Eight Weird and Wonderful Things Eaten On My Travels

 

“Get your pliers out of my pig’s head soup.”

My grandmother’s request still rings in my ears today, and that was fifty years ago!

The other day, while cleaning, I found my old Uni assignment. We needed to provide the skull or part of the skull for each of the five vertebrate classes: fish, amphibians, birds, reptiles, and mammals.

I’m not sure why, but I thought the pig’s head my grandmother cooked would show a mammalian skull in a unique way. Surely I would get bonus points for being inventive!

Being the budding scientist I was, I figured that the teeth were more likely to come out when the jawbone was hot. So in I went!

She did not see the funny side of it. Although I had to return later, I got my teeth.

Some of you may think this is a delicacy, but for me, especially at that late teenage stage, it sounds horrible.

I had no idea that my career, filled with international travel, would lead me to consume some truly odd foods. Here are eight delicacies (??) I have experienced.

Each is considered a delicacy in its country of origin. Like Vegemite to Aussies, a Philly cheesesteak to Yanks, or a cold pork pie to Poms—here we go! This list isn’t in any order and means no offense to any country!

 

#1 Raw Sea Urchin – Japan

When in Japan, I attended several corporate dinners where one of the dishes was sea urchin (raw). You may not think these spiny little things are edible, but you’d be wrong!

Called “Uri,” it is a delicacy in many parts of the world, including Japan. You have a sea urchin (spines gone). Flip it over and mash the insides with spices.

My big tip: use all the spice you can get – it’s foul! Reportedly, it is known for a creamy, buttery flavor. I didn’t pick that up. Not wanting to be rude to the hosts, it was all I could do to push it down.

 

#2 Prawn heads – Singapore

Similarly, on a couple of trips to Singapore, I was presented with barbecued heads of shrimp. They might have been playing a joke, but the head is usually given to the most senior visitor. “Why can’t I have the meaty part?” I thought.

Once I realized this, I made it clear to my colleagues that they were more senior than me for the trip. I actually got away with it a couple of times, but never with the same person twice.

They taste like really fishy toenails. (I don’t usually eat toenails, but you get my drift.)

#3 Chicken feet – China

China is renowned for eating anything that is not tied down. This is to be applauded from a ‘waste not want not’ perspective. But how can chicken feet ever be considered a delicacy in God’s name?

Forgetting about where these feet have been at one time, it is not the taste that is wrong; it is just the concept. They are like the Arnold Schwarzenegger of crunchy.

 

#4 Elephant Poop Coffee – Maldives

Although the way in which this comes about is best not to think about, it is actually really good. I had this when I was on holiday in the Maldives. Known as the world’s most expensive coffee, it is made by the Black Ivory Coffee Company in northern Thailand.

Arabica coffee cherries are fed to elephants. They digest them and poop out the coffee beans and, are then washed (hopefully very well!). From there they are roasted to produce the coffee. It takes 33 kilograms of cherries to produce one kilogram of coffee. It has a very nutty taste and is very mild.

 

#5 Reindeer Balls – Sweden (called butter balls!)

Reindeer testicles are one of the prized delicacies for Norwegian deer hunters. You can cook them in a variety of ways, but usually, you slice and sauté them with butter. Once you get past the idea of what you’re eating, many of these foods are just like liver, heart, or brains. They are all forms of offal.

When I had mine in Sweden, they were breaded and fried, looking and tasting like chicken nuggets.

 

#6 Beondeig (silkworm larvae) – South Korea

In South Korea, this dish is a popular sweet treat. It features boiled or fried silkworm larvae or pupae in their cocoons. You can serve it in several different ways and as a garnish with other dishes. I had it in a paper cup with a toothpick as an entrée in a restaurant.

It has a slightly savory fish taste and is very crunchy (like the prawn heads). It is obviously an acquired taste, which I doubt I will ever adopt.

We may all have to get used to this taste, as insect protein is being presented as a new-age protein. More than 2,000 species of insects are currently eaten as food.

 

#7 Gaebul spoon worms (penis fish) – South Korea

This meal was probably made to entertain South Korean hosts. They wanted to know how Europeans would react to their delicacies, especially this dish.

As the nickname suggests, these worms look like a human penis. Don’t believe me? Check it out on the internet.

People eat them fresh, served with sesame oil, salt, and/or Korean chili paste. That is, they are still squirming on the plate when you eat them. Reported to have a sweet taste, they are a rubbery support for the condiments that go with it.

I can’t tell you what it tasted like, I just swallowed a couple of pieces not be rude to my hosts but that was it.

 

#8 Stinky Tofu – Taiwan

This has to be the worst.

Here is the story that goes with this:

I was in Taiwan with a food lover. He took us to his favorite Taiwanese restaurant in a small alley. He was well-known at the company for his great sense of humor. He loved to surprise visitors from Europe and America with weird Taiwanese foods.

As soon as I walked into the restaurant, I checked the bottom of my shoes. I was sure I had stepped in something unsavoury. Throughout the evening, the smell returned several times.

Toward the end of dinner (??), he proudly announced that we were in for a treat – stinky tofu. As soon as it came out, I realized I had not stepped in something; I was about to eat it!

It has the most repugnant smell I have ever smelt. A cross between horse poo and the worst stinky socks you can imagine. The taste is even worse. It was so bad my tongue went numb!

The smell gets up your nose and stays there for hours. It’s definitely not for me, and it’s definitely not the delicacy some claim it to be.

So there we have it. From the boy who ate worms and even finished a teapot of tea leaves for a dollar, I hope to avoid these strange foods forever.

The best – elephant poo coffee.

The worst – I can still smell that tofu!

Till next time,

Calvin