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I Think I’ll Go Eat Worms

Mar 14

Posted by val in Events, Tasty Animals, USA | No Comments

Eat Bug Eat Event

Machine Project, Los Angeles, California

Cooking the wriggling superworms

Cooking the wriggling superworms

Miriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines a worm as “any of numerous relatively small elongated usually naked and soft-bodied animals (as a grub, pinworm, tapeworm, shipworm, or slowworm)”. In my mind, I picture the night crawlers I used to get to go fishing in Barton Creek, but since the term applies to the shape of these invertebrates, it also covers the creepy crawly larval stage of beetles, butterflies and moths. When I heard that Machine Project (a storefront space that experiments in technology, science, and the arts) was holding an event entitled “Eat Bug Eat”, I was intrigued. Although it sounds like the title of a Japanese monster movie, the event was held to educate people in the culture and custom of eating insects. Although I’d eaten insects many times before, from the crunchy snack-like hormigas culonas to the grassy-tasting silkworm pupae, I succumbed to the come-hither of wax moth larvae tacos. Read the rest of this entry »

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There’s Always Room

Mar 8

Posted by val in Asia, Europe, Tasty Animals, USA | 6 Comments

Gelatin

United States, Great Britain and Asia

Coffee jello at Durgin Park in Boston

Coffee jello at Durgin Park in Boston

Oh, poor misunderstood gelatin! Anything resembling gelatin has been given the name “jello” by Americans (“jelly” by the British), although Jell-O is actually a trademark of one brand of commercially available gelatin. Gelatin in its pure form is clear and practically tasteless; it is typically manufactured by boiling down the bones, connective tissues, organs and the hides of cattle, pigs and/or horses in order to extract the collagen (sounds tasty, doesn’t it?). Surely you remember as a kid when mom boiled that ham for a New England boiled dinner, popping the remains into the fridge – when that door swung open the next day, voila! – gelatin. Serving just the gelatin became popular way back in the late 1800s, although it required the aforementioned cooking down process or buying dried gelatin sheets and purifying and reconstituting them, which quite frankly was a pain in the gluteus maximus. Commercially available powdered gelatin made dessert preparation easier because of two men – Peter Cooper who patented the process of powdering gelatin, and Charles Knox who created and marketed a pre-granulated gelatin. Pearle Wait (who bought Peter Cooper’s patent) added flavoring to the powdered gelatin in 1897 and began marketing it as Jell-O; Knox became known for his unflavored variety. To this day Jell-O (which was manufactured by General Foods) and Knox are both Kraft Foods brands, with Jell-O so popular that the governor of Utah declared it to be the state snack (take that, Illinois, with your stinkin’ popcorn). Read the rest of this entry »

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In Defense Of The Twinkie

Jan 25

Posted by val in Tasty Animals, USA | 2 Comments

Deep fried Twinkies
The Chip Shop (New York City), The Dessert Factory (Pasadena, CA)

The taste sensation sweeping the nation - fried Twinkie

The taste sensation sweeping the nation - fried Twinkie

How can something so wrong be so right? Just the thought of eating a Twinkie sends a chemically-induced sugar rush up the back of my spine, so what would prompt me to brave the cellophane-wrapped snack that looks like Sponge Bob’s coffin? The opportunity to have it deep-fried. There was still a high degree of risk, but I wanted to see what the frying process did to make this foam brick from Hell edible (or more inedible). The invention of the deep fried Twinkie in 1992 is said to be attributed Shea Apple, a transplant from Great Britain who opened a chip shop in Brooklyn, New York (appropriately named “The Chip Shop”). Unlike your neighborhood chip shop (or “chippy” in the UK), The Chip Shop batters and fries everything that will survive the Frialator including pizza, macaroni and cheese, and Mars Bars. After experimenting with various snack items, he found the Twinkie to fry up quite nicely. They use the same batter used for frying fish (for the fish and chips); it is served sliced lengthwise, dusted with powdered sugar, sitting on a berry sauce-drizzled plate. Read the rest of this entry »

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Spam, Wonderful Spam!

