Weird Foods of the World. Man, poutine sounds good. I haven’t had durian but I’ve seen it in the supermarket here. (I did notice the restrictions on eating it while we were in Singapore in 2001.) I’ve tried Vegemite but I think it’s horrible! The Snook happily ate black pudding in the U.K., though he never ventured to try haggis. I’ve had octopus, though, as well as alligator and kangaroo. Everyone I know in the U.S. has done the deep-fried turkey thing, though I haven’t had it yet. And since when is miso soup “weird”?
robert
June 28, 2004 — 12:04 pm
you think vegemite is horrible? you’ll never get citizenship now – it’s a prerequisite…
Kris
June 28, 2004 — 12:14 pm
Well, to be honest, I haven’t tried it in ages… It might be more palatable now. But on a low-carb diet (i.e. no toast), there aren’t a lot of opportunities to eat it! 🙂
Shan
June 28, 2004 — 4:42 pm
do ppl ever eat koalas? just having an argument with a boyfriend…
Lindsey
June 28, 2004 — 6:10 pm
chicken-fried steak is considered weird? tell that to just about every elementary-, middle- and high school cafeteria here! and spam?!?!?! good lord, people – this ain’t weird, this is normal! oooo, have you even tried the turkey Spam. mmmmmm, delish!
Claire
June 28, 2004 — 6:11 pm
No, I’ve never heard of koalas being eaten here. They’re far too cuddly and, you know, endangered, or something like that! Whereas there are too many kangaroos 🙂
Miss Helen
June 28, 2004 — 10:05 pm
My Mum and I have wondered what Chicken Fried Steak is for years now, but we haven’t bothered to ask or find out what it is, we prefer to wonder, “I guess it would be steak fried in chicken fat”. I can’t believe no one has won you over to the world of vegemite. You need to nibble at a bit of toast with vegemite on it after you’ve had a tummy bug and you’re starting to get hungry again and you haven’t eaten in days. With lemonade. Or on Saladas. It’s so lovely and salty, you have to use it sparingly. It is also good in soups as a stock type flavourant.
eileen
June 28, 2004 — 11:20 pm
i have one that is considered strange if you’re not from massachusetts- the fluffernutter. it’s a sandwich made of peanut butter and marshmallow fluff. served up in elementary schools state-wide.
Max
June 29, 2004 — 12:34 am
Mmmm…chicken-fried steak is the best! My brother and I ate venison for years believing it was chicken-fried steak, so you sneaky moms out there may want to use it as a catch-all term for breaded and fried meat if you have picky kids.
They didn’t have it listed under “birds,” but I’ve eaten duck feet at a dim sum restaurant. Too chewy for me.
kristen
June 29, 2004 — 1:07 am
fluffernutter sounds rude, and weird!
miso soup does look a little strange, but it tastes great, and so does chicken fried steak (not that i’ve eaten it in years, it’s not a very figure friendly dish). vegemite is deeeelish – i love a little bit on toast with marge or butter. mmm.
i can’t bring myself to eat duck or chicken feet, even when they are elegantly disguised under their singapore-restaurant name of ‘phoenix claws’.
Tricia
June 29, 2004 — 1:27 am
PB & fluff sandwiches are not Mass-specific; I think kids all over the US eat them (I did).
When I moved to Virginia Beach in 4th grade, I thought that the pulled pork BBQ sandwiches the cafeteria served were wierd foods; they looked so gross. Non-school cafeteria ones, however, are amazing, especially with cole slaw right on the sandwich.
Something I drank as a child that I find very wierd now is milk with strawberry Quik. Horrible stuff.
It is very funny how what is a staple in one country (or state or culture) is a wierd food in another.
Lindsey
June 29, 2004 — 3:13 am
My friend Pete (lives in Liverpool) and I were talking one day (sorry if that’s incorrect grammar, but blow me) and he asked what I was doing. I told him I was baking a hamburger pizza. There was this odd silence on the phone and he asked, “you’re baking a hamburger AND a pizza??” For the life of him, he couldn’t understand why “we” put hamburger on a pizza. He understood sausage, tho. Did you come across that, Kris – or is Pete merely delusional?
brigita
June 29, 2004 — 4:19 am
i remember trying poutine when my family went camping up in Quebec and vaguely recall liking it, even though i would have sworn the cheese was more white—mozzarella?—although it could have very well been white cheddar.
Kris
June 29, 2004 — 2:59 pm
I’ve definitely had pizza with hamburger on it. A Midwestern classic, if I do say so myself. 🙂
I knew *of* fluff but I’d never actually eaten it til Fate threw me into a dorm room with Eileen freshman ear. One of my favorite memories EVER was when our friend Erin Fair was dared to eat an entire one-liter tub of Fluff. She did it. Then she barfed. It was awesome!
WHITTY
May 25, 2005 — 1:25 am
We eat blood pudding in ohio its a family dish and we always serve peanut butter sandwiches with chilli. We eat pigs feet and pork rinds. Chicken fried steak is awesome. We have fluff but we call it marshmellow creme and we put it on our peanut butter sandwiches. Peanut butter is also considered a US food