I couldn't resist

The Very Good Taste's Omivore's 100

Here are the instructions:

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 extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

And here's my list....

The VGT Omnivore's Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare (I've had carpacio, which I believe is the same thing?!?)
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses (I had to look this up, and I'm pretty sure I haven't had it, though I have enjoyed many a pungent, unpasterized cheese!)
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans ( one of my favorite meals)
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar (yes to the congac, but no to the cigar)
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal (in my dreams... or maybe my nightmares)
44. Goat's milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth $60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala (mmmmmm....)
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin (never again, though...)
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald�s Big Mac Meal (
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini (not with gin, no...)
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S'mores
62. Sweetbreads (no, but I came *this close* to ordering them recently...they're on my list to try)
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs' legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears, or funnel cake (
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers (nasturtium!)
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam (never! amazing...)
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake (I can't even be in the same room as one, let alone have one on my plate. No thanks!)

So Good

Ever since we left Boston, I've been complaining about the lack of good Indian food in this area. Apparently, a bit north of here, there's a huge Indian population, and tons of restaurants and food markets. But, since going out to eat without the kids in tow is a rare occurence, I'm not about to drive 35 minutes for a restaurant.

So, I've been looking for a good store-bought substitute for Indian cooking. The other night, we made Chicken Tikka Masala, using Patak's sauce, and doctoring it up a bit with added ginger and cilantro.

Two thumbs up. It was so good! I'm not sure if it would hold up to a good restaurant version of the meal, but it was tasty. Kind of like how Gardenburgers are really good, provided you're not expecting to taste a juicy hamburger when you bite into one, you know? My only complaint was that the sodium content was super high, but that seems to be the case with processed foods. I figure that 99% of what we cook and eat is made from scratch, so the occaisional sodium-laden meal won't kill us. Anyway, Patak's makes a whole line of products and both our local grocery stores carry lots of them, so we'll definitely be trying out some others.