Strange Meats in the Playground

[Kittenwolf]

Inspired by the Cheese thread (and the fact that I just got back from the Vic Markets buying meat), this is a thread for discussing the strange and unusual meats that you like.

I've just picked up Kangaroo, and some Buffalo hamburgers. Have absolutely no idea how the Buffalo is going to go, but it shall be interesting to find out.
Kangaroo of course is pure, concentrated awesome in meat form.

[No brains]

Dog tastes like beef but sweeter.

Human tastes just like pork.

[Seerow]

Human tastes just like pork.

:smalleek:

[llamamushroom]

I've heard that dog was very rangy, and incredibly stringy (though that might just be the local place) - I haven't tried it myself yet.

I agree with you, Neo_Leviathan, on the kangaroo, but back home my mum hates it, so we almost never have it. It makes me a sad panda.

Goat sausages are nice enough, though perhaps too lean - they really dried out on the barbecue.

Snake is fantastic - it tastes slightly less fishy than fish, and has a texture to die for. Monkey is very stringy, would not recommend.

Silk worm has an interesting aftertaste, as does cicada, but both are fair good. Scorpion (small ones, at least) don't really have a taste - they're mostly carapace, which is like eating the shells from popped corn.

Tarantula is ok at first, but the aftertaste really put me off it.

Don't eat starfish. Ever. No matter how you cook it, or in what, it just tastes like you've picked up a stick from the beach and started chewing.

[Kittenwolf]

Wow, that's quite a list llamamushroom!! I've never eaten even half of those :)

It's weird what some things taste like though, I've dubbed Crocodile "Chickenfish", because to me it tasted exactly like a mix of chicken and white fish, and the texture was basically Chicken, but but without the fibres/strands.

[Lady Moreta]

Kangaroo of course is pure, concentrated awesome in meat form.

Unless it's mince :smallyuk:

My husband and I started getting kangaroo mince instead of beef (since it was cheaper) but gave it up because kangaroo mince is just plain nasty. It really doesn't work very well.

I have heard however, that it makes a very good steak. I keep thinking I should try it, since I really can't stand fat and kangaroo is meant to be extremely lean.

[llamamushroom]

I have Wangfujing to thank for the more exotic ones (everything south of goat, really) - it's a touristy faux-traditional market street which sells exotic food and bad souvenirs in central Beijing. It's kinda awesome.

There's a butcher (well, "chicken shop") back home in Canberra (in the Belconnen markets, if you're wondering) that sells crocodile, camel, and other exotic meats that don't necessarily start with "c". I keep meaning to get something there. I hadn't heard of croc having a chicken texture, but it does sound awesome.

[Kittenwolf]

Unless it's mince :smallyuk:

My husband and I started getting kangaroo mince instead of beef (since it was cheaper) but gave it up because kangaroo mince is just plain nasty. It really doesn't work very well.

I have heard however, that it makes a very good steak. I keep thinking I should try it, since I really can't stand fat and kangaroo is meant to be extremely lean.

Hrm. Personally I like Kangaroo mince :)
It does make fantastic steak though. Preferably marinade it first, and make sure not to overcook it since it will go quite tough (if you're worried about it being tough, my parent's trick is to soak it in milk). You're right on it being lean as well, I'm incredibly picky with fat (as in, I go over chicken breast fillets and remove the few grams of fat you'll find on them) and roo I can just chuck in the pan/on the BBQ and have no worries.
Be warned it usually has a very strong flavor

[Lady Moreta]

Be warned it usually has a very strong flavor

That's probably why I didn't like it :smalltongue: and I suspect we may have been overcooking the mince... maybe I'll try it one day when I'm feeling brave.

[Yanagi]

Neo_Leviathan: buffalo is very tasty but very, very lean. If you've got burgers, just be delicate cooking them or they'll get tough. A lot of folks I know grind their buffalo with fat from something else if they're grilling it. I've also seen people knead a wee bit of cold butter (chopped fine) into the ground buffalo just before throwing on the grill.

