Love it.
I spent a good chunk of last week agonizing over a number. I had just posted my 99th post on this blog, and for some strange reason, felt that the 100th should come with a certain amount of pomp and circumstance (well, ok, there’s not much pomp around these parts, so mostly just circumstance). But after a week of coming up with silly ideas for lists of “100″ (ideas which I either deemed impossible or inconsequential), and after postponing several solid blog posts in the spirit of “saving” the 100th one, I ended up posting my OLS meal on Sunday as post 100. Which I consider a great use of a post, by the way.
But, it seems like, my fascination over the 100 list will not be tossed by the wayside. I came across Very Good Taste’s concept of “The Omnivore’s 100” while catching up on my Google Reader reading the other evening evening (thanks Mad Eater!). So, for what it’s worth (and mostly for my recent fascination with 100 lists), here we go.
Caveat: I’m glad to see the O-100 Q&A posted a few days after the O-100 was posted, as it assuages my fears that this is a serious, to-be-taken-for-granted list. I certainly don’t feel that every omnivore out there should eat everything on this list, and I think that for a list of things that “every good omnivore should have tried at least once in their life,” there are a solid number of foodstuffs that are left off this list (fresh figs, Stilton cheese, craft beer, ARUGULA!!!? Plus, more basic, universal experiences: fruit plucked straight from a tree, a bone-in steak, fresh, unpasteurized milk, minutes-old eggs…), but I suppose that needs to be left for another time (the more I think about it, the more I want to tackle my own list).
In fact, the more I think about it, the more I’m disappointed that this is a very “food bloggers” exercise. I’d be damn curious to see how random group of “omnivores” responded to the same list. Steak tartare? Fugu? But ok, if I keep thinking about it, I’ll never get to the list. So without further questioning, here is my response on the original Omnivore’s 100:
How the Omnivore’s 100 works:
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: Post a comment at Very Good Taste, linking to your results.
MY OMNIVORE’S 100:
1. Venison (one of the most memorable on this list: Chez Francois, Great Falls, Virginia)
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros (you know, I’ve been tempted to order this a hundred times but can’t recall ever eating it!)
4. Steak tartare (um, I’m almost embarassed to say where: Pastis, NYC)
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding (I just read an interview with a very celebrity-ish chef who claimed he would never eat this, but can’t remember where or who…)
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho (although not before coming to San Diego, and I feel my college/high school years would have been much improved with the discovery)
13. PB&J sandwich (twice recently: atop a mountain mid-hike and for a deliciously childish lunch at Bread on Market–which, btw, may have the best PB&J in San Diego)
14. Aloo gobi (that’s potato and cauliflower curry–I was lucky enough to taste a homemade version from an amazingly talented cook)
15. Hot dog from a street cart (a staple during my semester in Prague! well I guess that was sausage, but I’ve given in to the craving stateside too)
16. Epoisses (had to look that up–it’s a cheese!)
17. Black truffle (lots-definitely a plus of being a food writer. most just use of truffles? truffle panna cotta at Viaggio at Jack’s La Jolla)
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes (I’ve had so many fruit beers…can’t claim this about wine though)
19. Steamed pork buns (so many fried dumplings, never steamed though)
20. Pistachio ice cream (my most delicious memory is Pistachio Gelato on the streets of Rome…)
21. Heirloom tomatoes (weekly)
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras (most memorable was a sweet version with waffles served at Delicias)
24. Rice and beans (I will never tire)
25. Brawn or head cheese (I may be too timid to order…but wouldn’t refuse if it was in front of me)
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper (Won’t cross it off, but hope I never face this one)
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi (i’m gonna keep an eye out for this though!)
