 25-30 years ago. They are a voracious fish that is well known to fisherman because of their huge amount of bones compared to meat. As far as I know all fisherman just kill chubs when they catch them, and toss them in the trash.
> 
> Just to be clear, these fish are not native to the Sierras and were introduced by man whether intentionally or unintentionally I do not know. The only purpose they serve is that they kill game fish and they compete with game fish for food.


The only recipe I've come across for chubb is from Mrs Beeton - "Stewed Chubb" - which sounds really depressing. Chubb can be eaten but only if you are desperate. They are supposed to be good fishing though. Eating them isn't an issue in UK as most fresh water fishing is done for sport and the fish have to be thrown back (unless it's a fish farm with facilities to catch your own.).


----------



## Mad Cook

Addie said:


> I am not one to eat wild meat. Too gamey tasting for me. But I just bought two pieces of liver. After cutting them into portion size, I now have enough for six meals. Want to come to supper?


The gamey-ness of game depends on the length of hanging. The longer it hangs the "higher" it tastes. 

When I was a little girl we knew a chap who worked at the Grosvenor House Hotel (very up-market establishment in London). He once told an old (and possibly apocryphal) story of a customer who ordered a whole pheasant and when he'd eaten it he sent his compliments to the chef on the delicious rice stuffing in the bird. "Oh?", said the chef "But there wasn't any stuffing in the bird". You may use your imagination as to what it was that the diner thought was rice!!!!

Needless to say, it isn't hung that long any longer. Supermarket pheasant doesn't taste much stronger than free range chicken.


----------



## taxlady

KatyCooks said:


> Heart, brains, stomach lining, lungs, bulls testicles.  (from Britain)
> 
> Chittlings. (US)  I am pretty sure these would be on my list of things to avoid.
> 
> And from seeing some shows about China ......
> 
> I am not a big fan of offal.
> 
> 
> Mind you, there is nothing wrong with a bit of black pudding or Haggis...  just so long as you don't read the "ingredients" list too closely!


A Chinese friend told me that there is no word for "offal" in Chinese.


----------



## CarolPa

Mad Cook said:


> M-m-m-m-m! Sorry I missed it.




Oh you didn't miss it.  It's what she's going to make for us when we come over.  There's still time!!


----------



## CarolPa

taxlady said:


> A Chinese friend told me that there is no word for "offal" in Chinese.



I would at least try the things Katy mentioned if someone else prepared it for me.  I have wanted to try chittlings for years but cannot find anyone who will prepare it for me. I don't know waht "offal" is, but is it pronounced "awful?"


----------



## CarolPa

Addie said:


> Sure thing. I aim to please! And someone can have mine as I don't like bacon with my liver.



I love chicken livers wrapped in bacon and broiled.  Went to a restaurant once that served them as appetizers.  No one else wanted them so I got to eat them all.  (And I wonder why I have a weight problem.)


----------



## GotGarlic

CarolPa said:


> I would at least try the things Katy mentioned if someone else prepared it for me.  I have wanted to try chittlings for years but cannot find anyone who will prepare it for me. I don't know waht "offal" is, but is it pronounced "awful?"



Offal is primarily the internal organs of food animals, including lungs, hearts, livers, stomachs, intestines and brains. And yes, it's pronounced "awful." 

Chitterlings are intestines and from what I've read, they require at least an hour of cleaning and several hours of cooking to be safe to eat. I would look for a soul food restaurant if you want to try them. Don't know if you have those in PA, but we sure do in VA


----------



## CarolPa

GotGarlic said:


> Offal is primarily the internal organs of food animals, including lungs, hearts, livers, stomachs, intestines and brains. And yes, it's pronounced "awful."
> 
> Chitterlings are intestines and from what I've read, they require at least an hour of cleaning and several hours of cooking to be safe to eat. I would look for a soul food restaurant if you want to try them. Don't know if you have those in PA, but we sure do in VA




I don't know of any soul food restaurants in my area but there are probably some in Pittsburgh.  I don't want them bad enough to go looking for a restaurant, and besides, my husband would not eat anything from said restaurant.  A few women who worked with me used to make them for holiday dinners.  I asked for someone to bring a small taste in for me to try, but no one ever did.  They might have thought I wasn't serious.


----------



## simonbaker

Addie said:


> Sure thing. I aim to please! And someone can have mine as I don't like bacon with my liver.


I would be happy to come for dessert!  My favorite part of any meal~!


----------



## TATTRAT

GotGarlic said:


> Offal is primarily the internal organs of food animals, including lungs, hearts, livers, stomachs, intestines and brains. And yes, it's pronounced "awful."
> 
> Chitterlings are intestines and from what I've read, they require at least an hour of cleaning and several hours of cooking to be safe to eat. I would look for a soul food restaurant if you want to try them. Don't know if you have those in PA, but we sure do in VA



Offal IS organ meat, there is no other way about it.

Also, some of the best dishes/cuisine is based off of offal because it was well, a lot more common to "average folk". People are far to quick to dismiss the benefits of cheap eats, offal is the stuff many of our parents grew up on and we(as adults) hold close to the heart. Tripe, kidneys, Chicken livers, hearts (smaller the better but even an ox heart can eat like butter), hell even chicken wings, all of this stuff holds a HIGH post in traditional Escoffier Cuisine. 

Personally, I LOVE the resurgence of off cuts being center plate. Folks, mainly American, need to disconnect from the mindset that offal is bad. Humans have made it this far by eating every part of the animal. It wasn't until VERY RECENTLY that humans could afford to even be picky.

Give it a chance, make it a choice. Remember, chickens were once left for royalty and lobsters were trash food. In the words of Andrew Zimmern, "if it looks good, eat it".


----------



## PrincessFiona60

Hiya Tatt!


----------



## Mad Cook

TATTRAT said:


> Offal IS organ meat, there is no other way about it.
> 
> Also, some of the best dishes/cuisine is based off of offal because it was well, a lot more common to "average folk". People are far to quick to dismiss the benefits of cheap eats, offal is the stuff many of our parents grew up on and we(as adults) hold close to the heart. Tripe, kidneys, Chicken livers, hearts (smaller the better but even an ox heart can eat like butter), hell even chicken wings, all of this stuff holds a HIGH post in traditional Escoffier Cuisine.
> 
> Personally, I LOVE the resurgence of off cuts being center plate. Folks, mainly American, need to disconnect from the mindset that offal is bad. Humans have made it this far by eating every part of the animal. It wasn't until VERY RECENTLY that humans could afford to even be picky.
> 
> Give it a chance, make it a choice. Remember, chickens were once left for royalty and lobsters were trash food. In the words of Andrew Zimmern, "if it looks good, eat it".


In London in the 1700s apprentice boys rioted against diet of salmon and oysters and in the 19th century oysters were used as cheap padding in beef stews.

I read somewhere that offal was called variety meats in the US. A much more enticing name. The only offal I can't face is the dreaded tripe. There is something in the UK called "elder" which apparently is cow's udder and considered a delicacy in the North of England. We waste nowt in t' north. Never had it but it doesn't look appetising as it's grey.


----------



## GotGarlic

CarolPa said:


> I don't know of any soul food restaurants in my area but there are probably some in Pittsburgh.  I don't want them bad enough to go looking for a restaurant, and besides, my husband would not eat anything from said restaurant.



He won't eat fried chicken and mac 'n cheese??  Heresy!


----------



## Chief Longwind Of The North

Mad Cook said:


> The only recipe I've come across for chubb is from Mrs Beeton - "Stewed Chubb" - which sounds really depressing. Chubb can be eaten but only if you are desperate. They are supposed to be good fishing though. Eating them isn't an issue in UK as most fresh water fishing is done for sport and the fish have to be thrown back (unless it's a fish farm with facilities to catch your own.).


I've caught and eaten chubs, simply dredged in flour, and pan-fried in oil, lightly salted when browned.  But they are best, IMO, smoked.  I've not eaten carp, but understand that in Poland, and Germany, they are considered an excellent fish.  They are available in my neck of the woods, but are considered to be on the same standard as suckers, and not caught to be eaten.  We have such a rich variety of really great fish in the upper great lakes, and their tributaries, that the humble carp and suckers get a bad rap by comparison.

I am going to have to catch some, and give them a try.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


----------



## Chief Longwind Of The North

GotGarlic said:


> Offal is primarily the internal organs of food animals, including lungs, hearts, livers, stomachs, intestines and brains. And yes, it's pronounced "awful."
> 
> Chitterlings are intestines and from what I've read, they require at least an hour of cleaning and several hours of cooking to be safe to eat. I would look for a soul food restaurant if you want to try them. Don't know if you have those in PA, but we sure do in VA



Those same intestines are also called sausage casings, and stuffed with bratwurst, kielbasi, salami, pepperoni, knockwurst, Italian sausage, Chorizo, Sopraseta, etc.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


----------



## CarolPa

GotGarlic said:


> He won't eat fried chicken and mac 'n cheese??  Heresy!




Mac and cheese is one of his favorites.  He used to eat Kraft, but now I make a home made cheese sauce and cook macaroni to go with it.  He prefers that now.  That's his lunch.  If I make it for our dinner, I dress it up to be more of an adult meal and bake it.  

He will eat fried chicken as long as it's made with boneless skinless chicken breasts.  He will not eat any meat off the bone.  It all has to be boneless.  

He will eat beef, as in roast, hamburgers, hot dogs, and skillet dinners out of the box.  He will eat fried fish....no baked or broiled.  No shellfish, Pork only if it is boneless chops cooked in sauekraut.  Baked ham at Christmas and Easter, Turkey at Thanksgiving.  He eats lots and lots of potatoes.  Prepared any way.  Some pasta occasionally, the same with rice.  He will eat scrambled eggs, but if an egg is fried he will eat only the yolk.  No whites.  He will eat pancakes, waffles, cereal.  It is very hard to cook for him.  It's limited.  We eat out often so I can order something different off a menu, but he will not go to a restaurant if he thinks they will not have something on the menu that he will eat.  I agree....it's heresy!  I love so many unusual foods and will try most anything as long as it is something that is meant to be food.  No insects, living or dead.


----------



## GotGarlic

Chief Longwind Of The North said:


> Those same intestines are also called sausage casings, and stuffed with bratwurst, kielbasi, salami, pepperoni, knockwurst, Italian sausage, Chorizo, Sopraseta, etc.
> 
> Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North



You're right, I forgot to mention that  Good stuff.


----------



## TATTRAT

PrincessFiona60 said:


> Hiya Tatt!



Hey hon!


----------



## GotGarlic

CarolPa said:


> Mac and cheese is one of his favorites.  He used to eat Kraft, but now I make a home made cheese sauce and cook macaroni to go with it.  He prefers that now.  That's his lunch.  If I make it for our dinner, I dress it up to be more of an adult meal and bake it.
> 
> He will eat fried chicken as long as it's made with boneless skinless chicken breasts.  He will not eat any meat off the bone.  It all has to be boneless.
> 
> He will eat beef, as in roast, hamburgers, hot dogs, and skillet dinners out of the box.  He will eat fried fish....no baked or broiled.  No shellfish, Pork only if it is boneless chops cooked in sauekraut.  Baked ham at Christmas and Easter, Turkey at Thanksgiving.  He eats lots and lots of potatoes.  Prepared any way.  Some pasta occasionally, the same with rice.  He will eat scrambled eggs, but if an egg is fried he will eat only the yolk.  No whites.  He will eat pancakes, waffles, cereal.  It is very hard to cook for him.  It's limited.  We eat out often so I can order something different off a menu, but he will not go to a restaurant if he thinks they will not have something on the menu that he will eat.  I agree....it's heresy!  I love so many unusual foods and will try most anything as long as it is something that is meant to be food.  No insects, living or dead.



I'm sure he must have some wonderful qualities, or you wouldn't have married him  Bummer that a foodie is with someone whose palate is so limited, though. I'm lucky that DH will try just about anything I make. He has a few specific dislikes, like anyone else, but it's not a long list.


----------



## CWS4322

Tatt!!! Where have you been hiding? Is all well (or is it offal? groan)?


----------



## PrincessFiona60

TATTRAT said:


> Hey hon!



Been missing you, but have been watching your beautiful pictures on Flickr.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

Mad Cook said:


> The only recipe I've come across for chubb is from Mrs Beeton - "Stewed Chub" - which sounds really depressing. Chub can be eaten but only if you are desperate. They are supposed to be good fishing though. Eating them isn't an issue in UK as most fresh water fishing is done for sport and the fish have to be thrown back (unless it's a fish farm with facilities to catch your own.).



What we call chubbs here in California are an artificially introduced species (who knows what jerk did it? they don't fly). They out-compete trout which are a much sought after species.

Chubs are all bony with suckery mouths. I can't see how anybody could eat a chub unless they were dying of starvation.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

taxlady said:


> A Chinese friend told me that there is no word for "offal" in Chinese.



Asians are very frugal and efficient. They will find a way to use every part of every edible animal. I admire frugality and industriousness.

Oh, BTW, I really like liver, both chicken and beef. Somehow I missed the lesson that liver is awful. (Pun intended.)

In fact I'll have to have calf liver & onions, ketchup, and a side of scalloped potatoes soon.