Having never had kangaroo, why is it considered awesome? The fact there's a consensus on this makes me curious and hungry.

[Kittenwolf]

That's probably why I didn't like it :smalltongue: and I suspect we may have been overcooking the mince... maybe I'll try it one day when I'm feeling brave.

I tend to cook mine only until it turns from raw colour to browned, but it does have a quite odd taste for mince.


Neo_Leviathan: buffalo is very tasty but very, very lean. If you've got burgers, just be delicate cooking them or they'll get tough. A lot of folks I know grind their buffalo with fat from something else if they're grilling it. I've also seen people knead a wee bit of cold butter (chopped fine) into the ground beef just before throwing on the grill.


Thanks for the advice! I like lean meats so we should be good there. I'll just be careful with the cooking.


Having never had kangaroo, why is it considered awesome? The fact there's a consensus on this makes me curious and hungry.

Basically, Kangaroo is a very lean, quite strong tasting game meat. I'm not sure if it's an odd property of the taste or what, but the vast majority of people who have tasted it quite enjoy it. No dodgy aftertaste or anything either, which is a plus :)

[Anuan]

It's like a lean beef, but very...I don't know, really, how to describe it. It's nice, though.

My dad disagrees on snake, saying it's oily. Emu is also not particularly pleasant. My father and a couple of his friends say that rounds cut from a Goanna's tail are quite nice.

I had goat recently, which is not particularly exotic but it was my first time. I've heard mixed opinions, which seem to vary on how it was cooked. I was lucky, I had one spitroasted whole over a low fire for several hours. It was amazing. It was like roasted lamb but far less greasy. Just...amazing, melted in the mouth. So...good...

[Kittenwolf]

I had goat recently, which is not particularly exotic but it was my first time. I've heard mixed opinions, which seem to vary on how it was cooked. I was lucky, I had one spitroasted whole over a low fire for several hours. It was amazing. It was like roasted lamb but far less greasy. Just...amazing, melted in the mouth. So...good...

Managing to correctly slow cook meat is one of the most amazing things :)
One of my favorite meats is chicken slow cooked on my parent's rotisery. You can poke the chicken with a finger and it just falls apart.

[MeralFegera]

My dad disagrees on snake, saying it's oily. Emu is also not particularly pleasant. My father and a couple of his friends say that rounds cut from a Goanna's tail are quite nice.My mother's had snake before and said it was distinctly 'eh.' My dad will gladly tell of the time he ate squirrel.

For me, it's not too unusual byt I'm fond of ostrich jerky, of the Ostrim brand. It's super yummy and actually pretty good for you. I'm not generally much of a jerky fan otherwise, though.

[Lady Moreta]

Basically, Kangaroo is a very lean, quite strong tasting game meat. I'm not sure if it's an odd property of the taste or what, but the vast majority of people who have tasted it quite enjoy it. No dodgy aftertaste or anything either, which is a plus :)

Then clearly we were doing something wrong in our cooking of said mince, or the mince wasn't very good quality (which wouldn't surprise me) because it did have a nasty aftertaste, which is part of the reason why we stopped buying it.

[Bhu]

alligator is good if you get tail meat, the rest is kinda tough

ostrich and buffalo is pretty good

horse is like lean beef, slightly sweeter

rattlesnake, turtle, gopher, squirrel, rabbit can use similar recipes to chicken

squid and octopus are ok but a pain to get right

crickets fried in garlic and olive oil arent bad, think of them as crunchy land shrimp

when i had bear it was mostly gristle but im told this isnt usual

[Feytalist]

Ostrich in general is quite good. And relatively healthy. very lean. It has a slightly wild aftertaste, but nothing worth complaining about. Based on you guys' descriptions, I'd say it's similar to kangaroo (not that I'd ever had any).

Most sort of wild deer/antelope game are extremely tasty, especially in mince form. Also very healthy in general. They all have their own slightly distinct taste, which you can recognise after a while.

