There's a middle eastern restaurant on the Edgware Road that when I was there had a massive menu full of exotic items (eyeballs, bollocks etc) but none of the weird stuff was on...
Crickets in Thailand. They taste and have a texture similar to beef flavored crisps.
In Cambodia, deep-fried cockroach - never again. Dog meat - pretty good. Pig intestine salad - threw up the morning after when I remembered what I'd eaten and its texture. Had the opportunity to eat monkey while staying on my friends island but had a severe case of exploding dhiarreoa so abstained.
I had chicken testicles at hot-pot the other night. They were amazing. Taste like chicken liver pâté. I've had a fake shark fin soup which didn't really taste of anything, wouldnt eat the real thing due to how its obtained but I'm told it's the same. Yet to try snake soup. We are experimenting with westernizing birds-nest soup at our restaurant, it's definitely unique but I'm not sure I like it in its original form. Also tried jellyfish here, which is relatively flavourless but a little like octopus sashimi.
There are a whole world of dried fish shops which you can smell from 50 metres away that sell dried abalone, dried fish bladder (craaazzyy expensive) which my missus makes Chinese soups out of. I make sure I've eaten out before I come home to that!
Street stalls will have a big vat of beef leftovers, ie stomach and tendon which they are very fond of. They'll cut it up with scissors and put it in a bowl for you. Flavour is fine but the texture is almost unbearable. Stinky tofu, which you can smell from the next TOWN over, has been fermented to the point of smelling like 5 year old urine. I've tried it. It tastes like 10 year old urine.
Duran, the fruit which is banned on the underground system, is probably the worst of all. It stinks. Really stinks. And when your missus eats it and burps two hours later, you'll be running for the nearest toilet.
All of this somewhat unrepresentative of how good and varied the food in Hong Kong is.
Had various insects, a grub in the amazon that tasted like coconut, camel, emu, ostrich, alligator, whole deep ored frog. Durian fruit was the worst. Tasted like a hundred year old wank sock. Been to south east Asia a few times and seen all sorts - cat, dog, cow oesophagus. They probably think we are strange with our little packets of steak, everything else wasted. My wife had milkshake with a blended frog in it in Peru. Missed that treat.
My cousin is a vet and got part paid in bollocks after a load of lamb castrations. Had them in a casserole. Ok, bit like kidney.
I have eaten fish head curry, lamb testicles, snails and frogs legs but compared to you, my friend, I am an exceedingly conservative diner!
The Mrs and I are thinking about doing a 3 week tour of China in 2014. Starting in Beijing, then Xian, a cruise on the Yangtze river and ending in Shanghai. What is the food like in reasonably high end hotels/restaurants in those parts of China, please? We are up for new culinary experiences but would draw the line at, for example, snake, whole birds, heads etc.
In China they have this big thing called 'face' so taking people to an expensive place to eat is all about the price, not the food. I find the cheaper places generally a lot better. You don't have to eat all the crazy stuff, it's pretty easy to avoid, I just kinda like it. A top notch meal with friends will set me back £10 tops (including alcohol) For lunch today I had a plate of dumplings and some noodles with duck meat, I paid about 90p, most people wouldn't eat that much but I'm a fat bastard.
If you have the time/money for travelling, I would highly recommend dropping down into Yunnan, both Dali and Kunming are amazing places. I'd also leave out Shanghai, the place doesn't feel like China at all and is crazy expensive compared to the rest of China.
In China they have this big thing called 'face' so taking people to an expensive place to eat is all about the price, not the food. I find the cheaper places generally a lot better. You don't have to eat all the crazy stuff, it's pretty easy to avoid, I just kinda like it. A top notch meal with friends will set me back £10 tops (including alcohol) For lunch today I had a plate of dumplings and some noodles with duck meat, I paid about 90p, most people wouldn't eat that much but I'm a fat bastard.
If you have the time/money for travelling, I would highly recommend dropping down into Yunnan, both Dali and Kunming are amazing places. I'd also leave out Shanghai, the place doesn't feel like China at all and is crazy expensive compared to the rest of China.
If you need any help nearer the time feel free to ask, I'd like to think by the time you make your trip I'll have managed to tick off a lot more places on my list.
If you need any help nearer the time feel free to ask, I'd like to think by the time you make your trip I'll have managed to tick off a lot more places on my list.
Thanks mate. Will look into the Yunnan etc idea. Might make it too long/expensive for one trip but if we like the first taste of China could be a great idea for a follow up.
I have eaten fish head curry, lamb testicles, snails and frogs legs but compared to you, my friend, I am an exceedingly conservative diner!
The Mrs and I are thinking about doing a 3 week tour of China in 2014. Starting in Beijing, then Xian, a cruise on the Yangtze river and ending in Shanghai. What is the food like in reasonably high end hotels/restaurants in those parts of China, please? We are up for new culinary experiences but would draw the line at, for example, snake, whole birds, heads etc.
Would appreciate any advice.
If you go on an organised China tour (I've done 2) your food will be Chinese, but unadventurous, so not much different from what you'd get in your local Chinese restaurant. The occasional 'exotic' items will be as a taster rather than the main dishes.
I was really looking forward to trying them in Beijing last year, sadly it was just before my mum fell ill and I had to return to the UK.
I might be coming to Thailand in feb, although it's looking a lot cheaper to go to 'Nam.
Nam is great, if you need any advice on where to go etc, pm me. I lived in cambodia for quite a few years. In terms of Chinese in Kunming, if it's anything like the Chinese restaurants in Phnom Penh, finding something edible can be a challenge. You've got to love chilli chicken which is basically a piece of chicken and hundreds of chewy dried chilli's. WTF.