Jan 18

Posted by val in Events, Tasty Animals, USA | 6 Comments

SPAM (Honolulu, Hawaii and Austin, Texas)

SPAM, wonderful SPAM

SPAM, wonderful SPAM

What do you mean, “Ech”? I’m not sure where Spam gets its bad reputation; perhaps it’s because it comes in a can. Food snobs turn their nose up at it, likening it to the meat version of Cheez Whiz. Even the great food explorer Andrew Zimmern expresses his disdain for it. You know a food is feared when people prefer blowfish to it, but Spam also generates somewhat of a cult following. We’ll talk about where Spam gets elevated to cause célèbre status, but first let’s discuss its humble origin. Spam was originally made by Hormel Foods of Austin, Minnesota way back in 1937. Although alternating versions of the name attribute it to an alliteration of “Shoulder of Pork and hAM” or the simpler “SPiced HAM”, Hormel maintains that the name is an adjective, and insists that it is spelled with all upper-case letters. One of my personal favorite plays on the acronym is “Something Posing As Meat.” The ingredients state it is chopped pork shoulder with added ham meat. It gained a surge in popularity during World War II, especially in Hawaii where fresh meat was difficult to come by. American soldiers ate it with most of their meals, and it continues to be eaten by more Hawaiians that anywhere else on earth per capita. As I discovered on a trip to Austin, Minnesota (for non-Spam purposes), you can smell it throughout the town (those of you living near Heinz in Pittsburgh or General Foods in Woburn, Massachusetts know what I’m talking about). Read the rest of this entry »

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Tastes As Great As Its Name

Jan 4

Posted by val in Tasty Animals, USA | 4 Comments

Alhambra, California
Stinky tofu and blood soup (Lee’s Garden)

Stinky tofu, no further description needed

Stinky tofu, no further description needed

Think of the gleeful cries of joy when you tell the kids to get in the Wagon Queen Family Truckster for a road trip to get some stinky tofu just like momma used to make. I know, the wave of excitement is indescribable, after all, who wouldn’t want to try the Taiwanese taste treat without having to fly there? If this sounds like you, then I have the answer to your culinary prayers at Lee’s Garden in Alhambra, California. Lee’s Garden is in a storefront of a strip mall that you might drive past several times without realizing it’s there. Hui, a friend who turns us on to some amazing and unusual Chinese cuisine told us about the place and mentioned that they had other food unusual to our Western sensibilities that we might enjoy. The sign is slightly smaller than its next door neighbor, Dr. Lee’s Family Dentistry – I’m not sure if there is a link between the two but I feel not knowing in this case makes me a happier person. Inside is a testament to simplicity – no cork sculptures or laminated panels on the wall here, just tables, chairs and a hand-written menu on a big whiteboard that changes daily. We knew we wanted an order of the stinky tofu (which was listed on the menu as “fried odor bean curd”, a delectable title to be sure), but when I saw pork blood soup and chitterlings with garlic sauce I was sold. Read the rest of this entry »

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Welcome to The Jungle

Dec 15

Posted by val in Tasty Animals, USA | 2 Comments

Pasadena, California
Turtle and kangaroo (Luigi Ortega’s)

This is a kangaroo taco - you could accidently eat this

This is a kangaroo taco - you could accidently eat this

With Pasadena’s Luigi Ortega’s being located directly across the street from Pasadena Community College, you would expect to see a noisy, college hangout. Sandwiches and pizza come as no surprise, nor does the East Coast atmosphere. What usually causes a double-take is the Exotic Menu; a separate menu offers dishes such as Gator Pie (a pizza topped with garlic-marinated alligator) and Ostrich Quesadilla (exactly what it sounds like.) For a nominal fee, you can also substitute ostrich, kangaroo, alligator or turtle for meat items on the regular menu (think cheese steak sandwich with kangaroo.) The concept is simple – blur the lines between a Philly or New York pizza and sub shop with a California taco stand. The logo features caricatures of what we can assume to be Luigi and Ortega – Luigi looking like one those ceramic Italian chef utensil holders and Ortega being a throwback to the politically incorrect days of the Frito Bandito. One of the house specialties is a foreboding-sounding “Dr. Death’s Suicide Pie”, a jalapeño pizza topped with 6 whole habañero peppers ( a good late-night drunken dare menu item). Read the rest of this entry »

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Meet The Beetles!