----------



## CarolPa

GotGarlic said:


> I'm sure he must have some wonderful qualities, or you wouldn't have married him  Bummer that a foodie is with someone whose palate is so limited, though. I'm lucky that DH will try just about anything I make. He has a few specific dislikes, like anyone else, but it's not a long list.



Oh, yes, he does have many redeeming qualities, but this is a food related forum and none of them involve food.  Except that whatever he doesn't eat leaves more for me!


----------



## TATTRAT

CWS4322 said:


> Tatt!!! Where have you been hiding? Is all well (or is it offal? groan)?



Not so much hiding as laying low and trying to get back to life!



PrincessFiona60 said:


> Been missing you, but have been watching your beautiful pictures on Flickr.



Thanks hon! I hope you enjoy the shots!


----------



## Mad Cook

Greg Who Cooks said:


> Asians are very frugal and efficient. They will find a way to use every part of every edible animal. I admire frugality and industriousness.
> 
> Oh, BTW, I really like liver, both chicken and beef. Somehow I missed the lesson that liver is awful. (Pun intended.)
> 
> In fact I'll have to have calf liver & onions, ketchup, and a side of scalloped potatoes soon.


A bit out of date here but is it true that offal products are called "variety meats" in the US? Makes it sound so much more enticing than offal.

I love hearts, liver and kidneys but can't bear tripe and it's relation, elder, and we used to feed "lights" (= lungs) to the cat when I was little but you never see them in butchers now. I'm rather partial to haggis which as you may know is a sheep's stomach stuffed with offal-y bits, oatmeal and other things and much tastier than it sounds.

We used to see grey shrivelled up bits called chitterlings in pork butcher's shop windows in the north of England but I never tried them and I haven't seen them in years. I suppose the prep required to clean them and make them fit for human consumption made them uneconomical to sell 

Sausages mainly have artificial casings now but high-end makers still use intestines.


----------



## CraigC

We only use natural casings.


----------



## Mad Cook

CraigC said:


> We only use natural casings.


Much better. The synthetic ones are called that because they are man-made from artificially processed collagen from beef hides, etc. Not plastic or anything like that. Used for cheap sausages.


----------



## simonbaker

The foods I would never like to see on my plate would have to be liver, brussel sprouts or green peppers.


----------



## CarolPa

simonbaker said:


> The foods I would never like to see on my plate would have to be liver, brussel sprouts or green peppers.




Well you can pass the liver and brussel sprouts my way!


----------



## simonbaker

CarolPa said:


> Well you can pass the liver and brussel sprouts my way!


Gladly!


----------



## Dawgluver

CarolPa said:


> Well you can pass the liver and brussel sprouts my way!



You can have mine too!  :blech:


----------



## joesfolk

Liver..no doubt.  It smells heavenly cooking and looks fantastic on a plate but put it into your mouth and you know misery!


----------



## PrincessFiona60

I'll take the liver, green peppers with some onions and bacon...YUM!!!!!

Keep the sprouts.


----------



## Mad Cook

joesfolk said:


> Liver..no doubt. It smells heavenly cooking and looks fantastic on a plate but put it into your mouth and you know misery!


I love liver but only lightly cooked. Just so it isn't pink but before it gets to that horrid dry, hard to eat stage


----------



## radhuni

I hate any dish with radish, I hate the smell.


----------



## Somebunny

You can all pass me those things you don't like except the offal,  I do like liver and heart though, just not those other "innards".


----------



## Chief Longwind Of The North

Mint and slimy things don't work for me.  I'm also not fond of anything that contains, or has been cooked in alcohol.  Soft, ripened cheeses are not my favorite either.  And you can keep that maggot cheese that's eaten in some middle-eastern areas.  Not going to try balut, or spiders, or worms.  I'm not particularly fond of grits, or hominy, or polenta.  Black licorice and horehound are loved by some, but not by me.  Other than that, I'll eat just about anything edible.  I've even been known to eat burnt toast.  My Dad always said  "It'll put hair on your chest."  It didn't.

Seeeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the north


----------



## CarolPa

I don't usually cook with alcohol and I don't like chicken Marsala, but I recently started to add a splash of white wine when cooking with tomatoes and it makes a world of difference to me.  

My mother told me she ate hard crusts of bread when she was pregnant with me so I would have curly hair, and I do have very thick curly hair.  But I think the fact that she also had thick curly hair had a lot to do with it.  LOL


----------



## Mad Cook

CarolPa said:


> I don't usually cook with alcohol and I don't like chicken Marsala, but I recently started to add a splash of white wine when cooking with tomatoes and it makes a world of difference to me.
> 
> My mother told me she ate hard crusts of bread when she was pregnant with me so I would have curly hair, and I do have very thick curly hair. But I think the fact that she also had thick curly hair had a lot to do with it. LOL


I have poker straight hair. My mother was a hairdresser and when I was moaning about not having curls like other little girls at school she told me that when in training, she had been told that curls are a genetic deformity. It didn't actually make me feel any better about my straight hair..


----------



## taxlady

A friend of mine has straight hair. She was moaning about it and her father heard her. He said, "I'm very sorry I didn't give you curls. You were my first baby and I was very nervous, trying to get everything just right, so I guess I forgot the curls."

She never complained about the lack of curls again.


----------



## Addie

Mad Cook said:


> I have poker straight hair. My mother was a hairdresser and when I was moaning about not having curls like other little girls at school she told me that when in training, she had been told that curls are a genetic deformity. It didn't actually make me feel any better about my straight hair..



I had straight red hair. It didn't matter what I ate, it was straight as can be. Now that I am in my dotage, it is starting to curl on its own and drives me crazy. It makes it hard for my hairdresser. When she cuts it, there are ends all over the place that want to curl upwards. If there was a food that would make it straight again, I would  pig out on it.


----------



## PrincessFiona60

I don't ever want to see hair on my plate...


----------



## Kitchen Barbarian

If you don't like grits, you won't like huitlacoche either.  What this is is explained in an old blog entry of mine, Things in a can that I would never ever eat.  This includes links to an essay on Huitlacoche and the 6 most terrifying foods in the world.  BTW, Hákarl is not on that list, but it SHOULD BE!  IT SHOULD BE!

I actually have since run across some other Things In A Can that should be appended to that list.  These include roasted scorpions, tripe (I am QUITE SURE that tripe is not improved by being packed in a can in Milk Gravy), ant eggs, roasted crickets and eggs, and preserved giant water bugs.

Basically I don't want to eat anything that might be tasting me back, or worse yet, looks like it's trying to get a bite in of its own.

Some things just can't be helped even by barbequing, curry sauce, or candy coating. This is no better for being "BBQ flavored" either.

Makes a liver aversion look like a tempest in a teapot, and this pizza-flavored Canadian version of Spam becomes merely odd.  I'm still not touching liver, though.  Just because there are worse things in the world ....


----------



## CatPat

Chocolate covered ants.

Uckkkkkkkkkk!!

With love,
~Cat


----------



## RPCookin

CarolPa said:


> I don't usually cook with alcohol and I don't like chicken Marsala, but I recently started to add a splash of white wine when cooking with tomatoes and it makes a world of difference to me.
> 
> My mother told me she ate hard crusts of bread when she was pregnant with me so I would have curly hair, and I do have very thick curly hair.  But I think the fact that she also had thick curly hair had a lot to do with it.  LOL



Boy, if I couldn't cook with wine I'd probably quit cooking.  It adds a wonderful richness to many dishes.  Braising some meats almost requires it (short ribs and lamb shanks come immediately to mind).  And I marinate one of my wing recipes in coconut rum, among other things.


----------



## Mad Cook

Kitchen Barbarian said:


> If you don't like grits, you won't like huitlacoche either. What this is is explained in an old blog entry of mine, Things in a can that I would never ever eat. This includes links to an essay on Huitlacoche and the 6 most terrifying foods in the world. BTW, Hákarl is not on that list, but it SHOULD BE! IT SHOULD BE!
> 
> I actually have since run across some other Things In A Can that should be appended to that list. These include roasted scorpions, tripe (I am QUITE SURE that tripe is not improved by being packed in a can in Milk Gravy), ant eggs, roasted crickets and eggs, and preserved giant water bugs.
> 
> Basically I don't want to eat anything that might be tasting me back, or worse yet, looks like it's trying to get a bite in of its own.
> 
> Some things just can't be helped even by barbequing, curry sauce, or candy coating. This is no better for being "BBQ flavored" either.
> 
> Makes a liver aversion look like a tempest in a teapot, and this pizza-flavored Canadian version of Spam becomes merely odd. I'm still not touching liver, though. Just because there are worse things in the world ....


Spam came here as a result of "Lend Lease" in the second world war and it never left. I could really hate America for that....


----------



## taxlady

Mad Cook said:


> Spam came here as a result of "Lend Lease" in the second world war and it never left. I could really hate America for that....


----------



## CarolPa

There must be lots of people who love Spam because it sells, 35 M cans per year, but I can't find anyone who will admit to it!  My mother used to buy Treet, by Armour.  I think it is cheaper than Spam and that would be why she bought it.  I haven't had it in years, but as I recall it tastes a lot better than Spam.  Not as spicy.  My mother used to slice it and fry it with breakfast.


----------



## simonbaker

i almost forgot to write Spam on the foods I never want to see on my plate. It looks indescribeable then in jelly on top of it! Yuck!!


----------



## GotGarlic

Goodness, let's not get overwrought about it!   Carol and sb: Do you eat pork sausage? Because Spam is just sausage in a shape that's easy to fry in a pan and put on a sandwich. If you do a search here, you'll find lots of us who admit to eating Spam, including, I'm pretty sure, a former member who was a professional chef in Hawaii where Spam is very popular. 

Ingredients (from the can in my pantry): Pork with ham, salt, water, modified potato starch, sugar, sodium nitrite. 

Ever roast a chicken or turkey? Ever find jelly under it after it's cooled? Same stuff as in the Spam can: Gelatin that came from the connective tissue during the cooking process.


----------



## Kitchen Barbarian

I'm sorry, but Spam, whatever it is, doesn't come close to any of the sausages I know and love.  Other than having some commonality in manufacture - as in the yuck factor - flavor, texture, spicing - nothing the same.

Spam is spam and sausage is sausage, and never the twain shall meat!  LOL!


----------



## CarolPa

GotGarlic said:


> Goodness, let's not get overwrought about it!   Carol and sb: Do you eat pork sausage? Because Spam is just sausage in a shape that's easy to fry in a pan and put on a sandwich. If you do a search here, you'll find lots of us who admit to eating Spam, including, I'm pretty sure, a former member who was a professional chef in Hawaii where Spam is very popular.
> 
> Ingredients (from the can in my pantry): Pork with ham, salt, water, modified potato starch, sugar, sodium nitrite.
> 
> Ever roast a chicken or turkey? Ever find jelly under it after it's cooled? Same stuff as in the Spam can: Gelatin that came from the connective tissue during the cooking process.




My issue with Spam is not the ingredients or the gel.  It's the spicy taste.  That's why I like the Treet better...it's not as spicy.  I was just making a point that although so much Spam is sold, I have never heard anyone admit to liking it...until now.


----------



## GotGarlic

Kitchen Barbarian said:


> I'm sorry, but Spam, whatever it is, doesn't come close to any of the sausages I know and love.  Other than having some commonality in manufacture - as in the yuck factor - flavor, texture, spicing - nothing the same.
> 
> Spam is spam and sausage is sausage, and never the twain shall meat!  LOL!



Of course you're right. How utterly foolish of me to have a different opinion. I abjectly apologize.


----------



## Kitchen Barbarian

GotGarlic said:


> Of course you're right. How utterly foolish of me to have a different opinion. I abjectly apologize.



Apology accepted.


----------



## Chief Longwind Of The North

My only problem with Spam is that it's too salty for my taste.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


----------



## GotGarlic

Kitchen Barbarian said:


> Apology accepted.



Whoops, forgot to sign my post. 

</sarcasm>


----------



## GotGarlic

Chief Longwind Of The North said:


> My only problem with Spam is that it's too salty for my taste.
> 
> Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North



Have you tried the low-salt version?


----------



## Kitchen Barbarian

GotGarlic said:


> Whoops, forgot to sign my post.
> 
> </sarcasm>


I forgive you anyway.


----------



## Addie

CarolPa said:


> My issue with Spam is not the ingredients or the gel.  It's the spicy taste.  That's why I like the Treet better...it's not as spicy.  I was just making a point that although so much Spam is sold, I have never heard anyone admit to liking it...until now.



Carol, Hormel has come out with a whole new line of Spam. I will occasionally buy the Lite. Less salt and seasoning. I almost bought some yesterday when I was shopping. But the cans were on the top shelf and I didn't feel like stretching.


----------



## Zagut

Fry up some thin sliced Spam, add some Velveeta, and grill on Wonder type bread in butter. 

Pure comfort food. 



Just don't eat it everyday.


----------



## Dawgluver

Zagut said:


> Fry up some thin sliced Spam, add some Velveeta, and grill on Wonder type bread in butter.
> 
> Pure comfort food.
> 
> Just don't eat it everyday.



 I'd happily eat this.


----------



## Zagut

Dawgluver said:


> I'd happily eat this.


 


Then you're not a food snob.


I simply believe folks should eat what they enjoy and not sweat the small stuff.

Excess of anything could cause problems but enjoyment of life is what really matters.

