50 Things to Eat Before You Die – I’ve had nearly everything on the list with the exception of some of the fish/seafood. I’m still working on that. Read on to see my whole list. (Link courtesy of Kristen, who is much more adventurous than me.)2. Lobster – My one and only lobster experience was on Spring Break 1997 when I visited my roommate Eileen’s family in Boston. We had lobster with loads of butter. I found the texture to be really gross. And then I spent the next 24 hours on the train home puking my guts out. But that could’ve been from the alcohol, I suppose…
3. Steak – Mmm, yes please. I don’t like it as rare as the Snook (who’s been known to eat carpaccio and steak tartare), but as long as the inside isn’t too bloody, I’ll happily eat it.
4. Thai food – I’ve been told that Sydney has more Thai restaurants than anywhere else outside of Thailand. And damn, they’re all good.
5. Chinese food – A Chinese co-worker took me for some authentic dim sum at the North Ryde RSL. It was fantastic. Much better than the crap we used to get delivered in college.
6. Ice cream – Who hasn’t? I mean, honestly.
7. Pizza – I love pizza. I’ve even eat it at Da Michele’s in Naples, the restaurant mentioned here. Best pizza I ever had in my life.
8. Crab – Do crab cakes count?
9. Curry – My current favorite is the Snook’s secret recipe for homemade mango chicken curry.
10. Prawns – Currently the only seafood I can definitely say I like. Mmm, prawns on the barbie dipped straight into garlic butter…
12. Clam chowder – It’s CHOWDA! Tried it in Boston once and thought it was pretty good.
13. Barbecue – Oh, yeah. It tastes best on our very own new barbie!
14. Pancakes – I’m guilty of introducing thick American-style pancakes to the Snook, who is now obsessed with them. So I know pancakes.
15. Pasta – We don’t eat it so much these days – damn carbs – but I still love it. The more garlic the better.
17. Cheesecake – *drool*
18. Lamb – I’d never eaten lamb before moving overseas, but now it’s my favorite meat ever. Too bad the drought has made it prohibitively expensive right now.
19. Cream tea – My favorite was at the Orangery in Kensington Gardens. Lovely.
21. Oysters – The Snook finally convinced me to try one – raw with squeezed lime – last Valentine’s Day. I didn’t mind it, actually!
22. Kangaroo – Yum. Ma Snook brought us some fillets last year that were superb.
23. Chocolate – The Snook prefers his darker and less sweet than I do, but we’re both chocoholics.
24. Sandwiches – I’m ashamed to admit that my favorite is the Chicken Caesar from Pret a Manger in London.
25. Greek food – I make a mean moussaka.
26. Burgers – I’ve come to love the Aussie version with fried egg and barbecue sauce. I’ll still pass on the beetroot, though.
27. Mexican food – This is the one thing I really miss living in Sydney.
28. Squid – I’ve tried deep fried calamari. That counts, right?
29. American diner breakfast – Again, I converted the Snook. He’s now a big Denny’s fan.
30. Salmon – I don’t eat fish, but last year I was so drunk at a wedding that I happily ate the smoked salmon appetizer. And it was pretty good!
31. Venison – My childhood aversion to deer hunting pretty much vanished once I realized that venison tasted good.
34. Sushi – I tried it a couple times to appease the Snook. Not a huge fan.
38. Kebabs – The best kebab in the world comes from a little shop on Fulham Palace Road in London, near the Hammersmith Broadway pedestrian underpass. Get it with garlic and chili. *drool*
40. Australian meat pie – I’ve decided that they’re a more-then-acceptable hot dog substitute at the cricket. I still haven’t been to Harry’s Cafe de Wheels, though.
41. Mango – I’m not a huge fan of it raw, but in chutney or curry it’s sublime.
43. Octopus – I’ve had deep-fried baby octopus a couple times in Australia. Mostly rubbery, I thought.
45. Roast beef – Yum. I even ate it in England, which probably means I’ve got BSE now.
46. Tapas – There used to be a great tapas place near our house in Newtown. Sadly, our patronage wasn’t enough to keep it afloat!
50. Cornish pasty – Scarfed a few while travelling in England. Wonderful.