34. Sauerkraut (last two nights in a row, actually!)
35. Root beer float (only topped by a porter float)
36. Cognac with a fat cigar (not technically together though)
37. Clotted Cream Tea
38. Vodka Jelly/Jell-O (i assume this means jello shooters?)
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat (goat, not curried though)
42. Whole insects (only accidentally)
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk (not sure why i haven’t though)
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth $120 or more (I’m working my way up. Mostly through visits to Starlite. I’ll get there, I’m determined)
46. Fugu (I’m certainly not working my way up to this one, and have to admit I prefer this one as a vicarious, armchair-eater experience)
47. Chicken tikka masala (many a time)
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut (ah, college)
50. Sea urchin (ok, ok, I KNOW it’s on the menu right down the street. but I haven’t tried it yet)
51. Prickly pear (surprisingly good!)
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone (again, no excuse for not trying)
54. Paneer (although I won’t be satisfied until I can say I’ve made my own)
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal (HA-never)
56. Spaetzle (this one I can say I’ve made my own–ugly but tasty!)
57. Dirty gin martini (I’ve never made my own, and don’t aspire to. there’s something about a martini that demands it be prepared for you)
58. Beer above 8% ABV (ooh, whether you’ve made, rather than simply tried, is a much more fun test–according to the homebrew program, the Saison that is fermenting right now should be about 8.4%)
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips (only accidentally, in a vegan cookie)
61. S’mores (only intentionally)
62. Sweetbreads (luckily, not even accidentally)
63. kaolin (huh?)
64. Currywurst
65. Durian (i’m really curious to try)
66. Frogs’ legs (one of those things I just had to order–like miniature chicken drumsticks!)
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake (mmmm. fried dough!)
68. Haggis (I took one trip to scotland, and have amazing food memories, including a very un-traditional thanksgiving dinner (no turkey, barely a stove, but amazing deviled eggs), and the most profound late night crepes from a taco truck. if I didn’t have haggis then, I’m probably not going to ever)
69. Fried plantain (also, in a brilliant moment of late-night half-ingenuity, half-curiosity, my most brilliant deep-fried accomplishment: deep-fried-bananas-dipped-in-pancake-batter.)
70. Chitterlings or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini (the only bold but strikethrough on the list–unnecessary)
73. Louche absinthe (again, semester in Prague)
74. Gjetost or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie (good god, if we’re going to include fake food on this list why not go for playdough?)
78. Snail (the escargot at Tapenade made me a convert)
79. Lapsang Souchong
80. Bellini (can I espouse on the pleasures of a proper brunch?)
81. Tom Yum
82. Eggs Benedict (ditto on that brunch thing)
83. Pocky
84. 3 Michelin Star Tasting Menu (right, “every good ominvore” in the world NEEDS to have this…)
85. Kobe beef (but American)
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam (sorry, i have this utter shiver-to-the-core disgust of unrecognizable food sources–it’s not a snobbery thing)
92. Soft shell crab (i grew up on the east coast but didn’t discover this gem until i moved to the west)
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox (introduced to this one as a child–make sure it’s a pumpernickel bagel!)
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta (A good friend turned me on; Wild Hive Farm Polenta made me an addict)
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake
I’ve gone over this twice–think i got everything. Look for another post soon on what I think the list is lacking…
Tags: omnivores
4 Comments
Hi Lauren,
Just to address a few of your observations about the list; it wasn’t intended solely for food blogger - they just naturally have been keen to follow up on it. I’d say the vast majority of respondents have been non-foodie bloggers. You make some good suggestions for things that could have been included, but as I said in the Q&A, I had to cut the list down to a manageable number! Figs, Stilon, craft beer and bone-in steak were all on the long list, and fresh fruit plucked from the tree is on the list, albeit it’s specifically berries (and, I suppose, bushes). I’m sure there’ll be a second list at some point, and some of those may make the cut - but feel free to make your own list in the meantime if you like the idea!
Thanks for your comments, and thanks for taking part!
Andrew,
VeryGoodTaste.co.uk
Black pudding — so wrong on so many levels. Haggis - I went there a couple months ago. I will never go again.
Lauren and Lisa, what do you have against black pudding and haggis? Black pudding is glorious, it’s like sausage stuffing. Haggis is like the sheep’s version of it, yummy!
Well, your brother treated me to a half pound of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee one Christmas; decadently expensive but delicious and worth trying, if only half a pound’s worth. Your brother also turned me on to oxtails, which I only tasted when he ordered in Granada. A friend of mine wrote a piece once about tasting Scotch Bonnet peppers in a store and how she thought she was going to die. I wouldn’t recommend them either. I think they are the hottest peppers known to humans.