Too many times products are demonized yet there is nothing wrong with them.

Eat them to excess and you might suffer health problems.

Eat anything to excess and you might suffer health problems.

No magic formula as far as I'm concerned.


----------



## Dawgluver

Zagut said:


> Then you're not a food snob.
> 
> I simply believe folks should eat what they enjoy and not sweat the small stuff.
> 
> Excess of anything could cause problems but enjoyment of life is what really matters.
> 
> Too many times products are demonized yet there is nothing wrong with them.
> 
> Eat them to excess and you might suffer health problems.
> 
> Eat anything to excess and you might suffer health problems.
> 
> No magic formula as far as I'm concerned.



True.  Nothing in excess.  Think of how eggs, coffee and wine have been demonized as well, and are now recommended.

And I can't imagine life without bacon, but I'm just not gonna eat it everyday.


----------



## PrincessFiona60

Cubed 25% less salt Spam, par-boiled potato chunks, green peppers and oinions, frid up till golden and top with egg...that's about a once a month breakfast for us.


----------



## Zagut

Bacon makes the world go around. 

Life without bacon is not worth living. 

I haven't had bacon for awhile but let me assure every speck of bacon has been used to flavor the dishes I've made since I last fried bacon. 

(Still waiting at the PO for my SASSC from Pac.) 



PF. If the low salt Spam fits the bill then go for it.


----------



## simonbaker

Kitchen Barbarian said:


> I'm sorry, but Spam, whatever it is, doesn't come close to any of the sausages I know and love.  Other than having some commonality in manufacture - as in the yuck factor - flavor, texture, spicing - nothing the same.
> 
> Spam is spam and sausage is sausage, and never the twain shall meat!  LOL!


I couldn't agree more!  To get that gel in your mouth is like invisioning an eyeball or something, just plain nastey!


----------



## KatyCooks

simonbaker said:


> I couldn't agree more! To get that gel in your mouth is like invisioning an eyeball or something, just plain nastey!


 
It's the texture!   Utterly revolting!  (The flavour isn't so bad).


----------



## simonbaker

KatyCooks said:


> It's the texture!   Utterly revolting!  (The flavour isn't so bad).


You do better than I, cannot bear the flavor either.


----------



## Kitchen Barbarian

Zagut said:


> Bacon makes the world go around.
> 
> Life without bacon is not worth living.



Everything is better with bacon!  Even vodka!


----------



## KatyCooks

simonbaker said:


> You do better than I, cannot bear the flavor either.


 
Well, I am going on ancient memory!  We had it as kids.   I never had it as a grown person who could make her own choices!


----------



## CarolPa

Appetizers.  Cut the Spam in sticks, wrap a slice of bacon around it and pop it under the broiler.


----------



## taxlady

Okay, I am now officially tired of reading about Spam. Can we have a Spam thread instead, please?


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

Mad Cook said:


> A bit out of date here but is it true that offal products are called "variety meats" in the US? Makes it sound so much more enticing than offal.
> 
> I love hearts, liver and kidneys but can't bear tripe and it's relation, elder, and we used to feed "lights" (= lungs) to the cat when I was little but you never see them in butchers now. I'm rather partial to haggis which as you may know is a sheep's stomach stuffed with offal-y bits, oatmeal and other things and much tastier than it sounds.
> 
> We used to see grey shrivelled up bits called chitterlings in pork butcher's shop windows in the north of England but I never tried them and I haven't seen them in years. I suppose the prep required to clean them and make them fit for human consumption made them uneconomical to sell
> 
> Sausages mainly have artificial casings now but high-end makers still use intestines.



Variety meats sounds about right to me, although usually these meats are just presented in the section (chicken, pork, beef) they belong and described as livers, hearts, etc. "Offal" may be grammatically correct but nobody would ever buy a product labeled "beef offal" etc.

I tried tripe a few times but it just never tasted good. I don't care where it comes from or what it is, but it has to taste good. (I've had beef liver and chicken liver since my previous post, both were good.) I initially tried tripe after a PBS program hosted by a local PBS host Hewel Howser (who I really like) covered the leading tripe cannery on a PBS show, was reputed to be the best canned tripe you can get--and it was yuck!!! WTH, at least I tried. It wasn't the idea of tripe that put me off, it just didn't taste good. At least liver tastes good (to me).

By the way I had been wondering why I was seeing beef liver and calf liver less and less on the meat section shelves, and finally asked. Evidently (my speculation) demand has dropped and processing has advanced, and now you find your choice of beef/calf liver in the frozen food section. I found calf liver (I prefer calf because I believe it's more tender) in 1# packages, neatly cryovac packed into four 4 oz. slices, for about maybe $4. I took a package home and defrosted 3 cryos (put them in a bowl of warm water for about 15 minutes) and I had a great calf liver and onion dinner. As far as I'm concerned I like the new way of having the liver industrially sliced into 4 oz. portions and individually cryovac frozen as vastly superior to the old livers in a "tub" container. Now I can buy a few cryovac liver packages and have my pick of serving size in 4 oz. increments, and don't have to worry about "spoil by" dates. (I may be mistaken but I would rather eat the freshest organ meats vs. meats that have been on the shelf a few days.)

As far as sausage casings, I have no problem eating sausages with intestine casings. We humans have been doing this for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years. I don't see any reason why we modern day humans have to suddenly decree, "ew, intestine, I won't eat intestines!" IMO there are few parts of any animal that are _de facto_ decreed "disgusting" although I prefer to not eat brains or lungs.

When I'm cooking whole chicken or whole turkey I consider it the chef's right and the chef's delight to snack on the liver and heart (while cooking) although with turkey I'm usually preempted by the need to finely chop all the "offal" parts of my turkey to contribute to the gravy, and IMO my gravy is "killer!" (I make it exactly the way my mom taught me.)

As far as sausage, I'd rather see what goes into sausage vs. what goes into politics. From what I've seen lately in US politics, sausage isn't even a contender in which is more disgusting.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

simonbaker said:


> The foods I would never like to see on my plate would have to be liver, brussel sprouts or green peppers.



Sorry, I love all three! I have a problem with your "green peppers" since many peppers are green. I presume you mean bell peppers???


----------



## Kitchen Barbarian

Greg Who Cooks said:


> ... you find your choice of beef/calf liver in the frozen food section. I found calf liver (I prefer calf because I believe it's more tender) in 1# packages, neatly cryovac packed into four 4 oz. slices...



Dang!  Beats the way it used to be packaged - in great bloody hunks with that membrane still attached and all the nasty little tubules still firmly embedded ... I think a big part of the reason I hate liver so much is due to time spent removing said membranes and tubules before having to slice it up, dredge, and fry it ... smells bad when it fries, too ...


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

joesfolk said:


> Liver..no doubt.  It smells heavenly cooking and looks fantastic on a plate but put it into your mouth and you know misery!



I sense that somebody taught you to not like liver, or somebody forced you to eat it.

In my family it was present as no big deal and no comment and no discussion about what it was or where it came from.

The only discussion was "try it with some ketchup" and "throw some more grilled onions on it."

My parents did not force stuff on we children nor did they go out of their way to prejudice us. My mom just served it, and the only thing she insisted upon was that we eat our entire vegetable serving. Not being forced to eat something has a lot to do with what you hate as an adult.

Oddly, I hated vegetables as a kid. Now I love them, and I often serve multiple vegetable servings with every dinner. The only vegetable I just cannot condone is cauliflower. But I love broccoli. Take away the green and it's yuck. Add the green and it's delicious!

Oddly, both are _Brassica_ and I uniformly love every _Brassica_ except cauliflower. I particularly love broccoli and gai lan (gailan).



Mad Cook said:


> I love liver but only lightly cooked. Just so it  isn't pink but before it gets to that horrid dry, hard to eat  stage



Oh yes, particularly, liver needs very light cooking or it turns out dry and unpalatable.


All the straight hair discussion is boulder dash. That is a genetic trait (except when you have your hairdresser straighten it.)




CatPat said:


> Chocolate covered ants.t



Oh my favorite God!!! (OMFG) I have been inundated by ant attacks for the last few months. I finally gave up and hired Orkin at $90 every two months to make sure there are no more ant infestations.

In the last few weeks I have probably vacuumed up about a pound of swarming ants off my kitchen counter!



Mad Cook said:


> Spam came here as a result of "Lend Lease" in  the second world war and it never left. I could really hate America for  that....



Oddly, if you frequent Asian stores you will discover they are all well stocked with SPAM. I speculate that in WWII it became a fixation with them.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

CarolPa said:


> There must be lots of people who love Spam because it sells, 35 M cans per year, but I can't find anyone who will admit to it!  My mother used to buy Treet, by Armour.  I think it is cheaper than Spam and that would be why she bought it.  I haven't had it in years, but as I recall it tastes a lot better than Spam.  Not as spicy.  My mother used to slice it and fry it with breakfast.



Once I tried their recipe of pretending it was a ham and scoring it and inserting whole cloves and rubbing it with a sauce, and actually it was pretty good.

But SPAM has so much fat I won't eat it these days. What is it, one-third fat?


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

Zagut said:


> Bacon makes the world go around.




It would be interesting to know how much fat content a ready to serve serving of SPAM compares to a ready to serve serving of bacon, although I suspect people eat far smaller servings of bacon than SPAM.


----------



## GotGarlic

Greg Who Cooks said:


> It would be interesting to know how much fat content a ready to serve serving of SPAM compares to a ready to serve serving of bacon, although I suspect people eat far smaller servings of bacon than SPAM.



This seems to have reasonable information: http://skipthepie.org/sausages-and-...am-luncheon-meat-pork-with-ham-minced-canned/


----------



## GotGarlic

Greg Who Cooks said:


> Once I tried their recipe of pretending it was a ham and scoring it and inserting whole cloves and rubbing it with a sauce, and actually it was pretty good.
> 
> But SPAM has so much fat I won't eat it these days. What is it, one-third fat?



There's a lower fat version available. And it's usually an ingredient, not a whole meal, so the other components of the dish must be taken into account when determining the nutritional value, just like with other high-fat foods like sausage and bacon.


----------



## taxlady

I once bought beef liver in those frozen machine cut slices. It was awful. The dog wouldn't eat it. I've been skeptical ever since.


----------



## Addie

GotGarlic said:


> This seems to have reasonable information: Nutritional Comparison: Bacon and beef sticks vs HORMEL SPAM, Luncheon Meat, pork with ham, minced, canned



Thanks. That info was for the regular Spam. I buy the Lite. Less salt (sodium) and I only slice off two very thin pieces at a time. Sometimes I forget it is in the fridge and end up tossing the rest of it. So I don't feel bad about the figures because I am actually eating a lot less than the figures are telling me.


----------



## GotGarlic

Addie said:


> Thanks. That info was for the regular Spam. I buy the Lite. Less salt (sodium) and I only slice off two very thin pieces at a time. Sometimes I forget it is in the fridge and end up tossing the rest of it. So I don't feel bad about the figures because I am actually eating a lot less than the figures are telling me.



Yes. I was responding to Greg who wanted to know how Spam compared to bacon. I get the low-salt version as well.


----------



## simonbaker

Greg Who Cooks said:


> Sorry, I love all three! I have a problem with your "green peppers" since many peppers are green. I presume you mean bell peppers???


I like fresh yellow & orange peppers. I think the green ones just have a strong bitter taste for me.


----------



## Addie

simonbaker said:


> I like fresh yellow & orange peppers. I think the green ones just have a strong bitter taste for me.



The green bell peppers are bitter because they are not ripe. When they do ripen they turn red, yellow or orange. I would love to know how green ones became so popular. I will never understand how folks can willingly eat bitter foods. There are too many better tasting foods to indulge with.


----------



## Kitchen Barbarian

simonbaker said:


> I like fresh yellow & orange peppers. I think the green ones just have a strong bitter taste for me.



I like the green and the red - the yellow and orange just taste kind of watery too me...


----------



## PrincessFiona60

Grandma used to cook with green peppers and then pick them out of her food.  She liked the flavor imparted but not the texture.


----------



## taxlady

PrincessFiona60 said:


> Grandma used to cook with green peppers and then pick them out of her food.  She liked the flavor imparted but not the texture.


I always julienne them. I don't want a big piece of green bell pepper in my mouth.


----------



## PrincessFiona60

taxlady said:


> I always julienne them. I don't want a big piece of green bell pepper in my mouth.



We girls would swipe them off the edge of her plate...


----------



## Jofy

Liver..I hate Liver and refuse to make it.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

taxlady said:


> I once bought beef liver in those frozen machine cut slices. It was awful. The dog wouldn't eat it. I've been skeptical ever since.



I recently had calf liver from the frozen slices (four 4 oz. slices in a 1 # package for $4) and liked it. Today I bought two more 1 lb. packages. I really like the convenience of having individual 4 oz. cryo-vac packages of each slice. Getting it in fresh packages has always been a problem. How much to get? Now I can just thaw (and at that thickness they thaw within minutes in a warm water bath) and I can turn 12 oz. of frozen calf liver into a nice calf liver dinner within minutes. 

The liver cooks qukcily. It's the onions that take up the time.


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

Addie said:


> The green bell peppers are bitter because they are not ripe. When they do ripen they turn red, yellow or orange. I would love to know how green ones became so popular. I will never understand how folks can willingly eat bitter foods. There are too many better tasting foods to indulge with.



