The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

hello durian

The Very Good Taste blog’s Omnivore’s 100 is making it’s way around the internet. Here’s mine: item’s that I’ve had are in bold while items that I would never try are crossed out. I’ve put my own comments in italics. I also noted foods that my husband Alex has tried that I haven’t. Many of the more “strange” items were eaten right here in Japan. The tally? 63. Looking over the list reminds me of some foods that I haven’t had recently that I should try to have again soon (huevos rancheros, eggs benedict, bagels and lox), and some foods I want to try (where better to be to try Kobe beef?).

The Omnivore’s 100 also got me thinking about Japanese food. At dinner we talked over what foods would be must-eats for travelers in Japan, so hopefully I can put together an Omnivore’s Japan list and post it here soon.

So how’s your list? Is there anything here that you wouldn’t try?

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding: not yet, but the spicy blood sausage I had at Ibu Oka in Bali was actually pretty tasty
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper: actually a habanero, but I figured it was close enough. I hope I don’t have to have eaten the whole thing
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O: I assume this is the party favorite Jello shots
39. Gumbo: I haven’t had it, but Alex has
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV: Alex has
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs: at the izakaya down the street, delicious!
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette: I haven’t had American-style chitterlings or andouillette, but I’ve tried the Japanese equivlent, horumon (grilled pig intestines)
71. Gazpacho: I‘ve heard the real thing is so much better than what we call “gazpacho” in America, so I’ve left it unmarked on my list
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill: so tempted to cross this one out, but maybe I’d try it if someone offered it to me
76. Baijiu : Wikipedia says the flavor is often compared to rubbing alcohol or diesel. Maybe that’s what this weekend’s “Spiritus” shot was
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail: does sea snail count?
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare: as in rabbit, right?
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse: sashimi style in Kyushu
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake: Alex has