I didn't enjoy snake. Weird weird taste. Same with tortoise, really. And elephant.

And crocodile.

Shark meat is the weirdest thing I ever tasted. Salty as all hell. You get these shark biltong strips (jerky for you silly foreigners) which is pretty much just dried meat. No extra spicing necessary, heh.

Oh, I forgot hyrax. Tastes exactly like rabbit. Great in stews.

[Kittenwolf]

Shark meat is the weirdest thing I ever tasted. Salty as all hell. You get these shark biltong strips (jerky for you silly foreigners) which is pretty much just dried meat. No extra spicing necessary, heh.

Which kind of Shark, do you know? Gummy Shark is the standard fish in Fish & Chips in Australia :)


Then clearly we were doing something wrong in our cooking of said mince, or the mince wasn't very good quality (which wouldn't surprise me) because it did have a nasty aftertaste, which is part of the reason why we stopped buying it.

Definitely sounds like you got a bad batch. Did you get it supermarket or meat market?

[Feytalist]

Which kind of Shark, do you know? Gummy Shark is the standard fish in Fish & Chips in Australia :)

Really? That's news to me. It's something we call a sand shark over here, but it's not "the" sand shark. I'm not sure of its real name. It's used in fish fingers, that's all I know.

The fish we get fish & chips is normal fish: pike, hake and haddock mostly.


I should mention that all of the things above I killed, cleaned and prepared myself. Excepting perhaps the shark. I'm a regular old Great White Hunter, I am :smallbiggrin:

[Kittenwolf]

Really? That's news to me. It's something we call a sand shark over here, but it's not "the" sand shark. I'm not sure of its real name. It's used in fish fingers, that's all I know.

The fish we get fish & chips is normal fish: pike, hake and haddock mostly.

I should mention that all of the things above I killed, cleaned and prepared myself. Excepting perhaps the shark. I'm a regular old Great White Hunter, I am :smallbiggrin:

Note to self: Never annoy Feytalist and then turn into a shark...

Over here there are a few varieties of Gummy shark that are sold in fish & chip places as "Flake". Chances are unless you specifically order some other kind of fish (depending on the shop you may have anything from one to two dozen choices), you'll be getting shark :)

[Ravens_cry]

I had cougar stew once. It had been hunting local stock and no reason to let the meat go to waste after all.
Since it was a stew, I can't tell you much about what made the meat distinctive, but that is definitely the most unusual meat I have ever eaten and the only time I know of I have eaten a pure carnivore.

[Serpentine]

Unless it's mince :smallyuk:

My husband and I started getting kangaroo mince instead of beef (since it was cheaper) but gave it up because kangaroo mince is just plain nasty. It really doesn't work very well.Whaaaaaaaaaaaat :smalleek:
I adore kangaroo mince. I actively avoid beef and lamb mince now in favour of it - the others look pale and flabby in comparison. Even my Boy, who isn't especially fond of other 'roo products, was a sad panda when Woolies was out of 'roo mince and we had to get beef. Makes a great spaghetti bolognese. What did you do with it?

Having never had kangaroo, why is it considered awesome? The fact there's a consensus on this makes me curious and hungry.It's almost completely fat-free, and when cooked properly (hot and fast for steaks and fillets) is very tasty - I think sort of like a ridiculously lean and sorta solid lamb. Like extra-red lamb.
It's also better for the Australian environment: 'roos don't drink as much water, fart as much nor eat as much grass as cattle and sheep, and their feet aren't as bad for the soil.

[Kittenwolf]

Whaaaaaaaaaaaat :smalleek:
I adore kangaroo mince. I actively avoid beef and lamb mince now in favour of it - the others look pale and flabby in comparison. Even my Boy, who isn't especially fond of other 'roo products, was a sad panda when Woolies was out of 'roo mince and we had to get beef. Makes a great spaghetti bolognese. What did you do with it?


Yeeeeeeeeeeees!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry, several of my friends have expressed quite a bit of confusion when I make roo bolognase. Glad to know I'm not the only one :smallbiggrin:

[Brother Oni]

Human tastes just like pork.