You should understand that green, yellow and red bell peppers differ only in their degree of ripeness.


----------



## taxlady

Greg Who Cooks said:


> You should understand that green, yellow and red bell peppers differ only in their degree of ripeness.


They all start out green. Some go straight from green to red. Others go from green to yellow and never change colour after that. Addie did mention that the green ones were not ripe.


----------



## TATTRAT

Jofy said:


> Liver..I hate Liver and refuse to make it.



Oh but when done right, it can be a WONDERFUL meal!


----------



## Addie

TATTRAT said:


> Oh but when done right, it can be a WONDERFUL meal!



Little I did I know what I would unearth when I asked this question. Liver seems to be the consensus. Too bad. It is loaded with iron. Something a lot of women need more of. It is high in Vitamin A so should be eaten in small amounts. You can get Vitamin A poisoning from eating too much at one sitting or eating it consistently on a daily basis. Something I would gladly do if I didn't know the dangers.


----------



## Dawgluver

Addie said:


> Little I did I know what I would unearth when I asked this question. Liver seems to be the consensus. Too bad. It is loaded with iron. Something a lot of women need more of. It is high in Vitamin A so should be eaten in small amounts. You can get Vitamin A poisoning from eating too much at one sitting or eating it consistently on a daily basis. Something I would gladly do if I didn't know the dangers.



With Beagle being so sick and unable to eat, I've been doing a lot of reseach as to what's good for dogs.  They don't recommend liver for dogs either, except in small amounts, for the same reason, which is weird as liver is an ingredient in many dog treats.


----------



## Addie

Dawgluver said:


> With Beagle being so sick and unable to eat, I've been doing a lot of reseach as to what's good for dogs.  They don't recommend liver for dogs either, except in small amounts, for the same reason, which is weird as liver is an ingredient in many dog treats.



You really do need to look at what is in those dog foods and treats. Just like you do for human food. If liver is one of the first three foods listed, I would find another brand. 

Teddy loves liverwurst. But I refused to share any with him. I no longer will munch on it if he is here. Why tease him? H is so spoiled with fresh meats, that he no longer even will eat his dry food.


----------



## CarolPa

Addie said:


> The green bell peppers are bitter because they are not ripe. When they do ripen they turn red, yellow or orange. I would love to know how green ones became so popular. I will never understand how folks can willingly eat bitter foods. There are too many better tasting foods to indulge with.




I like stuffed green peppers, when the peppers are cooked soft, but I do not like raw green peppers.


----------



## Addie

CarolPa said:


> I like stuffed green peppers, when the peppers are cooked soft, but I do not like raw green peppers.



I like peppers in my food. I just can't digest the skins and I am not willing to peel every pepper I buy when I am cooking just for myself.


----------



## CarolPa

Addie said:


> You really do need to look at what is in those dog foods and treats. Just like you do for human food. If liver is one of the first three foods listed, I would find another brand.
> 
> Teddy loves liverwurst. But I refused to share any with him. I no longer will munch on it if he is here. Why tease him? H is so spoiled with fresh meats, that he no longer even will eat his dry food.




My dog loves those chicken jerky dog treats but there have been so many warnings about them and all dog treats that are made in China.  I don't know why...he never got sick from them, but they say some dogs have died.  It's strange, because the package will say they are packaged by some company in the US, but in small letters it will say "Product of China."  I wonder why US companies can't make them.


----------



## taxlady

CarolPa said:


> My dog loves those chicken jerky dog treats but there have been so many warnings about them and all dog treats that are made in China.  I don't know why...he never got sick from them, but they say some dogs have died.  It's strange, because the package will say they are packaged by some company in the US, but in small letters it will say "Product of China."  I wonder why US companies can't make them.


They could make them domestically, but it would cost more. How many people are willing to pay a premium price?


----------



## Addie

There is a processing plant for cat food filler not far from where I live. You don't want to be driving by there on a hot summer day. I used to work for the company that took care of their dock rolling doors. The company would have to have a set of all new clothes ready for the unfortunate crew that got the call to repair or service the doors. Fortunately the shower was right near the door to the shop. Their stinky clothes were immediately tossed into the dumpster.

The filler that is processed there goes into the kitty treats and other small cat food items. It is all fish by products. Bones and all. Cooked and ground up to a mash. I do know that it is all frozen in blocks. Perhaps it is this that is shipped to China. I have been unable to find out what happens to the blocks. Would love to know.


----------



## simonbaker

I really dislike braunschweiger as well as liver.


----------



## Raspberrymocha55

I won't eat regular liver sausage, the stuff with that white rind of fat. But braunschweiger is good for me if it is a name brand (O M). And thinly applied to a dark eye with mayo.  

I never thought of myself as prickly until I start listing things on this thread.  I now feel so picky.  Here's my growing list: anchovies, raw fish/raw oysters, raisins, pb&j, liver, venison, wild game, goat/sheep and any dairy products thereof, beer/ale, black licorice, haggis, chitterlings, tripe, anything with bugs, Limburger, pickled herring, mincemeat pie, lemon pie, angel food candy, anything with black walnuts, liverball (liver dumpling) soup, blood sausage, anything served at the table with faces intact, caviar, etc.  I think that is my current list--my, I certainly have gotten picky in my old age!


----------



## Greg Who Cooks

TATTRAT said:


> Oh but when done right [liver], it can be a WONDERFUL meal!



I was used to finding beef/calf liver in the meat section but apparently "offal" meats have become less popular and now you find them in the frozen meat section. I find frozen calf's liver in 4 oz. slices (individually cryovac packaged) for $4/lb. Mmmm! I just bought a couple pounds today. My usual serving is 8-12 oz.

It's the right price ($4/#) and very convenient, the slices are about 1/4" thick and uniformly 4 oz., just the perfect thing to toss in your freezer until you have a craving.

I'm sorry everybody who doesn't like liver but I really like it, particularly with a heavy covering of sauteed onions and a large side of ketchup.

I'm glad my parents didn't teach me that organ meats are yucky.


----------



## CarolPa

I actually feel sorry for people who don't like liver because I feel that they are missing out on something really delicious.  *Greg*, I put ketchup on it when I was a kid but never as an adult.  And like *Tattrat* said, it has to be cooked properly.  I have a friend who won't eat it because the one time her mother made it, it was like shoe leather.  It wasn't cooked properly.  I wouldn't have liked it either!  

I know that everyone has a right to their own tastes.  Maybe if I was more of a picky eater I wouldn't have this weight problem.  

*Raspberry*, the only things I agree with on your list is raw fish/oysters (they are now saying don't ever eat them because of the bacteria they can contain),  Bugs, and anything still showing it's face.  Everything else I either like, or would at least try.  I LOVE braunswauger.  I like the one with the tan colored casing that resembles leather.  It used to be Lugar, but it has passed hands a couple times.


----------



## PrincessFiona60

CarolPa said:


> I actually feel sorry for people who don't like liver because I feel that they are missing out on something really delicious.  *Greg*, I put ketchup on it when I was a kid but never as an adult.  And like *Tattrat* said, it has to be cooked properly.  I have a friend who won't eat it because the one time her mother made it, it was like shoe leather.  It wasn't cooked properly.  I wouldn't have liked it either!
> 
> I know that everyone has a right to their own tastes.  Maybe if I was more of a picky eater I wouldn't have this weight problem.
> 
> *Raspberry*, the only things I agree with on your list is raw fish/oysters (they are now saying don't ever eat them because of the bacteria they can contain),  Bugs, and anything still showing it's face.  Everything else I either like, or would at least try.  I LOVE braunswauger.  I like the one with the tan colored casing that resembles leather.  It used to be Lugar, but it has passed hands a couple times.



We girls did the meal planning and the cooking once we hit 7th grade as Mom was working.  My sister used to plan meals she hated and would mess them up, _on purpose_, she hates to cook.  Dad finally put his foot down and would not allow her to cook liver.  That became my specialty, along with several other meals that Dad still requests when I go visit.

Have I told the story about the Hamburger Helper???


----------



## Andy M.

CarolPa said:


> I actually feel sorry for people who don't like liver because I feel that they are missing out on something really delicious...




I've eaten plenty of liver and I don't like it.  Don't assume it's because it wasn't properly cooked.  Dad was a chef.  Assume it's because I don't like the taste and texture.  No need to feel sorry for me.  I'm just avoiding something distasteful.


----------



## CarolPa

Andy M. said:


> I've eaten plenty of liver and I don't like it.  Don't assume it's because it wasn't properly cooked.  Dad was a chef.  Assume it's because I don't like the taste and texture.  No need to feel sorry for me.  I'm just avoiding something distasteful.






CarolPa said:


> *I know that everyone has a right to their own tastes*.  Maybe if I was more of a picky eater I wouldn't have this weight problem.
> 
> /QUOTE]
> 
> I'm sorry if my comment offended you.
> You must have missed the part of my post where I said everyone  has a right to their own tastes, and I don't doubt that your father knew  exactly how to prepare it.  I just wish liver could make everyone as  happy as it does me.


----------



## Chief Longwind Of The North

CarolPa said:


> CarolPa said:
> 
> 
> 
> *I know that everyone has a right to their own tastes*. Maybe if I was more of a picky eater I wouldn't have this weight problem.
> 
> /QUOTE]
> 
> I'm sorry if my comment offended you.
> You must have missed the part of my post where I said everyone has a right to their own tastes, and I don't doubt that your father knew exactly how to prepare it. I just wish liver could make everyone as happy as it does me.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I know what you are trying to say.  At a certain point in my life (I was young then), I enjoyed a particular piece of music immensely.  It was sad to me that many of my freinds didn't care for it.  To my amazement, my older sister enjoyed a style of music that I pretty much detested.  I wonder if she was ever sad that I couldn't appreciate the music she enjoyed.
> 
> I now realize that it's ok to like something that others don't, and even be passionate about it.  It's not sad that they don't like it, because there is enough variety in this world so that everyone can have something they really, really enjoy.  My only desire is that everyone be fair, and allow everyone else the same priveledge of enjoying something, without cutting it down.
> 
> I may not like okra.  But if another person really enjoys it, I'm not going to do anything, in word, or action, to take that enjoyment from them.  I have known too many people who, when they don't like a particular food, seem required to describe that food in the most unpleasant way to those who do like it, as if to say, "you're an idiot for liking that.", or maybe convince someone else that jsut becasue they didn't like it, that it was not a food for anyone to eat.
> 
> To politely state that a flavor, or food is not to one's liking is acceptable.  To be rude, or vulgar to another about what they like is unacceptable.
> 
> I don't know why I'm talking about this.  No one has been either rude or vulgar in this thread.
> 
> Andy, go on disliking liver.  That's ok by me.
> 
> CarolPa, keep on eating it, unless it's from a polar bear (that can kill you due to ultra high concentrations of retinol in polar bear liver).
> 
> The rest of you, I'm going to give all of you a break and quit typing now.
> 
> Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
Click to expand...


----------



## MrsLMB

Andy M. said:


> I've eaten plenty of liver and I don't like it. Don't assume it's because it wasn't properly cooked. Dad was a chef. Assume it's because I don't like the taste and texture. No need to feel sorry for me. I'm just avoiding something distasteful.


 
That's okay Andy .. not everybody can handle liver.  In my entire family - including extended family - I am the only one who enjoys it.

So the way I see it .. that's just more for me !!!


----------



## Kitchen Barbarian

These "what food do you hate" threads always end up with a few bumps in the road.  Not to worry.  I figure if someone doesn't like something I love, that just means MORE FOR ME!  LOL!

Although I once got thrown off a canning list because I made a joking remark to someone (after telling her how to can it) that since I hated broccoli, that just meant there was more for her to can.  That list owner was a fruitcake.


----------



## Kitchen Barbarian

Chief Longwind Of The North said:


> CarolPa said:
> 
> 
> 
> CarolPa, keep on eating it, unless it's from a polar bear (that can kill you due to ultra high concentrations of retinol in polar bear liver).
> 
> Chief Longwind of the North
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Also seal, walrus, and dog liver.  One of the polar expeditions allegedly experienced illness and death after being forced to eat their sled dogs.  The liver was given to one of the sicker members (due to liver being thought to be such a rich food) and it killed him due to the toxic levels of vitamin A (retinol) that we cannot easily eliminate from our bodies (it's a fat soluble vitamin so it tends to stay)
Click to expand...


----------



## PrincessFiona60

and again...


----------



## CarolPa

PrincessFiona60 said:


> and again...




Aww, so cute!


----------



## Caslon

Even the smell of it cooking makes me almost want to....(see below)


----------



## MrsLMB

PrincessFiona60 said:


> and again...


 
  Love that picture !  Looks like me and anchovies.


----------



## Zagut

You are both wrong about brussle sprouts and anchovies but that kitty say's it all about raw tomatoes.


----------



## Mad Cook

Andy M. said:


> I've eaten plenty of liver and I don't like it. Don't assume it's because it wasn't properly cooked. Dad was a chef. Assume it's because I don't like the taste and texture. No need to feel sorry for me. I'm just avoiding something distasteful.


