Strange Consumables

Some years ago I read about Phil Johnson's love of odd edibles and was both elated and intrigued as I, too, love to eat 'different' foods.

Phil's culinary adventures include eating a slab O' hog in Italy, the stinky big daddy of all fruits - the spiny durian, a Marmite snack called 'swine mixture', and an amber-encased scorpion lolly pop. This is my kind of man.
[See Phil's blog 'Pyromaniac' here.]



Some of my odd eatings have included traditional Louisiana delights such as boiled crawfish, cracklins, boudin, pigs feet, and roasted nutria.

While in Mexico City on a business trip my dinner hosts decided to test my daring. Like Phil, that is usually a mistake as I will rarely if ever pass up my chance to eat a rarity. In this challenge it was a rainy season treat called 'escamoles'. Escamoles are ant larvae wrapped up like fajitas served with onions, sauce, and tortillas. They had the taste of earthy protein as each one was like a droplet of dirt encapsulated by a fleshy outside layer. My Mexican friends were delighted to see my hearty enthusiasm as we shared a cold cerveza in celebration of my newly found treat.

So to my friends from around the globe who are reading this I say to you, EXPAND your palates! Dive into other cultures by consuming the wonderful dishes that the world has to offer you and when you eat, eat well, and eat strangely!