Nov 26

Posted by val in Columbia, Tasty Animals, USA | No Comments

Insects: Hormigas Culonas (Leaf-cutter Ants), Beondegi (Silkworm Pupae), Scorpions, Crickets, Chapulines (Grasshoppers), Maguey Worms and Mealworms

Eating a scorpion pop with my I Ate A Bug Club button on

Eating a scorpion pop with my I Ate A Bug Club button on

Nothing bugs me worse than offering someone a tasty insect snack, only to have them cry out in disgust before they even taste them. Throughout history, eating insects has not only been a means of survival (they are generally low in fat and high in protein), but also a rare, expensive or hard-to-find delicacy. Deciding what types of insects to eat and where to find them can be tricky business. Regardless of whether or not they are poisonous, insects found in the city are generally not a good snack choice, since they are besieged by pesticides and exposed to biological material of questionable origin or quality.

A can of silkworm pupae, or fish food, or bird feed - whatever.

A can of silkworm pupae, or fish food, or bird feed - whatever.

Before you hang your head in sorrow and call off your planned dumpster dive, rejoice! Edible insects can be easily purchased if you simply look around. I will briefly talk about the insects I mentioned previously but will share my culinary adventures with each in separate articles. Don’t go Roger Maris on that bee hive hanging from the neighbor’s tree; it will hurt a lot and I doubt you’ll be happy with the result. No doubt you’ve seen tequila with a maguey worm (actually a moth larva) in the bottle; in parts of Mexico, in the Oaxaca region, these are roasted and eaten without the tequila, a delicious and nutritious source of protein. The “worms” found in those tequila-flavored lollipops we all know and love are actually mealworms, the larva of the darkling beetle and staple for reptile pets across America. A co-worker had offered me a handful of BBQ flavored roasted mealworms, and after crunching down on them for a few moments, I decided that I would devour a bag of these little critters before I ever touch another Cheeto. They were crunchy and slightly salty, and would complement a nice oatmeal stout perfectly. Get out the credit card, I’m buying in bulk! Read the rest of this entry »

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It’s Not Easy Eating Green

Nov 21

Posted by val in Tasty Animals, USA | 1 Comment

Chinatown, San Francisco, California
Frog with Tender Greens (Uncle’s Cafe)

Frog, the other green meat

Frog, the other green meat

I have long been fascinated with Asian cuisine, a wonderland for the senses – the aromas, the explosion of tastes, the colorful and unusual presentations. San Francisco’s Chinatown is said to be one of the oldest and largest Chinese communities in North America and with an enormous variety of restaurants to choose from I was feeling like a kid in a candy store trying to decide what to get for lunch. To hell with moo goo gai pan, egg rolls and orange chicken – I wanted something they don’t serve at the local Panda Express. Just looking in the windows of some of the markets and restaurants is awe inspiring – strange and exotic vegetables, poultry hanging from hooks, and things even I couldn’t identify.

The menu is on the wall at Uncles Cafe in San Francisco

The menu is on the wall at Uncles Cafe in San Francisco

The heart of Chinatown is accessed by walking up Grant Avnue from Chinatown Gate at the intersection of Bush Street. It seems that no matter where you’re going in San Francisco, it inevitably involves walking up. Take David Lee Roth’s advice and make sure you have sensible shoes. Staying on Grant Avenue doesn’t really offer as many exotic options, as I’m sure they’re trying to entice tourists with American tastes so we walked up Clay Street to a quieter area at Waverly Place and started reading menus. Pausing in front of Uncle’s Cafe, my eyes immediately focused on one menu item – Frog with Tender Greens. Not the wasteful French frog legs, but whole frog. Sorry Kermit, but your cousin is going down! There were some more tradtitional options on the menu that I knew would appeal to my wife, Claudia (she is not as adventurous with food as I am), so I suggested we eat there. Read the rest of this entry »

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Can I Get a Danish With That?

Nov 9

Posted by val in Tasty Animals, USA | 2 Comments

Solvang, Callifornia

Smörgåsbord (The Red Viking)

Danish pastry (Olsen’s, Mortensen’s)

Caption

This is some great Dane

Today Solvang, California closely resembles a Capraesque Epcot Center pavilion where you’re lucky if you hear anyone speaking Danish. But don’t give up hope – although the city is rife with restaurants catering to American tastes like Subway, Domino’s Pizza and Kabuki Japanese Restaurant (what the H-E-double hockey sticks?) there are a few places where you can sample traditional Danish cuisine. Contrary to popular belief, the cuisine of Denmark does not consist of a Danish and a cup of coffee. Even the “Danish” restaurants have largely American menu items, but the best bang for your buck is at the places that have smörgåsbord (think Danish buffet). The Danes actually refer to this as kolde bord (smörgåsbord being a Swedish word), but the food is typical.