So many people over-cook it until it's almost powder-y and sticks to the inside of your mouth. I love it when it's lightly cooked though


----------



## Mad Cook

Zagut said:


> You are both wrong about brussle sprouts and anchovies but that kitty say's it all about raw tomatoes.


And bananas


----------



## Andy M.

Mad Cook said:


> So many people over-cook it until it's almost powder-y and sticks to the inside of your mouth...




Why do you assume this is the reason others don't like liver?


----------



## Mad Cook

Andy M. said:


> Why do you assume this is the reason others don't like liver?


Because I can if I want to.


----------



## Zagut

Mad Cook said:


> And bananas


 
You say Bananas, I say Tomatoes.


It's all good and it's what makes the world go round. 



Bananas need to be just flecked with spots to be ready to eat. 

Too early they are a yuck and too late they are banana bread.


----------



## MrsLMB

Mad Cook said:


> So many people over-cook it until it's almost powder-y and sticks to the inside of your mouth. I love it when it's lightly cooked though


 

I would lean more towards the taste (and smell) as the #1 reason ... also for some it's simply the thought of what it is. 

If you can't get past those things you won't even get to the way it is cooked.


----------



## CarolPa

MrsLMB said:


> I would lean more towards the taste (and smell) as the #1 reason ... also for some it's simply the thought of what it is.
> 
> If you can't get past those things you won't even get to the way it is cooked.




Isn't it weird, though, how we are all made relatively the same, but something like liver can taste so different to us.


----------



## taxlady

Mad Cook said:


> So many people over-cook it until it's almost powder-y and sticks to the inside of your mouth. I love it when it's lightly cooked though


That's the way my mother cooked liver. I hated it. I thought I hated liver. Then one day I ordered a rib steak rare. It came with a liver and weenie appetizer. I thought, let's give that liver a try. OMG, it was amazing. It was grilled and still pink inside. I have been a fan of liver ever since.


----------



## GotGarlic

MrsLMB said:


> That's okay Andy .. not everybody can handle liver.



Actually ... not everybody *likes* liver. It's not a matter of "handling" it. It simply tastes gross


----------



## Addie

I had an upstairs neighbor whose daughter had severe anemia. The doctor told her to cook some liver just above raw. The girl would chew it to death, but just refused to swallow it. Her mother felt fine with her doing this. At least she was getting the juices from the meat into her system. I have often wondered if the girl ever did learn to like liver.


----------



## PrincessFiona60

I'm upset that I had to stop eating liver once a week and for snacks during the week...


----------



## CarolPa

taxlady said:


> That's the way my mother cooked liver. I hated it. I thought I hated liver. Then one day I ordered a rib steak rare. It came with a liver and weenie appetizer. I thought, let's give that liver a try. OMG, it was amazing. It was grilled and still pink inside. I have been a fan of liver ever since.




I could not eat liver than was pink inside.  It has to be cooked through, just not cooked to death.

I can eat steak that is pink, or even red inside.  Just not liver.


----------



## Kitchen Barbarian

CarolPa said:


> I could not eat liver than was pink inside.  It has to be cooked through, just not cooked to death.
> 
> I can eat steak that is pink, or even red inside.  Just not liver.



You're one up on me.  I can't eat ANY meat that shows any pink at all.  Instant gag reaction.  I can tell from the taste and texture if I happen not to see it before sticking it in my mouth.  Can't do it.

Partially raw liver is RIGHT out.


----------



## CatPat

I do not like caviar, and Papa catches the sturgeons in the Black Sea for it.

Those are ugly fishes, also! Uckkkkkkk!

With love,
~Cat


----------



## CharlieD

Addie said:


> I had an upstairs neighbor whose daughter had severe anemia. The doctor told her to cook some liver just above raw. The girl would chew it to death, but just refused to swallow it. Her mother felt fine with her doing this. At least she was getting the juices from the meat into her system. I have often wondered if the girl ever did learn to like liver.


 
That is the only way to cook liver, especially the chicken liver. Blood should still ooze out of it when you cut it. Cooked anything over that and might as well throw the whole thing away. Yuk.


----------



## CharlieD

CatPat said:


> I do not like caviar, and Papa catches the sturgeons in the Black Sea for it.
> 
> Those are ugly fishes, also! Uckkkkkkk!
> 
> With love,
> ~Cat


 
The best fish ever, of course if cooked proparly. Also caviar, mmmmm


----------



## CatPat

CharlieD said:


> The best fish ever, of course if cooked proparly. Also caviar, mmmmm



My family loves it also! And the fish! I do like the fish, just not the caviar.

With love,
~Cat


----------



## Addie

CatPat said:


> I do not like caviar, and Papa catches the sturgeons in the Black Sea for it.
> 
> Those are ugly fishes, also! Uckkkkkkk!
> 
> With love,
> ~Cat



Cat, when he goes out from port, how long is he gone for? My husband would be gone anywhere from 15 to 30 days at a time.


----------



## CarolPa

CharlieD said:


> That is the only way to cook liver, especially the chicken liver. Blood should still ooze out of it when you cut it. Cooked anything over that and might as well throw the whole thing away. Yuk.




Well, I don't share your opinion.


----------



## Kitchen Barbarian

CharlieD said:


> That is the only way to cook liver, especially the chicken liver. Blood should still ooze out of it when you cut it. Cooked anything over that and might as well throw the whole thing away. Yuk.



Actually I think that's partly right - you SHOULD just throw the whole thing away, LOL!


----------



## Chief Longwind Of The North

I hate mint!  all mint, and any member of the mint family should be dug out of the ground and burned, with all mint seeds on the planet destroyed.  I shouldn't have to smell other people chewing mint gum, or using mint jelly, or peppermint candy canes.  The stuff is just nauseating, and grow, enough to make one hurl.

Now, how did that make everyone feel.  We who enjoy liver don't say that you have to enjoy it.  Just as it's ok to enjoy mint.  I promise, I won't breathe in your face after eating liver, or liver products.  I hope you will extend the same courtesy to me with respect to mint.

I think the liver thing has been beaten to death.  Here's an idea.  Let's turn to something constructive, like what foods don't pair well, or what herbs and spices don't play well together, things like that.  Let's use this forum to help each other avoid cooking mistakes.

For instance, I can tell you that cinnamon and raisins do not work in marinara sauce.  And you can ask how I know that.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


----------



## Mad Cook

CarolPa said:


> Well, I don't share your opinion.


With you there, Carol. I like it lightly cooked but not bleeding.

In the 1920s and early '30s the only treatment for pernicious anaemia (a fatal disease in those days) was to eat large amounts of raw liver. Addie's neighbour's doctor must have been very "old school".


----------



## Kitchen Barbarian

Now, now.  It is a "what food we really hate thread" - liver is a pretty commonly hated food.  I absolutely cannot abide liver, but I can still laugh about it.  Surely those who love liver can laugh about it too!  After all, they have less to fear - in that department, at least, LOL!


----------



## Cheryl J

Marshmallows.  Can hardly stand the thought of them. Now that American Thanksgiving is coming up, I hope I don't have to see them in sweet potato casseroles or jello desserts and such,  but if they're being served at a dinner I'm attending, I'll be gracious and have a bite.


----------



## Addie

Mad Cook said:


> With you there, Carol. I like it lightly cooked but not bleeding.
> 
> In the 1920s and early '30s the only treatment for pernicious anaemia (a fatal disease in those days) was to eat large amounts of raw liver. Addie's neighbour's doctor must have been very "old school".



Yeah. We had a lot of them. Now you have to go to the clinics in your favorite hospital to see your "Primary Care Physician." No more Doctor's Office Visits! Doctors can no longer 'hang their shingle out'. They get their name of letterhead instead. Along with 20 others on the same sheet of paper.


----------



## PrincessFiona60

Addie said:


> Yeah. We had a lot of them. Now you have to go to the clinics in your favorite hospital to see your "Primary Care Physician." No more Doctor's Office Visits! Doctors can no longer 'hang their shingle out'. They get their name of letterhead instead. Along with 20 others on the same sheet of paper.



I have a Doctor, my PCP who oversees my Cardiologist and whose office helps with scheduling my mammograms, etc.  I was able to choose her.


----------



## GotGarlic

Addie said:


> Yeah. We had a lot of them. Now you have to go to the clinics in your favorite hospital to see your "Primary Care Physician." No more Doctor's Office Visits! Doctors can no longer 'hang their shingle out'. They get their name of letterhead instead. Along with 20 others on the same sheet of paper.



Depends  My PCP is in a clinic connected to the medical school, which doesn't have its own hospital, my GI doctor is in a private practice with maybe 6 others, and my neurologist is in a practice connected to the largest local hospital system. It's not one-size-fits-all.

Doctors can open a private practice of their own, but it's usually not cost-effective. Some doctors do "boutique" service where they don't take insurance and charge cash for all their services. Only for the well-to-do, of course.


----------



## CarolPa

GotGarlic said:


> Depends  My PCP is in a clinic connected to the medical school, which doesn't have its own hospital, my GI doctor is in a private practice with maybe 6 others, and my neurologist is in a practice connected to the largest local hospital system. It's not one-size-fits-all.
> 
> Doctors can open a private practice of their own, but it's usually not cost-effective. Some doctors do "boutique" service where they don't take insurance and charge cash for all their services. Only for the well-to-do, of course.




What about your psychiatrist, GC? LOL  (just kidding)

I have had the same PCP for 20 years.  He is in a stand alone practice with 1 other doctor, and 2 NPs.  You can get in to see the NP the same day if you have the flu or something when you need treated right away.  That is less expensive than going to Med Express, where you have to pay the "specialist" copay.  My cardioligist is in a stand alone facility with 4 or 5 others.  The same with my gyne.  It has only been in the past several years that our hospital opened a couple clinic type places were you can go for bloodwork, xrays, and recently they added PCPs and also some specialists to the clinic.


----------



## GotGarlic

CarolPa said:


> What about your psychiatrist, GC? LOL  (just kidding)



Why, did something I said make you think I need one?


----------



## PrincessFiona60

GotGarlic said:


> Why, did something I said make you think I need one?



Everyone seems to think I need one, too.  Just because I'm anxious, nervous and depressed.  And I talk about Zombies...


----------



## CarolPa

GotGarlic said:


> Why, did something I said make you think I need one?




tee hee hee


----------



## Mad Cook

CarolPa said:


> What about your psychiatrist, GC? LOL (just kidding)
> 
> I have had the same PCP for 20 years. He is in a stand alone practice with 1 other doctor, and 2 NPs. You can get in to see the NP the same day if you have the flu or something when you need treated right away. That is less expensive than going to Med Express, where you have to pay the "specialist" copay. My cardioligist is in a stand alone facility with 4 or 5 others. The same with my gyne. It has only been in the past several years that our hospital opened a couple clinic type places were you can go for bloodwork, xrays, and recently they added PCPs and also some specialists to the clinic.


Your PCP sounds like our GP (General Practitioner) who s the first port of call and deals with anything that doesn't need to see a Specialist/Consultant at the hospital. It's getting increasingly difficult to get home visits which means that when you go for your routine smear test you may be sitting in the waiting room next to an adult with bad 'flu or a child with scarlet fever or chicken pox - really healthy!


----------



## CarolPa

Mad Cook said:


> Your PCP sounds like our GP (General Practitioner) who s the first port of call and deals with anything that doesn't need to see a Specialist/Consultant at the hospital. It's getting increasingly difficult to get home visits which means that when you go for your routine smear test you may be sitting in the waiting room next to an adult with bad 'flu or a child with scarlet fever or chicken pox - really healthy!




I haven't heard of a home visit since I was in grade school, and that was a verrrrrry long time ago!  I rarely go to my PCP for anything anymore.  My cardiologist takes care of my heart issues and blood pressure issues.  All my PCP takes care of now if my diabetes, and all I do is call for a script for my bloodwork and then call afterwards for the results.  

The thing that I don't like is our hospital is going to quit allowing the cardiologist to do testing in their office.  My cardiologist does the whole shebang.....stress test, echocardiograms etc.  They want us to go to the hospital for this testing (so they can get paid for it!) and when you do that, you are sitting there in the waiting room with in-patients, which makes you so succeptible to infections and any contageous issues those patients might have.  And they are also using the same equipment on you that they are using on the in-patients.  I don't even visit people in the hospital anymore because I had one infection and it was a doozy and I don't want to get one again.


----------



## CarolPa

OOPS!  I thought I was in the "vent" thread.  Sorry for getting so off-topic.


----------



## CharlieD

Kitchen Barbarian said:


> Actually I think that's partly right - you SHOULD just throw the whole thing away, LOL!


 
Believe me liver is not my favorite, by any stretch. Sometimes you just have to it what is available and make the best of it. But I I think Americans, thank G-d, hardly know what it is "not to have something availbale".


----------



## Addie

PrincessFiona60 said:


> I have a Doctor, my PCP who oversees my Cardiologist and whose office helps with scheduling my mammograms, etc.  I was able to choose her.



One of the nice things about being on Medicare is that you never need a referral. You can pick any doctor you want. That is a Medicare rule, not an AARP one, regardless of what their advertising says.  

Sometimes I can't help wonder if Boston is blessed or not. We have so many top of the list hospitals and two medical schools. We also have several dental schools. We even have a Vet school. For both small and large animals. Too many, way to many choices.