:smalleek:

You can find a lot of references to it in historical documents, where it's referred to as 'the long pork'.

I haven't had many of the more exotic meats people have listed here. Snake, rabbit, pheasant is about all I've had (outside of seafood).
My father's had cat before - since you need an old one for the most flavour, the meat apparently is quite chewy unless you marinate it well.

[Feytalist]

Note to self: Never annoy Feytalist and then turn into a shark...

Heh. I might just sig that :smallbiggrin:

[Rising Phoenix]

Um. I've had Roo, squid, cuttlefish, abalone and octopus and that's about it.

These days I actively avoid eating any tuna, swordfish, grouper, cod or any other fish caught in long lining as it's not sustainable...

Also I'd avoid eating monkey... not only because most bush meat is not managed sustainably, but also of all the diseases you can get from it.

[Lady Moreta]

Definitely sounds like you got a bad batch. Did you get it supermarket or meat market?

Supermarket. Coles to be exact.


Whaaaaaaaaaaaat :smalleek:
I adore kangaroo mince. I actively avoid beef and lamb mince now in favour of it - the others look pale and flabby in comparison. Even my Boy, who isn't especially fond of other 'roo products, was a sad panda when Woolies was out of 'roo mince and we had to get beef. Makes a great spaghetti bolognese. What did you do with it?

Made nachoes out of it (with nacho seasoning). I don't recall ever using it in any pasta dish, but that's not to say we didn't.

[Coidzor]

Unless it's mince :smallyuk:

My husband and I started getting kangaroo mince instead of beef (since it was cheaper) but gave it up because kangaroo mince is just plain nasty. It really doesn't work very well.

I have heard however, that it makes a very good steak. I keep thinking I should try it, since I really can't stand fat and kangaroo is meant to be extremely lean.

That's probably why it's a poor choice for mincing or grinding, then, as you need a certain percentage of fat in your mince for it to work.

I can't recall offhand how well 'Roo blends with other meats, but one method to consider would be to mix it with another minced meat form. For example, one of my friends' fathers is rather fond of taking very low fat ground beef (I can't recall if it's ground sirloin offhand) and combining it with minced ham. Or if feeling really lazy, finely diced ham in order to make a rather punny hamburger.


Dog tastes like beef but sweeter.

IIRC this is one that's highly dependent upon what the dog was eating, sort of like bears. Wherein the best bears are the ones who weren't subsisting on fish or garbage.


Human tastes just like pork.

I heard humans were generally a bit gamier, sort of like opossum without special prepwork.


I've just picked up Kangaroo, and some Buffalo hamburgers. Have absolutely no idea how the Buffalo is going to go, but it shall be interesting to find out.
Kangaroo of course is pure, concentrated awesome in meat form.

Depends on where you acquire the Buffalo, by all accounts. And how you treat it.

Then again, I might be thinking of Bison.

[Serpentine]

That's probably why it's a poor choice for mincing or grinding, then, as you need a certain percentage of fat in your mince for it to work.Except, you know, we have two or three other people saying it does work, and very well :confused:

[Shadow of the Sun]

I should mention that all of the things above I killed, cleaned and prepared myself. Excepting perhaps the shark. I'm a regular old Great White Hunter, I am :smallbiggrin:

...even the elephant?

[Mauve Shirt]

Besides the mystery meat served in cafeterias, the strangest meats I've ever had are all shellfish, which aren't very strange at all. If only I'd been here when my sister made muskrat pie.

[Coidzor]

Except, you know, we have two or three other people saying it does work, and very well :confused:

And you've been qualifying that by saying it's only if you don't treat it like other minced meats.

[Serpentine]

And you've been qualifying that by saying it's only if you don't treat it like other minced meats.No, I haven't. Ever. At all. I said the steaks and fillets are best cooked hot and fast. Mince, you use as normal. Even if I had said it can use some special cooking, that certainly doesn't even suggest that it's "a poor choice for mincing".

