[ale] [OT] list of cultural food oddities

[Jim]

On Tuesday 27 August 2002 10:28 pm, Christopher Ness wrote:
> On Monday 26 August 2002 09:07 am, James P. Kinney III wrote:
> > "I HAVE A THEORY that many (all?) cultures invent a food that is weird
> > or disgusting to non-initiates as a sort of a "marker." The kids start
> > out hating it, but at some point they cross over and perpetuate it
> > (perpetrate it) on the next generation. Then they nudge each other when
> > foreigners gasp."
>
> On the other hand,  I don't believe the first person to eat these things
> was being brave...I believe he was desparately hungry. The second guy was
> brave. He believed the first guy when he said it was good. Escargots
> anyone?

Haggis for the Scottish (assorted ground sheep organs served in a casing of 
sheep intestines)

Lutefisk for the Swedes (I have heard it described as fish marinated in 
ammonia)

Boudin for Cajuns (also uses a casing of intestines, described as resembling a 
horse's...well, you know!)

The Vietnamese have a way of preparing fish that involves letting it "ripen"  
(we would say "rot") for a few days before cooking.

The Germans have Blutwurst (blood sausage) and head cheese (apparently, the 
parts left from a pig's head after you run it through a wood chipper).

Then there are Pennsylvanians and their scrapple...

And if you are truly Southern, you are not more than two generations removed 
from somebody who ate chitterlings (aka "chitlins").

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