----------



## Chief Longwind Of The North

In the spirit of this thread, I hate okra, the afore mentioned mint, earthworms, horehound, root beer balls, really oily tasting fish (cod liver oil flavor), the poutine served at one of our local small snack shops, burnt rabbit (you'd have to ask one of my friends from many years back about that one), badly mismatched herbs and spices, mince meat, and I think that's about it.  Oh, not crazy about soft, ripened cheeses either.

Seeeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


----------



## KatyCooks

Chief Longwind Of The North said:


> In the spirit of this thread, I hate okra.
> 
> Seeeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


 
An evil and wrong vegetable if ever there was one CLofN.


----------



## Andy M.

KatyCooks said:


> An evil and wrong vegetable if ever there was one CLofN.



Okra has been a favorite of mine since childhood.


----------



## KatyCooks

Andy M. said:


> Okra has been a favorite of mine since childhood.


 
And I rest my case!


----------



## Raspberrymocha55

Fried okra and gumbo are wonderful.  However my picky husband calls it slimy snot and eschews anything with okra...he has no class!


----------



## KatyCooks

Raspberrymocha55 said:


> Fried okra and gumbo are wonderful. However my picky husband calls it slimy snot and eschews anything with okra...he has no class!


 
A man of great taste I would say!


----------



## Addie

Raspberrymocha55 said:


> Fried okra and gumbo are wonderful.  However my picky husband calls it slimy snot and eschews anything with okra...he has no class!



Well, I guess I am classless also. Oh well, I don't like teaching.


----------



## Addie

KatyCooks said:


> An evil and wrong vegetable if ever there was one CLofN.



 It should have been left in Africa.


----------



## KatyCooks

Addie said:


> It should have been left in Africa.


 
When you think of all the delightful vegetables out there in the world...  why would such a vile veggie proliferate?


----------



## taxlady

Katy, what's "CLofN"?


----------



## Mad Cook

Chief Longwind Of The North said:


> really oily tasting fish (cod liver oil flavor),
> Seeeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


When I was a sprog, babies got free (compulsory) cod liver oil (and orange juice as well but that's another story). Apparently, as a baby, I used to smack my lips in delight when Mother came at me with the spoonful of CLO!


----------



## Chief Longwind Of The North

taxlady said:


> Katy, what's "CLofN"?



CLofN - Chief Longwind of the North

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


----------



## Mad Cook

taxlady said:


> Katy, what's "CLofN"?


*C*hief *L*ongwind *of* the *N*orth 

Katy was replying to him


----------



## taxlady

Thanks. I just type "Chief" if I can't be bothered to copy and paste.


----------



## CarolPa

I don't particularly like Okra, but I always put it in my vegetable soup.  I don't know why, it just looks like it belongs there.


----------



## simonbaker

I do not care for jalepeno's.


----------



## Addie

simonbaker said:


> I do not care for jalapeños.



Jalapeños can be such an iffy pepper. It all depends on how many seeds and the ribs in them. If you are able to remove all the seeds and ribs, they are mild. But when you leave the seeds and ribs in you never know how much heat one of them is going to have.


----------



## RPCookin

CarolPa said:


> I actually feel sorry for people who don't like liver because I feel that they are missing out on something really delicious.  *Greg*, I put ketchup on it when I was a kid but never as an adult.  And like *Tattrat* said, it has to be cooked properly.  I have a friend who won't eat it because the one time her mother made it, it was like shoe leather.  It wasn't cooked properly.  I wouldn't have liked it either!
> 
> I know that everyone has a right to their own tastes.  Maybe if I was more of a picky eater I wouldn't have this weight problem.
> 
> *Raspberry*, the only things I agree with on your list is raw fish/oysters (they are now saying don't ever eat them because of the bacteria they can contain),  Bugs, and anything still showing it's face.  Everything else I either like, or would at least try.  I LOVE braunswauger.  I like the one with the tan colored casing that resembles leather.  It used to be Lugar, but it has passed hands a couple times.



Don't feel bad for us.  We like not liking liver.   Although, I do like braunschweiger in a sandwich with mayo and crisp lettuce.  It tastes nothing like straight liver.



Addie said:


> I had an upstairs neighbor whose daughter had severe anemia. The doctor told her to cook some liver just above raw. The girl would chew it to death, but just refused to swallow it. Her mother felt fine with her doing this. At least she was getting the juices from the meat into her system. I have often wondered if the girl ever did learn to like liver.



I never considered liver to be meat.  Meat to me is muscle tissue not offal.  Heart is meat - liver, tripe, etc. aren't, in my book (nor does my book define them as edible).



Addie said:


> Jalapeños can be such an iffy pepper. It all depends on how many seeds and the ribs in them. If you are able to remove all the seeds and ribs, they are mild. But when you leave the seeds and ribs in you never know how much heat one of them is going to have.



True that jalapenos can vary from very mild to "Holy Cow!!"  

Since I moved to the Bahamas, I almost never see a jalapeno.  We have goat peppers. (the local version of Habanero), and these little multicolored finger peppers, both of which make the hottest jalapeno seem mild.


----------



## Roll_Bones

I hate always hated English peas. The green little round ones. I have tried many times to like them, but I cannot.
However, I do like black eyed peas.

For the record. I love liver and onions, chicken livers and any liver pate' and will eat raw shellfish until it becomes a crime. Then I will just continue eating it anyway.


----------



## Mad Cook

Roll_Bones said:


> I hate always hated English peas. The green little round ones. I have tried many times to like them, but I cannot.
> However, I do like black eyed peas.
> 
> For the record. I love liver and onions, chicken livers and any liver pate' and will eat raw shellfish until it becomes a crime. Then I will just continue eating it anyway.


Just being picky - black-eyed peas are actually beans. have you tried Madhur Jaffrey's recipe for black eyed beans and mushroom curry? Very mild and very yummy.

And what's not to like about petit pois picked fresh from the garden and podded while sitting on the back door step in the sunshine and eating the peas from every 4th pod - ahh, childhood memories. Or cooked a la Francais (braised with lettuce and bacon) or even cooked in boiling water and served with Aylesbury duck. Fresh green peas and by duck is almost extinct.

However, you can forget bought peas even when sold in the pod as they are usually several days (if not more) off the vine and starting to get dry and woody. Peas are one of the few veg that, if you can't grow your own, are better bought frozen than fresh.


----------



## Roll_Bones

Mad Cook said:


> Just being picky - black-eyed peas are actually beans. have you tried Madhur Jaffrey's recipe for black eyed beans and mushroom curry? Very mild and very yummy.
> 
> And what's not to like about petit pois picked fresh from the garden and podded while sitting on the back door step in the sunshine and eating the peas from every 4th pod - ahh, childhood memories. Or cooked a la Francais (braised with lettuce and bacon) or even cooked in boiling water and served with Aylesbury duck. Fresh green peas and by duck is almost extinct.
> 
> However, you can forget bought peas even when sold in the pod as they are usually several days (if not more) off the vine and starting to get dry and woody. Peas are one of the few veg that, if you can't grow your own, are better bought frozen than fresh.



It might be possible that is the reason I like them. (black eyed peas) They are beans not peas. 

I do agree that the reason I do not like peas is because of the cooking method and or presentation.
I use and eat peas used as decoration. But to eat a pile of peas on my plate reminds me of when I was a kid.
I actually vomited when forced to eat them.
This also might have some factor as to my distain for them.

How about a recipe for me to try?  I am always willing to try anything at least twice in the words of Andrew Zimmern.


----------



## CarolPa

Mad Cook said:


> Just being picky - black-eyed peas are actually beans. have you tried Madhur Jaffrey's recipe for black eyed beans and mushroom curry? Very mild and very yummy.
> 
> And what's not to like about petit pois picked fresh from the garden and podded while sitting on the back door step in the sunshine and eating the peas from every 4th pod - ahh, childhood memories. Or cooked a la Francais (braised with lettuce and bacon) or even cooked in boiling water and served with Aylesbury duck. Fresh green peas and by duck is almost extinct.
> 
> However, you can forget bought peas even when sold in the pod as they are usually several days (if not more) off the vine and starting to get dry and woody. Peas are one of the few veg that, if you can't grow your own, are better bought frozen than fresh.




My 5 year old grandson goes into the garden and eats sugar snap peas right off the plant!  He does not like them cooked, though.  His parents are very healthy eaters and he has developed a wonderful diet.  I guess that will change somewhat once he goes to school and sees the junk food other kids are eating.  He has already started asking for Fruit Roll-Up that another child had in pre-school.


----------



## Addie

CarolPa said:


> My 5 year old grandson goes into the garden and eats sugar snap peas right off the plant!  He does not like them cooked, though.  His parents are very healthy eaters and he has developed a wonderful diet.  I guess that will change somewhat once he goes to school and sees the junk food other kids are eating.  He has already started asking for Fruit Roll-Up that another child had in pre-school.



When we lived on the farm, we had a kitchen garden. When we were out playing and got hungry, we always went into the garden and ate green beans, peas, and any other veggie that was ready to eat. Even baby ears of corn. Got thirsty? Drank right from the hose. Very rarely did we go in the house for lunch. 

Sometimes we would even take a nap under the big oak tree right next to the barn. The only time I went into the house in the summer was during canning time. I had to help.


----------



## CarolPa

Addie said:


> When we lived on the farm, we had a kitchen garden. When we were out playing and got hungry, we always went into the garden and ate green beans, peas, and any other veggie that was ready to eat. Even baby ears of corn. Got thirsty? Drank right from the hose. Very rarely did we go in the house for lunch.
> 
> Sometimes we would even take a nap under the big oak tree right next to the barn. The only time I went into the house in the summer was during canning time. I had to help.




I would put off going into the house because I was afraid my mother would make me stay in.  Why she would want me in there to pester her is beyond me!


----------



## Mad Cook

Roll_Bones said:


> It might be possible that is the reason I like them. (black eyed peas) They are beans not peas.
> 
> I do agree that the reason I do not like peas is because of the cooking method and or presentation.
> I use and eat peas used as decoration. But to eat a pile of peas on my plate reminds me of when I was a kid.
> I actually vomited when forced to eat them.
> This also might have some factor as to my distain for them.
> 
> How about a recipe for me to try? I am always willing to try anything at least twice in the words of Andrew Zimmern.


Ahh, I can see what you mean. If they were starchy and boiled to death when you were force fed them I can see why you hate them


----------



## CarolPa

Mad Cook said:


> Ahh, I can see what you mean. If they were starchy and boiled to death when you were force fed them I can see why you hate them




My husband likes canned peas.  To me, those are mushy.  I like frozen peas, cooking really just heats them up, and they are a little crunchy.


----------



## Addie

CarolPa said:


> My husband likes canned peas.  To me, those are mushy.  I like frozen peas, cooking really just heats them up, and they are a little crunchy.



I like both. But they have to be the petite ones. I have a bag of petites in the freezer. I think next month when I buy my beets, I will try using the frozen ones instead of the canned ones. I used to eat them frozen by the handful.


----------



## Andy M.

A fond childhood memory is of a roast pork dinner with roasted potatoes and canned Del Monte peas for the veggie.  The sweet mushiness of those peas was what made that meal for me.


----------



## Caslon

My sweet peas keep falling of my fork nowadays. Partly due to aging and partly due to the low living room coffee table I eat my meals on.  I move some peas into the mashed potatoes now so I don't have to pick them up off the floor.


----------



## Zagut

Frozen Peas beat canned in my book. 

I always have them in my freezer. They seem to have many uses.

I just defrost them and they go great in a salad. 

And Taters just aren't the same without peas. The two just seem to go together.

How can you not mix a few peas in with the mashed taters? 

I like crispy skins on baked taters and tossing some crisp peas into the skin with a bit of S&P and butter is heaven to me. 

Sort of a tater & Pea sandwich.


----------



## simonbaker

Brings to mind a saying my dad used to tell us when we were kids...

" I eat my peas with honey, I've done it all my life, it makes the peas taste funny but it keeps them on my knife" : )


----------



## RPCookin

For dinner tonight I just had a bowl of native Bahamian peas soup (yes, that's how they spell it).  Not a green pea to be seen... it's made with pigeon peas, cabbage, onion, carrot and few other things - the stock is made with a ham bone.  And index finger sized dumplings - plus a side of stuffed breadfruit - yum.


----------



## PrincessFiona60

simonbaker said:


> Brings to mind a saying my dad used to tell us when we were kids...
> 
> " I eat my peas with honey, I've done it all my life, it makes the peas taste funny but it keeps them on my knife" : )



I had a book called "Silly Rhymes" and that one was in it.

"As I was standing in the street,
As happy as could be,
A great big, ugly man came up
And tied his horse to me."


----------



## Caslon

I always thought that frozen peas (and other frozen veggies) had more nutritional content  than canned veggies.  Recently I've seen ads or info somewhere that say the canned variety has the same nutritional value.  That kind of surprised me.


----------



## taxlady

Caslon said:


> I always thought that frozen peas (and other frozen veggies) had more nutritional content  than canned veggies.  Recently I've seen ads or info somewhere that say the canned variety has the same nutritional value.  That kind of surprised me.


Hmm, were there "weasel words" involved. I don't see how the vitamin C content of something cooked as long as canned peas can possibly be as high as in frozen food. Now, I know that some nutrients are more available in cooked foods, but others are just gone.


