I saw that Terry had responded to the VGT Omnivore’s Hundred and decided to give it a try. I bolded those things I’ve eaten and added a few comments along the way…

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison / (This is good, but I prefer Ostrich)
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare / (good, but I rarely eat beef any more)
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue / (long, long ago I used to have a fondue pot…)
8. Carp / bony, but good flavored.
9. Borscht / ok, but not my favorite.
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari / (whenever I get a chance.)
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich / (used to eat PB and Honey sandwiches too. )
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart / (Only in NY)
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns / (often in China)
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes / (any time I get a chance. Grow them in the garden)
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras / (took a cooking class to learn to cook it.)
24. Rice and beans (real comfort food!!!)
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper / (I like hot, but I’ve never done it.)
27. Dulce de leche / (oooo, this is good.)
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut / (I never think about making it, but it’s good on a Reuben sandwich).
35. Root beer float / (we used to call it a “black cow”)
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea / ( I remember a time in near Bath …)
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo / more comfort food
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects / not whole, but I ate grasshoppers this summer. Really good in guacamole!!
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 / (best in Japan….)
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 / (Victory Beer’s Golden Monkey is my favorite)
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis / Liked it more than I thought I might)
69. Fried plantain / (more comfort food)
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost / (Really liked this)
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant. / (Once in Paris)
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano / Any time I can find it
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

So there you have it. Now here’s the rules:
1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

-jwa

DOROTHY ALLISON’s article in the NY Times Magazine She describes watching her mother cook cube steaks that she and her brother had pounded until it was tender.

So long as we set the table and were useful, we were allowed to watch Mama cook the steaks and then set them aside on a brown paper bag. Then she took the plate of leftover flour and sprinkled it in the pan, stirring it as it browned and the pan filled with little brown flour pebbles and charred bits of meat. A lot of water and a little milk made steam rise up in a sweet cloud. Mama worked the gravy with a fork until all was smooth and silky. She might pour the gravy over the steaks or she might serve it in a bowl. It was not until I was grown that I understood that gravy poured over the meat before it came to the table meant there was not much meat.

She reminds me that feasting has less to do with abundance of food than memory. Gravy came to be an important part of her feasting. As I think about our approaching Thanksgiving celebration, it occurs to me that while there will be an abundance of food, the feasting has more to do with memories associated with the food than the richness or abundance. In our home, the shared kitchen with many hands contributing to the meal is one of the most important parts of the feast.