The New Danish Inn on Mission Drive had a decent smörgåsbord, but they have unfortunately closed; you can still head over to The Red Viking on Copenhagen Drive. The decor is much like all the other restaurants in Solvang – posters and maps of Denmark on the walls and rustic Scandinavian farm house motif throughout. Don’t mess with the menu – this is not the time to be thinking about a burger. As you saunter up to the serving table, if you see anything that looks like you can get it at Sizzler, leave it be. Although typical of smörgåsbord, the salad, roast beef, havarti cheese, brændende kærlighed (mashed potatoes) and kartoffelsalat (a potato salad that tastes remarkably like, well, potato salad) are not going to convince you that Danish cuisine is any different than what you can get in Peoria. Read the rest of this entry »

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A Whole Load of Carp

Nov 3

Posted by val in Tasty Animals, USA | No Comments

Omaha, Nebraska

Carp (Joe Tess Place)

Caption

The often maligned, always delicious carp

In my never ending quest to seek out the unusual and unique, I was slightly nervous heading to Omaha, Nebraska. I mean, seriously – Omaha? I’ve always relied on asking the locals (usually at the hotel) where I can get food unique to the area; I’ve only been disappointed once when someone in San Diego directed me to Taco Bell for Mexican food. In this case, the desk clerk asked, “Have you been to Joe Tess?”

There are no fancy awnings or wood-and-rope walkway, no koi pools, no Cape Cod-style affections on the outside; it’s a simple, cinder block building on a residential street.

Since their specialty is seafood, the decor inside looks like someplace you might find on the New Jersey turnpike, like a converted Denny’s with nets, mounted trophy fish and rustic signs on the wall; the bar is shaped like a wooden rowboat. The name bothers me a little – it seems in desperate need of an apostrophe, but hey, it’s not my restaurant.

Caption

The cashier at Joe Tess Place (the fish gave it away)

I know I haven’t presented anything exciting here; Joe Tess Place is a small neighborhood restaurant that started as a tavern in the early 1930s, specializing in seafood… oh, wait, did I say “seafood”? Scratch that – make that freshwater fish (salmon, walleye (pike), catfish, tilapia, trout and carp). Read the rest of this entry »

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They’re So Light and Fluffy White, We’ll Make a Fortune Overnight…

Oct 28

Posted by val in Tasty Animals, USA | 2 Comments

Solvang, Callifornia

Danish Pancakes (Paula’s Pancake House)

Danish Pancakes

The lowly pancake, elevated to breakfast of the gods

I know, never heard of Danish pancakes, right? Well up until recently you were in good company, as neither did I. On Mission Drive in Solvang, California, Paula’s Pancake House (no, not House of Pancakes) is a restaurant that appears to be devoted to the shy and seldom seen Danish pancake. A look at the their menu tells you that they’ve jumped on the American fare bandwagon – I’d be embarrassed to be caught publicly ordering a Spanish omelet is Solvang, but if that’s your cup of tea, you can do so at Paula’s. Those of you who know me (and that number is probably a high 6 or 7) know that I can’t go into an eatery and order something normal humans eat – I have a predisposition to find the most unusual thing on the menu. We had a party of 8, and most of our party ordered burgers, sandwiches and soup, but I had to find out what the hoopla was about Danish pancakes. These can be ordered in a variety ways, mostly layered with a variety of fruit. My eyes lit up when I saw that the special was the pancakes “stuffed” with Danish sausage, and I knew that I must have them.

Although I had no preconceived idea of what form this delight would take, I have to admit it was not at all what I expected. The plate arrived with two pancakes, both the size of the large plate. They were thinner than the warm, cozy monsters you get at a traditional pancake house, but not as thin as crepes.