----------



## CarolPa

Caslon said:


> I always thought that frozen peas (and other frozen veggies) had more nutritional content  than canned veggies.  Recently I've seen ads or info somewhere that say the canned variety has the same nutritional value.  That kind of surprised me.




I have never heard that.  They always say since the frozen variety are flash frozen it holds the nutritional value better.  Most of the canned veggies have too much sodium.  Another reason why I prefer to buy frozen is since there is just the 2 of us now, I can take out just the amount we are going to eat and reseal the bag and put it back in the freezer.  Once you open a can you have to eat it all.  You could freeze it, but you need to find a container etc.  On the other hand, when we have leftover veggies from dinner I keep a container in the freezer and accumulate the veggies to use in soup.  I do find that canned veggies are cheaper if money is a problem.


----------



## Caslon

Del Monte or one of the major canned vegetable makers inserted that factoid briefly into their TV ads.   I'm certain I heard it as part of the ad.  That is what made my ears perk up and post about it here.  This, in essence, suggests that both frozen and canned are equal nutritionally and that the only difference is in their appearance and texture.  Concluding that freshly cooked raw vegetables are the only way to get the most nutritional benefits.  Fast frozen veggies are no better for you than canned. So, I learned something new today.


----------



## Addie

Caslon said:


> Del Monte or one of the major canned vegetable makers inserted that factoid briefly into their TV ads.   I'm certain I heard it as part of the ad.  That is what made my ears perk up and post about it here.  This, in essence, suggests that both frozen and canned are equal nutritionally and that the only difference is in their appearance and texture.  Concluding that freshly cooked raw vegetables are the only way to get the most nutritional benefits.  Fast frozen veggies are no better for you than canned. So, I learned something new today.



The ad stated that all their veggies went straight from the field to the factory. Del Monte does have factories right their at the end of the fields. In Hawaii the factory was located at a different place near the State prison from the pineapple fields. The fruit went right into the trucks and with all the pickers, it didn't take long for the truck to fill up. So the pineapples were in the factory being processed within two hours of being cut in the field.


----------



## Porco Preto

something that still moves! i'm a fairly adventurous eater but draw the line at wiggling creatures on my plate.


----------



## Raspberrymocha55

I worked 7 summers at a canning factory.  To this day I cannot abide canned peas.  It's the smell.  It takes me back to to the silage smell in the plant (they sell the shells, etc to farmers for silage, so nothing gets wasted.) I still like canned corn, but I remember working on the sorting cleaning tables picking out toads, worms, Bella Donna ( same size as peas but purple and not healthy!) I actually had fun working there, even though I smelled like silage when I got home every morning.  Good money for a college kid and beginning teacher back in the 70s.


----------



## PrincessFiona60

Raspberrymocha55 said:


> I worked 7 summers at a canning factory.  To this day I cannot abide canned peas.  It's the smell.  It takes me back to to the silage smell in the plant (they sell the shells, etc to farmers for silage, so nothing gets wasted.) I still like canned corn, but I remember working on the sorting cleaning tables picking out toads, worms, Bella Donna ( same size as peas but purple and not healthy!) I actually had fun working there, even though I smelled like silage when I got home every morning.  Good money for a college kid and beginning teacher back in the 70s.



Arrgh, silage!  I worked in a County Extension  Lab that analyzed the nutrient content of silage.  Stinky stuff, my job was to dry it, chop it and grind it fine.  I was always coated in silage!


----------



## Caslon

Porco Preto said:


> something that still moves! i'm a fairly adventurous eater but draw the line at wiggling creatures on my plate.



Ya, I still trust and expect the "fresh"  produce I get at my local national chain supermarket to meet certain standards, lol. Nothing growing inside, if you don't mind.


----------



## Porco Preto

i had http://i.minus.com/ibxiDXDiz7b4MD.gif this in mind... 
(according to the interwebs this was in Korea. one can also eat it in Japan and China.)


----------



## PrincessFiona60

I had a dream last night about the critters on the Sushi Bar waving at me...that's a bit too fresh...


----------



## Addie

PrincessFiona60 said:


> I had a dream last night about the critters on the Sushi Bar waving at me...that's a bit too fresh...


----------



## Mad Cook

Caslon said:


> Del Monte or one of the major canned vegetable makers inserted that factoid briefly into their TV ads. I'm certain I heard it as part of the ad. That is what made my ears perk up and post about it here. This, in essence, suggests that both frozen and canned are equal nutritionally and that the only difference is in their appearance and texture. Concluding that freshly cooked raw vegetables are the only way to get the most nutritional benefits. Fast frozen veggies are no better for you than canned. So, I learned something new today.


Taking peas as an example they are frozen more or less on site whereas the peas you buy in the shop or supermarket may well have travelled 3 times round the state before they hit the point of sale and then you don't know how long they have sat in the shop's storeroom before making it to the counter. So frozen are much better for you and taste better. Even highly superior chefs who sneer at convenience food admit to using frozen peas.

 Tinned veg come a very distant second to fresh or frozen. With the exception of pulses they really aren't very nice in taste or texture and many of the vitamins are killed by heat.

 However, if you have as straight choice of canned or nothing you probably should go for canned.

 I found the following which backs up the above - "_While canned vegetables tend to lose a lot of nutrients during the preservation process (notable exceptions include tomatoes and pumpkin), frozen vegetables may be even more healthful than some of the fresh produce sold in supermarkets, says Gene Lester, Ph.D., a plant physiologist at the USDA Agricultural Research Center in Weslaco, Texas_"

 Remember, Del Monte et al have a vested interest in trying to persuade you that canned is best.


----------



## CharlieD

I will not eat green peas if you simply put them on the plate in front of me. But, strangely, I do like them in a soup, totally opposite of corn; I love corn on the cob, or from the can, but always fish out every cornel from the soup, just cannot make myself eat it from the soup.  Also I will eat the green peas in a salad, there are couple of Russian salads I make with peas included. It is really weird.


----------



## Mad Cook

*Yuck!*

Would sell my soul for caramel but don't like chocolate.

 I spotted Ben and Jerry's Karamel Sutra ice cream today and bought some. (This is further proof that I should always wear my reading glasses when shopping.) I didn't read the ingredients list because I was overcome with gluttonous feelings. Got it home. Chose a nice large spoon and got stuck in.

 Yuck hardly any caramel flavour and masses of chocolate and chocolate chunks. Very bitter tasting at that, too.

 It reminded me that I never buy B&J's ice cream because I think it's over-rated. Prefer Kelly's or some of H-D


----------



## hishighness

Beets. I absolutely hate them. They taste like mould to me.

I'm also not a big fan of pink fish, though I like white fish.


----------



## Roll_Bones

CharlieD said:


> I will not eat green peas if you simply put them on the plate in front of me. But, strangely, I do like them in a soup, totally opposite of corn; I love corn on the cob, or from the can, but always fish out every cornel from the soup, just cannot make myself eat it from the soup.  Also I will eat the green peas in a salad, there are couple of Russian salads I make with peas included. It is really weird.



Same here. Peas as garnish get gobbled up. I will not eat a pile of peas. The texture and taste are not for me.
My mother used peas to brighten up dishes. She put some in her eggplant parm. Not sure why, but I think her mother did it to?



hishighness said:


> Beets. I absolutely hate them. They taste like mould to me.
> 
> I'm also not a big fan of pink fish, though I like white fish.



I don't like beets either.  But if I had to choose beets vs peas, it would be beets. I think?


----------



## Chief Longwind Of The North

Roll_Bones said:


> Same here. Peas as garnish get gobbled up. I will not eat a pile of peas. The texture and taste are not for me.
> My mother used peas to brighten up dishes. She put some in her eggplant parm. Not sure why, but I think her mother did it to?
> 
> 
> 
> I don't like beets either.  But if I had to choose beets vs peas, it would be beets. I think?



Okra, horehound, mint, black licorice, eggplant, yup, that's about it.  I like everything else, pretty much, and we won't get into the strange exotic foods like maggot cheese, balut, live octopus, etc.

Why, next week, I'm gonna be eating dirty-sock-soup with my daughter and grandkids.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


----------



## CarolPa

Roll_Bones said:


> Same here. Peas as garnish get gobbled up. I will not eat a pile of peas. The texture and taste are not for me.
> My mother used peas to brighten up dishes. She put some in her eggplant parm. Not sure why, but I think her mother did it to?




Many people do the things their mother did, just because.  I do it.  I think in eggplant parm I would use wilted greens like spinach, kale or collard for color instead of peas.  

My son would never eat peas because they were mushy.  I think that is because his bio mom always served canned peas but I use frozen peas which have some crunch to them.  He will eat sugar snap peas, though.


----------



## vitauta

hishighness said:


> Beets. I absolutely hate them. They taste like mould to me.
> 
> I'm also not a big fan of pink fish, though I like white fish.


 

what is pink fish?  you mean, like, salmon?


----------



## Chief Longwind Of The North

vitauta said:


> what is pink fish?  you mean, like, salmon?



Where I live, pink fish would be pink salmon.  White fish would be whitefish, a specific breed of fish in the Great Lakes, Especially around the U.P.  All other white fleshed fish is called by name, i.e. walleye, pike, bass, bullheads, perch, jumbo perch, eelpout (also known as losh, or freshwater cod).  Other fish with pink flesh include various members of the salmon family (coho, chinook), steelhead (rainbow trout that have gone to sea and returned) Rainbow trout, lake trout.  Brown trout, 10 to 15 inch rainbow, and brookies may be white or orange-fleshed.  The orange-fleshed brookies are the best, in my humble opinion.

Ocean fish are good eating as well, but are very expensive around these parts.  Of those I've tasted, swordfish is Number 1 in both flavor and texture, followed by sushi-grade ahi tuna, followed by pollak and cod, then ocean salmon from the pacific northwest, and halibut, orange roughy, the various flatfish, such as flounder, mackeral, etc.  I also enjoy skate, shrimp, crab, lobster, clams, squid, etc.  

Ah, let's face it.  I like food that swims in water.  I'm still not eating it live though.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


----------



## RPCookin

Chief Longwind Of The North said:


> Ocean fish are good eating as well, but are very expensive around these parts.  Of those I've tasted, swordfish is Number 1 in both flavor and texture, followed by sushi-grade ahi tuna, followed by pollak and cod, then ocean salmon from the pacific northwest, and halibut, orange roughy, the various flatfish, such as flounder, mackeral, etc.  I also enjoy skate, shrimp, crab, lobster, clams, squid, etc.
> 
> Ah, let's face it.  I like food that swims in water.  I'm still not eating it live though.
> 
> Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North



If you like fish that much, you must have had grouper then at some time.  For me, that is the ultimate in a white fleshed fish.   I have about 3 pounds in the freezer right now (yes, even here where it comes right out of the ocean, we still freeze it - I can't tell the difference between fresh frozen and fresh).  A couple of weeks ago we went fishing and brought home a nice mess of jacks, filleted, battered and fried (served with chips and sauteed cabbage) made a wonderful fish finger dinner for our crowd at the Conch Bar the next evening.  

For large game fish, wahoo is incredible (reminds me - I have to stop by the fish house and pick some up).


----------



## Chief Longwind Of The North

RPCookin said:


> If you like fish that much, you must have had grouper then at some time.  For me, that is the ultimate in a white fleshed fish.   I have about 3 pounds in the freezer right now (yes, even here where it comes right out of the ocean, we still freeze it - I can't tell the difference between fresh frozen and fresh).  A couple of weeks ago we went fishing and brought home a nice mess of jacks, filleted, battered and fried (served with chips and sauteed cabbage) made a wonderful fish finger dinner for our crowd at the Conch Bar the next evening.
> 
> For large game fish, wahoo is incredible (reminds me - I have to stop by the fish house and pick some up).



Can't get grouper, or wahoo around these parts.  I'd love to try it though.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


----------



## CatPat

Gwen brought us something awful last night. She is a very bad cook anyway, so anything she does manage not to burn is suspicious.

It was a bowl of boiled Brussels sprouts, couscous, cranberries, almonds and some kind of viniagrette. It was horrible! 

She asked me if we liked it, and I said yes, but -- and offered suggestions to make it better. 

It was so bad Azia turned up her nose at it! Azia will eat anything! But she backed way from it and whined at it.

I don't ever want to see that again!

With love,
~Cat


----------



## Dawgluver

That sounds totally disgusting, Cat!  Oh ick!


----------



## Mad Cook

Chief Longwind Of The North said:


> Where I live, pink fish would be pink salmon. White fish would be whitefish, a specific breed of fish in the Great Lakes, Especially around the U.P. All other white fleshed fish is called by name, i.e. walleye, pike, bass, bullheads, perch, jumbo perch, eelpout (also known as losh, or freshwater cod). Other fish with pink flesh include various members of the salmon family (coho, chinook), steelhead (rainbow trout that have gone to sea and returned) Rainbow trout, lake trout. Brown trout, 10 to 15 inch rainbow, and brookies may be white or orange-fleshed. The orange-fleshed brookies are the best, in my humble opinion.
> 
> Ocean fish are good eating as well, but are very expensive around these parts. Of those I've tasted, swordfish is Number 1 in both flavor and texture, followed by sushi-grade ahi tuna, followed by pollak and cod, then ocean salmon from the pacific northwest, and halibut, orange roughy, the various flatfish, such as flounder, mackeral, etc. I also enjoy skate, shrimp, crab, lobster, clams, squid, etc.
> 
> Ah, let's face it. I like food that swims in water. I'm still not eating it live though.
> 
> Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


I went to Googe to look up steelhead and saw that "The steelhead is the official state fish of Washington." The idea of a state fish made me smile. 

