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So the other day I was thinking about the foods some people eat, and the thought process behind the decision to taste an unknown for the first time in history.
Everything that’s ever been eaten in life had to be tried for the first time by someone. For example, who was the first person to look at the contents expelled by a chicken and say to themselves, “I think I’ll try eating that.”
Although eggs are enjoyed by many as part of breakfast and more, it started with someone desiring to try it without prior knowledge of its taste – and that is above my pay grade as a human.
Once folks see someone else eating something strange, and in some cases pretty gross, without
barfing or keeling over, often they will follow suit with reasonable confidence they’ll survive if they also indulge.
There are, however, some foods, no matter how often or how many years they’ve been consumed, that will never make it passed my set of choppers – barring trickery.
Years ago, I was at a party, and a tray went around with little pieces of meat on it and toothpicks stuck in the tops. I ate 37 because I was starving, not realizing that what I was eating was beef tongue. Who does that to an unsuspecting someone?
Good Lord, if I wanted to eat tongue from an animal, there’s more than enough road kill laying around with a tongue hanging out. I could have stopped and picked one up myself.
Needless to say, the party planner and I are no longer friends.
Head cheese is sold in grocery stores, but the mosaic of meat consisting of who knows what is more than I can digest, and that’s without ever even consuming the meat mess.
I don’t understand eating animal feet. A neighbor of mine invited me to dinner one night, and one of the table adornments was pigs’ feet. I don’t even like the thought of people’s feet stepping on my wine grapes. I saw chicken feet in the grocery store a while back, toenails and all. No amount of nail polish will ever pretty-up that horrifying dish.
I have friends who like ox-tail. I can’t imagine consuming the tail of any creature if for no other reason that it’s too close to other parts I can barely stand to look at, for cryin’ out loud.
I saw a photo not long ago of a century egg. These duck, chicken and quail eggs have been preserved and are apparently enjoyed elsewhere, but they look as though they’ve defied the preserving process. I read that century eggs prepared in traditional ways are generally safe to consume. That word “generally” should have a prospective diner running for the hills. I’ve seen horror movies that weren’t as scary as one of these eggs.
Some folks enjoy eating liver, but I say if ya go that far, why not throw in a side of appendix while you’re at it – just don’t call me for dinner.
Folks have many different tastes and curiosities, and that’s OK. All I’m saying is when I saw something on a menu titled Rocky Mountain oysters, I couldn’t run out of the restaurant fast enough. I even lost a flip flop. I don’t want to know what that was about, but I know for a fact that oysters do not grow in the Rocky Mountains.
Bon appetit!
Anngee Quinones-Belian lives in Murphy. She loves humor and believes the world needs more of it. Email her at anngeeq@gmail.com.