Danish Pancakes

Paulas Pancake House, from Denmark with love

Lifting it’s skirt with a fork, I found diced Danish sausage liberally spread across the area between the two, and the same tossed about the landscape on top. What surprised me the most was that there was a light dusting of powdered sugar on top. The pancakes were light and every bit as tasty as they looked, and each bite was perfectly complemented by the mild taste of the pork sausage. I have to admit, the powdered sugar threw my taste buds off kilter – it added a devious sweet undertone to the dish that I think could would have been delicious without. Read the rest of this entry »

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Don’t Fear the Pin Xe Lua

Oct 25

Posted by val in Tasty Animals, USA | 3 Comments

Westminster, California

Bull Penis Soup (Pho Nguyen Hue)

Pho Nguyen Hue

There is nothing like the smell of bull penis soup the first thing in the morning.

On those brisk fall days when you think to yourself, “A nice bowl of bull penis soup would be good right about now,” you need look no further than Westminster, California. Since the calf-making part of the ox (as I’ve learned is the proper name for the animal we call “cow”, regardless of sex) was one of the few I had not tried, I decided to find out for myself what I was missing.

Unless you decide you want to risk grandma walking in and having a heart attack while you concoct this brew on the stove, start entry level at a Vietnamese restaurant. The section of Westminster called “Little Saigon” seemed like the logical place to start, but which restaurant? Most food adventurers and local reviews pointed to a single place – Pho Nguyen Hue. The restaurant itself is in an unassuming storefront with plain round tables and metal chairs, with not much in the way of decoration, more closely resembling a VFW hall than a restaurant. The first thing I notice is that I’m the only Caucasian in the place, walking in like the Delta seniors into the roadhouse on “Animal House”. Generally, I view this as a good sign.

Pho Nguyen Hue - For your one stop bull penis shopping

Pho Nguyen Hue - For your one stop bull penis shopping

I was told to sit anywhere I liked and was presented with a menu. The recommended dish is Pho Pin Xe Lua (which I had written on a piece of paper), but I couldn’t find it on the menu. I showed the waiter the paper and asked if he had Pin Xe Lua and was told he would give me an embellished “number 12″ (possibly another good sign when ordering bull penis soup). The #12 phở normally comes with beef tendon, rare flank steak and beef tripe, but my special order included the bull’s personality. He asked if I wanted anything else, but my imagination can’t envision what would go with that.

A short while later the waiter returned with a hot, steaming bowl of bull parts and noodles. A bad pho can ruin a virgin food experience, but the broth smelled wonderful, the meat was cooked to perfection and the noodles weren’t under or over cooked. I worked my way into it, trying some noodles, the other cuts of beef and thought that the number 12 would be good on its own. But business is business and it was time to address the bull penis (“Hello, Mr. Bull Penis!”) Read the rest of this entry »

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Choose Wisely, Grasshopper

Sep 24

Posted by val in Tasty Animals, USA | No Comments

Oaxaca, Mexico
Chapulines (grasshoppers) and other cuisine

A plate of tasty grasshoppers at Guelaguetza Restaurant

A plate of tasty grasshoppers at Guelaguetza Restaurant

As most people who know me will attest, the opportunity to try unusual cuisine is one I will never turn down. I had learned that a local restaurant offered cuisine typical of the Mexican city and state of Oaxaca, including chapulines (grasshoppers). Guelaguetza is a local chain of 5 restaurants in the Los Angeles area, and I had been trying repeatedly to eat at their restaurant on Palms Boulevard but got phone recordings stating that they were closed “due to an accident.” There was no elaboration on what the accident was, so I surmised that maybe it was a plague of locusts. Not being one who is deterred by minor setbacks like a restaurateur cutting off an appendage, I visited their 8th Street restaurant with Trippy Foods webmaster, Josh (who is almost always willing to try unusual food items.)

Just a forkfull of insects helps the Oaxacan go down

Just a forkfull of insects helps the Oaxacan go down

The restaurant itself is painted orange inside and out; it is furnished simply, with colorful tablecloths resembling Mexican blankets – a plain, simple place with focus on the food. Before being seated, I asked the waiter if they served chapulines at that location, which he confirmed. I didn’t order them immediately, as I wanted to peruse the menu and see what other Oaxacan delights they offered. The menu offered chapulines two ways – simply fried (with salt, garlic and lime) and Chapulines a la Mexicana (cooked with tomato, onions, chiles and Oaxacan string cheese). I asked which preparation was typical of how the grasshoppers are eaten in Oaxaca, and was told the fried chapulines were more common, so we ordered them that way. I also ordered the tamal Oaxaqueño de mole con pollo, while Josh left his entree choice up to the waiter. Read the rest of this entry »

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