I think that steelhead must be the same as salmon trout/sea trout/(in Wales) sewin (all names for he same fish in the uk.

The only fish I've eaten raw are oysters - once, Loved them but a few of us shared a platter of the little beasties in France some years ago and they were wonderful but I was extremely ill afterward. None of the others were so I may be allergic to them or I may have picked the one iffy one on the platter. I have a very strong stomach and nothing much upsets it but I'm inclined to avoid oysters since. 

I was once told by a fish farmer that farmed trout (usually rainbow trout in this country) are pink because they are fed on a mixture which includes cooked prawn shells. I don't _think _he was kidding me


----------



## Addie

Every state has a state bird, flower, fish, cookie, cake, muffin, you name it and it becomes part of the state lore. Here for Massachusetts our state fish is the Cod; bird, Chickadee; flower, Mayflower; muffin, Cranberry or Corn; fruit, Cranberry; cookie, Toll House Cookie, (chocolate chip cookie) You get the idea. Our State lawmakers up on Beacon Hill spend hours debating this stuff.


----------



## CraigC

RPCookin said:


> If you like fish that much, you must have had grouper then at some time. For me, that is the ultimate in a white fleshed fish. I have about 3 pounds in the freezer right now (yes, even here where it comes right out of the ocean, we still freeze it - I can't tell the difference between fresh frozen and fresh). A couple of weeks ago we went fishing and brought home a nice mess of jacks, filleted, battered and fried (served with chips and sauteed cabbage) made a wonderful fish finger dinner for our crowd at the Conch Bar the next evening.
> 
> For large game fish, wahoo is incredible (reminds me - I have to stop by the fish house and pick some up).


 
What about hogfish? That would be my ultimate white fleshed fish, with black grouper being second. You can keep the reds and Nassaus (if you can still take them). Now scamps, strawberrys and yellowfins are not bad. Now if it were me at the Conch Bar, I'll be having its name sake! Especially since you can get it fresh! Salad, cracked or otherwise!


----------



## CraigC

CatPat said:


> Gwen brought us something awful last night. She is a very bad cook anyway, so anything she does manage not to burn is suspicious.
> 
> It was a bowl of boiled Brussels sprouts, couscous, cranberries, almonds and some kind of viniagrette. It was horrible!
> 
> She asked me if we liked it, and I said yes, but -- and offered suggestions to make it better.
> 
> It was so bad Azia turned up her nose at it! Azia will eat anything! But she backed way from it and whined at it.
> 
> *I don't ever want to see that again!*
> 
> With love,
> ~Cat


 
I know you were being nice, saying you liked it, but rest assured you will see it again.


----------



## CarolPa

I love grouper.  I have had it twice on a buffet.  The whole fish was sitting on a rack and you used tongs to pull off a hunk.  I would never cook it because dh would never eat it.


----------



## CatPat

CraigC said:


> I know you were being nice, saying you liked it, but rest assured you will see it again.



Yes, and this frightens me very much! But she's so sweet and tries so hard. I just can't hurt her feelings about something so trivial and unimportant.

I love her very muh.

With love,
~Cat


----------



## MammaCat

CatPat said:


> Gwen brought us something awful last night. She is a very bad cook anyway, so anything she does manage not to burn is suspicious.
> 
> It was a bowl of boiled Brussels sprouts, couscous, cranberries, almonds and some kind of viniagrette. It was horrible!
> 
> She asked me if we liked it, and I said yes, but -- and offered suggestions to make it better.
> 
> It was so bad Azia turned up her nose at it! Azia will eat anything! But she backed way from it and whined at it.
> 
> I don't ever want to see that again!
> 
> With love,
> ~Cat


 
Oh my gods, yes, it was awful! But what Cat didn't tell you is that Gwen is somewhat of a vegetarian. She's been making noxious dishes like this for a long time, trying to introduce Cat to vegetarianism. Cat runs screaming when she sees Gwen approaching the porch with a bowl or plate. 

There was a dish worse than this she brought the day after we arrived. It involved squash, eggplant, and sprouts in some horrific mustard sauce. Azia wouldn't eat that either.

You know, as I think about this, I have an idea. I'll be back. Cat has that new stove...

Sincerely,
MammaCat


----------



## RPCookin

Mad Cook said:


> I was once told by a fish farmer that farmed trout (usually rainbow trout in this country) are pink because they are fed on a mixture which includes cooked prawn shells. I don't _think _he was kidding me



Actually, at least in Colorado and Montana, the way you tell farm from wild is that the farmed fish take a couple of years in the wild to develop that pink color.  The recently released farm raised trout are white fleshed.



CraigC said:


> What about hogfish? That would be my ultimate white fleshed fish, with black grouper being second. You can keep the reds and Nassaus (if you can still take them). Now scamps, strawberrys and yellowfins are not bad. Now if it were me at the Conch Bar, I'll be having its name sake! Especially since you can get it fresh! Salad, cracked or otherwise!



Hogfish is good too.  Grouper, hogfish, snapper, wahoo, baracuda are all served regularly at the Conch Bar here.  And of course there is conch - conch salad, conch fritters, conchburgers, grilled conch, conch and rice, crack conch.  Gary makes conch salad fresh several times a day, and makes one or two runs to Junky Landing (about 5 minutes away) for batches of fresh conch.  Anyone who hasn't had Bahamian conch salad doesn't know what fresh really means.  Nothing goes into Gary's salad but 100% fresh veggies, citrus juices, peppers and conch.  His knife skills are second to none, and it's part of the show when he makes a new batch.  

Also jerk and baked wild pork, beef stew, crawfish (that's spiny lobster to most) served grilled, cracked, quesadilla, stuffed in a potato...  Always at least 3 or 4 things on the menu that I love and I struggle to make a decision. 

***Warning - Crass commercialism***

Anyone who wants a laid back tropical vacation, look into Long Island, Bahamas.  No shopping (but for daily living), no nightlife, but 160+ miles of beaches to explore, and the odds are that you will be the only humans in sight.  And if you come here, make absolutely certain that you visit Max's Conch Bar (and there are more restaurants on the island).  The menu changes daily, but if you get to try Liz's pumpkin funny or stuffed breadfruit, you are in for a treat.  Ask if you want any more detailed info and I'll try to help.


----------



## taxlady

I lived at a trout farm at one time, many moons ago. The owner told me that most of the farmed trout you can get in the grocery store tastes like Trout Chow, because that's what they have been eating. He avoided that by only feeding Trout Chow to the babies. He left them to eat natural stuff for a couple of years before selling them. I believe he sold mostly to restos.


----------



## CraigC

RPCookin said:


> Actually, at least in Colorado and Montana, the way you tell farm from wild is that the farmed fish take a couple of years in the wild to develop that pink color. The recently released farm raised trout are white fleshed.
> 
> 
> 
> Hogfish is good too. Grouper, hogfish, snapper, wahoo, baracuda are all served regularly at the Conch Bar here. And of course there is conch - conch salad, conch fritters, conchburgers, grilled conch, conch and rice, crack conch. Gary makes conch salad fresh several times a day, and makes one or two runs to Junky Landing (about 5 minutes away) for batches of fresh conch. Anyone who hasn't had Bahamian conch salad doesn't know what fresh really means. Nothing goes into Gary's salad but 100% fresh veggies, citrus juices, peppers and conch. His knife skills are second to none, and it's part of the show when he makes a new batch.
> 
> Also jerk and baked wild pork, beef stew, crawfish (that's spiny lobster to most) served grilled, cracked, quesadilla, stuffed in a potato... Always at least 3 or 4 things on the menu that I love and I struggle to make a decision.
> 
> ***Warning - Crass commercialism***
> 
> Anyone who wants a laid back tropical vacation, look into Long Island, Bahamas. No shopping (but for daily living), no nightlife, but 160+ miles of beaches to explore, and the odds are that you will be the only humans in sight. And if you come here, make absolutely certain that you visit Max's Conch Bar (and there are more restaurants on the island). The menu changes daily, but if you get to try Liz's pumpkin funny or stuffed breadfruit, you are in for a treat. Ask if you want any more detailed info and I'll try to help.


 
Dude, do you know Rose Curry? Man do I miss Walkers.


----------



## RPCookin

CraigC said:


> Dude, do you know Rose Curry? Man do I miss Walkers.



No to Rose Curry, and I'm not sure what "Walkers" is.


----------



## Chief Longwind Of The North

Wild trout in my neck of the woods (and pretty much everywhere in North America) get their pink/orange color from eating both mysis shrimp, and a little crustacean that lives on stream and lake bottoms that fly fisherman call skuds.  Both are rich in beta carotene.  Trout that have been planted from hatcheries have white flesh, and less of that small trout flavor that I so adore.

Of course the wild trout also eat mayflies, mosquitoes, a host of different larva, worms, grasshoppers, ants, hornets and bees, etc.  I believe the rich and varied diet of the wild trout gives them a rich and wonderful flavor.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


----------



## taxlady

Trout. That's something I never want to see on my plate. Okay, cold smoked trout is yummy, but cooked trout -  even though it's not as bad as cooked salmon .


----------



## Dawgluver

taxlady said:


> Trout. That's something I never want to see on my plate. Okay, cold smoked trout is yummy, but cooked trout -  even though it's not as bad as cooked salmon .



Do you like walleye, Taxy?  I do like it, and fresh caught trout.  And fresh lake-caught Michigan salmon is sooooo much better than the yucky stuff I've had in restaurants, it tastes like walleye, well, almost as good as walleye.


----------



## taxlady

Dawgluver said:


> Do you like walleye, Taxy?  I do like it, and fresh caught trout.  And fresh lake-caught Michigan salmon is sooooo much better than the yucky stuff I've had in restaurants, it tastes like walleye, well, almost as good as walleye.


No, I don't think I have ever had walleye. I haven't eaten a fresh water fish that I liked. I only seem to like salt water fish. Cooked salmon actually makes me gag, even when other people are raving about how yummy it is.


----------



## Dawgluver

taxlady said:


> No, I don't think I have ever had walleye. I haven't eaten a fresh water fish that I liked. I only seem to like salt water fish. Cooked salmon actually makes me gag, even when other people are raving about how yummy it is.



Talk to CWS about walleye, we both grew up on it!  It's Lake of the Woods lobster!

I gag on cooked salmon that everyone raves about too....unless it was one I caught.  Or if it's smoked.


----------



## taxlady

Dawgluver said:


> Talk to CWS about walleye, we both grew up on it!  It's Lake of the Woods lobster!
> 
> I gag on cooked salmon that everyone raves about too....unless it was one I caught.  Or if it's smoked.


I once went to a fancy resto with my sister. We had a "fire kissed" salmon tartar. I had to scrape off the outside part. It had just barely started to change colour, so I tasted a tiny bit - yuck!

I tried a teensy bit of hot smoked salmon - same yuck reaction.


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## Dawgluver

taxlady said:


> I once went to a fancy resto with my sister. We had a "fire kissed" salmon tartar. I had to scrape off the outside part. It had just barely started to change colour, so I tasted a tiny bit - yuck!
> 
> I tried a teensy bit of hot smoked salmon - same yuck reaction.



I have never had good salmon in a restro.  DH will insist that I take a bite of his (he orders it all the time),  I take a tiny taste, and it is always nasty.  Everyone else loves it.  I don't get it.

You do need to try walleye, but only the fresh caught.  There is nothing like it!


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## PrincessFiona60

I love Salmon...more for me!


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## RPCookin

Walleye and Lake Superior whitefish are quite good, but still don't compare to grouper or hogfish.  And believe it or not, lionfish is a gourmet treat.  The flesh is white and flaky and delicious.  For those not familiar with it, this is a lionfish.  The spines are poisonous and will deliver a very painful sting, but once they are cut off the venom is gone with them and it's just like any other fish, only tastier.


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## Dawgluver

RPCookin said:


> Walleye and Lake Superior whitefish are quite good, but still don't compare to grouper or hogfish.  And believe it or not, lionfish is a gourmet treat.  The flesh is white and flaky and delicious.  For those not familiar with it, this is a lionfish.  The spines are poisonous and will deliver a very painful sting, but once they are cut off the venom is gone with them and it's just like any other fish, only tastier.



Thanks, RP!  LOVE eating lionfish!  I've posted a few times about how delicious they are.  We try to do our part and eat as many as possible when we're down in the Caribbean.  It seems that spearing and eating them are the only way we can keep them from decimating the coral reef fish.

Restaurants are finally figuring out what to do with them, and that us tourists will happily eat them.  My absolute favorite is coconut crusted, but garlic is good too.


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## taxlady

PrincessFiona60 said:


> I love Salmon...more for me!


Only if I don't get my hands on it while it's still raw. Then, I turn it into graved laks.


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## LPBeier

I cannot take oysters, mussels, escargot, clams, basically any mollusk/shellfish. I can handle scallops but only in certain preparations. It's texture and my throat.


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