The Omnivore's Hundred

My sister-in-law pointed me towards this blog today, with its listing of the Omnivore's Hundred (i.e. a list of 100 things every omnivore should try at least once). Cos I'm easily bored and distracted at this hour, I present my results here.

Things in bold I have tried. Any comments in parentheses are my own.

1. Venison (wild and farmed)
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare (blee)
5. Crocodile (though to be honest, it might have been alligator...)
6. Black pudding (dbl blee)
7. Cheese fondue (in a remote resto perched on a Swiss mountainside, no less)
8. Carp (meh...tastes like mud)
9. Borscht (of course - I have a Russian granny)
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari (like a salted rubber band)
12. Pho (lots of, in Vietnam)
13. PB&J sandwich (heh...how can you tell the author of this list did not grow up in North America?)
14. Aloo gobi (shockingly, I never tasted Indian food in my life until I moved to England)
15. Hot dog from a street cart (?! See no. 13)
16. Epoisses (Wikipedia says it is regarded as the "king of all cheeses" in France and has been banned from public transport because of its smell. Gotta git me some of that.)
17. Black truffle (in miniscule shavings)
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes (sure...blueberry plonk from Lunenburg County Winery is pretty ropey. So was the stuff my dad had a go at making, when I was a kid).
19. Steamed pork buns (think so...in a breakfast buffet in Hanoi)
20. Pistachio ice cream (yummy - very hard to find)
21. Heirloom tomatoes (thanks, Halifax Farmer's Market)
22. Fresh wild berries (oh yes, multiple varieties - I grew up in the country and they grew in the backyard)
23. Foie gras (lordy, but it tastes like sin)
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese (*stomach heaves at thought*)
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche (mmm...there's a jar in my fridge right now)
28. Oysters (blergh...they may be a local speciality, and beloved of gourmands...but I can't get over the snottiness factor)
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda (sounds very tasty though)
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl (I dunno about the sourdough bowl thing - but I'm awarding myself half a point for the chowder)
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut (eurgh)
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar (half point for the cognac only!)
37. Clotted cream tea (aaaAAAHHHHHhhhh...food of the gods)
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O (erm, not since I was about 20...)
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects (not if you paid me!!!)
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu (not a "take risks with my life" kinda gal, thanks)
47. Chicken tikka masala (I prefer korma, though)
48. Eel (ick)
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut (Tim Horton's forever!)
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 (La Fin du Monde...merci, Quebec)
59. Poutine (MERCI BEAUCOUP!)
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst (?!)
65. Durian (you can smell it everywhere in Vietnam)
66. Frogs’ legs (they really DO taste like chicken)
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis (a morsel...blecchhhh)
69. Fried plantain (in Venezuela - very nice!)
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette (never did work up the courage to try the latter, in France)
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blinis
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill (wtf?! not on your nelly)
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail (escargot? yeah, super tasty)
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini (*smacks lips*)
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant. (aw hell yeah!)
85. Kobe beef (it's on my to-eat list...if I ever save up enough money)
86. Hare (*hangs head in shame*)
87. Goulash
88. Flowers (nasturtiums, pansies, violets, rose petals...all very nice)
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam (lol)
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor (overrated...keep the lobsters simple!)
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake (er, no thanks...)

I got 58 out of 100. Not bad for someone who was a very picky kid, and would turn up her nose at just about everything.