Monday 21 April 2008

Food for thought

I lived in Japan for a long time and people often ask me if I've ever eaten raw fish, which is a bit like asking someone living in England if they had ever drunk beer! As it happens I love sushi (and beer!) but have eaten far stranger things, the strangest perhaps being raw liver! I was taken to a Japanese bar by an elderly man soon after arriving and I spoke little if no Japanese. When ordering food the only part of his question I understood was 'do you like....' so naturally I answered in the affirmative. When a plate of wobbly red liver arrived it took a while before I realised that nobody was going to come and cook it for us and as the plates and chopsticks were handed out I was fighting the urge to run blindly out the door straight to the nearest airport! But I was affected by good old male pride and decided I had no choice but to not only eat the liver but smile and enjoy it! As the blood dripping chopsticks neared my mouth I feared I would projectile vomit at any moment but once in my mouth I was amazed to find that it tasted good and melted like butter - a bit like good quality raw tuna if any of you have tried that.

So what's the strangest thing you have ever eaten?

15 comments:

Maggie May said...

If I was held up at gun point...... I would not eat that!

Liz Hinds said...

Oh purlease! Male pride really is excessively ... proud! How could you?

Liz Hinds said...

I'll have to think about the strangest thing I've eaten. My mind is too retchy to contemplate.

Suburbia said...

Nice to try something new once in a while!!!
My line manager at work says she eats raw liver, and seeing as this is not Japan I'm not sure that she is in sane mind.
I ate an earwig when I was a toddler (apparently). My mum only knew because she found the other half in my hand!!

Thanks for the offer by the way.

Debra in France said...

Although I have been veggie since I was 7, when I was in San Francisco many years ago, I felt I had to try sushi. It was long before any sushi bars opened in the UK and I thought that I may never have the opportunity again. I really enjoyed the salmon and tuna sushi. I tried sea urchin but I didn't like the flavour or texture it was a bit like half set blacmange!
Good on you for trying it, I wouldn't!

david mcmahon said...

What an amazing experience, Sam.

I've been enjoying yoour comments on my blog and of course your Mum's sense of humour has filtered down through to you as well.

I know that people guard their email addresses jealously, but if you and your Mum would like to leave me a comment with both your email contacts, it would be a lot easier for me (and quicker) to respond.

If you'd rather not, I certainly won't take offence ....

travelling, but not in love said...

eee-uw. that's just nasty.

I love Japan though - and thank the lord that they have those little plastic model sof food topoint at (although most of them are near-undecipherable too!).

I was taken to a restaurant by an elderly gent in Pusan, South Korea once and had a very similar experience. There was so much food and it was maostly of the scary variety....

travelling, but not in love said...

damn, excuse my typing. I've not been drinking, honest...(hic).

Swearing Mother said...

It's hard to specify the strangest thing I've ever eaten, because everythng I eat is strange in one way or another.

Don't know how you could eat raw liver, ugh! They used to make anaemic people eat it, but frankly I'd rather lick iron filings than eat anything as offal as that (get it? Offal? OK please yourself:o)

Loving your blog Sam.

Suburbia said...

Hi Sam. Forgive me but I've tagged you! (Friday 25th post)

Irene said...

The strangest thing I have ever eaten was barbecued cow brain, which was not bad in the dark, but I would not est it again.I have also eaten boiled pigs feet and cows tongue and smoked horse meat. I am so glad that I am a vegetarian now.

Grit said...

snake. i refused the coiled up slugs and upset everyone. Pwah! they put me with my back to the door so what did they expect?

Suburbia said...

No pressure Sam! Only do it if it works for you!!

Anonymous said...

Hi there, I came to visit you via the lovely Suburbia's blog.

I do eat a lot of unusual combinations of food, but have never eaten anything totally outlandish.

My granny made mushroom vol au vents in the seventies and we were convinced they really contained snails lol.

imbeingheldhostage said...

well, I am currently on antibiotics that I can't eat 2 hours before or one hour after and this post just made it that much easier for my next dose...

yikes.