Ate a few strange things whilst working in Philippines....fried swamp cabbage...very strange and it is was it says!!!,.....crocodile, and unheard of fish some of which was great, others were rank. In Kenya and South Africa.... wilder-beast, giraffe, monkey, ostrich, springbok, snake. In Peru it was quite civilised just 200 different types of potatoes cooked in all sorts of strange concoctions......but all quite edible!!
I have eaten fish head curry, lamb testicles, snails and frogs legs but compared to you, my friend, I am an exceedingly conservative diner!
The Mrs and I are thinking about doing a 3 week tour of China in 2014. Starting in Beijing, then Xian, a cruise on the Yangtze river and ending in Shanghai. What is the food like in reasonably high end hotels/restaurants in those parts of China, please? We are up for new culinary experiences but would draw the line at, for example, snake, whole birds, heads etc.
Would appreciate any advice.
If you go on an organised China tour (I've done 2) your food will be Chinese, but unadventurous, so not much different from what you'd get in your local Chinese restaurant. The occasional 'exotic' items will be as a taster rather than the main dishes.
Thanks KaF. Looking to travel independently but organised by experts and with a guide, so that sounds about right.
In North East Thailand - Curried whole frog, deep fried ducks head - really nice until you see the eye looking up at you), Fried cricket, live shrimp (their legs kind of fizz on the tounge), grilled Cow's udder (puked that up like eating a cross between meat and fat) Grilled rat's tail
Kangaroo Kudu Ostrich Witchetty grub Alligator Crocodile Guinea Pig Alpaca Sea Snake ( Bloody Salty) Rat (Very tasty - ended up in the kitchen it Vietnam having 3rd and 4th portions)
As a youngster, me an a mate spent a few days in Istanbul eating nothing but kebabs because we didn't know what else to ask for. We decided that something had to change and that next time in a restaurant we'd just point randomly at something on the menu and see what turned up. Just before we were going to do this, the people at the next table had sheep's brains delivered to their table; "Two kebabs please"!
Saw a programme on telly a few years ago about some pretentious "posh" woman who had just had a baby and had a placenta party. All her friends an neighbours came round and had little canapes that were nothing less than afterbirth on toast. Revolting.
That said, human abortions is one hell of a step up (or down) to taboo ladder.
Comments
Rat, lizard, snake, snake heart, live octopus, most bugs, emu, kangaroo plus many more.
Black pudding, jellied eels would put most people off, so a lot of stuff in Asia is not that weird really.
I've wasted my money/time a few times, having been served some dire stuff. All part of the fun imo.
In Cambodia, deep-fried cockroach - never again. Dog meat - pretty good. Pig intestine salad - threw up the morning after when I remembered what I'd eaten and its texture. Had the opportunity to eat monkey while staying on my friends island but had a severe case of exploding dhiarreoa so abstained.
I had chicken testicles at hot-pot the other night. They were amazing. Taste like chicken liver pâté. I've had a fake shark fin soup which didn't really taste of anything, wouldnt eat the real thing due to how its obtained but I'm told it's the same. Yet to try snake soup. We are experimenting with westernizing birds-nest soup at our restaurant, it's definitely unique but I'm not sure I like it in its original form. Also tried jellyfish here, which is relatively flavourless but a little like octopus sashimi.
There are a whole world of dried fish shops which you can smell from 50 metres away that sell dried abalone, dried fish bladder (craaazzyy expensive) which my missus makes Chinese soups out of. I make sure I've eaten out before I come home to that!
Street stalls will have a big vat of beef leftovers, ie stomach and tendon which they are very fond of. They'll cut it up with scissors and put it in a bowl for you. Flavour is fine but the texture is almost unbearable. Stinky tofu, which you can smell from the next TOWN over, has been fermented to the point of smelling like 5 year old urine. I've tried it. It tastes like 10 year old urine.
Duran, the fruit which is banned on the underground system, is probably the worst of all. It stinks. Really stinks. And when your missus eats it and burps two hours later, you'll be running for the nearest toilet.
All of this somewhat unrepresentative of how good and varied the food in Hong Kong is.
Also I'm glad to hear you have hot-pot, best way to eat EVER.
My cousin is a vet and got part paid in bollocks after a load of lamb castrations. Had them in a casserole. Ok, bit like kidney.
I have eaten fish head curry, lamb testicles, snails and frogs legs but compared to you, my friend, I am an exceedingly conservative diner!
The Mrs and I are thinking about doing a 3 week tour of China in 2014. Starting in Beijing, then Xian, a cruise on the Yangtze river and ending in Shanghai. What is the food like in reasonably high end hotels/restaurants in those parts of China, please? We are up for new culinary experiences but would draw the line at, for example, snake, whole birds, heads etc.
Would appreciate any advice.
If you have the time/money for travelling, I would highly recommend dropping down into Yunnan, both Dali and Kunming are amazing places. I'd also leave out Shanghai, the place doesn't feel like China at all and is crazy expensive compared to the rest of China.
In terms of Chinese in Kunming, if it's anything like the Chinese restaurants in Phnom Penh, finding something edible can be a challenge. You've got to love chilli chicken which is basically a piece of chicken and hundreds of chewy dried chilli's. WTF.
In Peru it was quite civilised just 200 different types of potatoes cooked in all sorts of strange concoctions......but all quite edible!!
Sheep brain ( vomited very quickly)
Frogs legs
Snails
Tried what I was told was a camel bollock in Tunisia on the sahara tour
Couldn't bite the thing no matter how Much I tried to convince myself
Compared to you lot, my diet is pretty pedestrian.
Kudu
Ostrich
Witchetty grub
Alligator
Crocodile
Guinea Pig
Alpaca
Sea Snake ( Bloody Salty)
Rat (Very tasty - ended up in the kitchen it Vietnam having 3rd and 4th portions)
That said, human abortions is one hell of a step up (or down) to taboo ladder.