[Feytalist]

...even the elephant?

Yep. That hunt was probably the high point of my hunting experience. I had to use our guide's rifle, since I don't own a calibre near large enough for elephant hunting.

It was a relatively old bull, as they were culling the herd. I was allowed to take the shot, because my family has connections with the owner of the sanctuary. We had to get special permits regardless, and we weren't allowed to even touch the tusks, heh. 'Course, we had a whole team of trackers and butchers along with us, and we had to clean the carcass right there in the veld. I had to help too, heh. Elephant skin is tough.

We made a fire right there, cut the steaks and grilled it. The rest of the meat went to the native trackers. It's really not pleasant at all. The meat is tough and rubbery, and tastes like nothing at all, really.

[Coidzor]

Hmm, now let's see, what's the strangest meat I've had...

Probably rabbit, because although it's mammalian, it ended up having the consistency of chicken on all of the occasions I've partaken of it. To the point where the people I've eaten it with have been confused by the bones not being chicken bones.

Most exotic is a toss up between boring old alligator and boring old american bison.

Been wanting to try ostrich and kangaroo for the longest time... Although, I must admit, those seem to be on the pedestrian end of exotic. Having trouble thinking of anything truly strange aside from the earlier mentioning of cuttlefish upthread.

[Yora]

I like wild boar. It's just worlds away from plain old pork. They aren't anywhere the same.

Though I am not too fond of deer. Really doesn't doo it for me.

[Tonal Architect]

I'm curious about how whale tastes like; I know that whale meat has some market to it in japan, but I don't think it's served regularly anywhere else in the world.

Has anyone ever given greenpeace reason to hate them?

[polity4life]

Raw sea urchin.

Imagine the color grey has a flavor and imagine jello mixed with sand. Raw sea urchin!

Squid jerkey is exceptional if you can find it. Asian food markets may have it and it's a nice treat.

Curious on the tarantula bit, what exactly do you eat? I know in South America the legs are cooked and seasoned to be something akin to a french fry. Do you eat the body? Is the head even edible? Is there a readilby available analog? Not saying that I want to give it a go; anything with more than two eyes is evil in my book and certainly doesn't merit ingestion.

[Serpentine]

I'm curious about how whale tastes like; I know that whale meat has some market to it in japan, but I don't think it's served regularly anywhere else in the world.

Has anyone ever given greenpeace reason to hate them?My high school Japanese exchange student had. Didn't seem too fond of it, said it was greasy and fatty and blech.

[Tonal Architect]

My high school Japanese exchange student had. Didn't seem too fond of it, said it was greasy and fatty and blech.

I've always thought it to be a delicacy that the japanese managed to circumvent their way around enviromental laws and treaties in order to keep to themselves. I guess I was wrong.

[EmeraldRose]

I have to admit, when I saw this thread, my first thought was regarding the stuff you find in the back of the meat drawer when you are cleaning out the fridge. You know what I mean. The mystery meat. The stuff that may or may not actually be meat any more. The stuff that you feel is safer to just dispose of in the container without opening, rather than risking your life trying to clean it and reuse that tupperware.

Unless of course, you are one of those people who can't resist opening and smelling something, even when you know it has got to be the most horrible thing you ever smelled.

And then after nearly fainting dead, you hold it out to the nearest person, and go, "GAH! This is the WORST thing I EVER smelled! Smell it!!!"

[Serpentine]

I've always thought it to be a delicacy that the japanese managed to circumvent their way around enviromental laws and treaties in order to keep to themselves. I guess I was wrong.Huh? :smallconfused: She was Japanese. She ate it in Japan. Not sure you were right, but there's nothing here to suggest that you're wrong.

[Yora]

I've always thought it to be a delicacy that the japanese managed to circumvent their way around enviromental laws and treaties in order to keep to themselves. I guess I was wrong.
That's the really weird part. The Japanese really don't like that stuff that much. The whalers make massive surplusses that can't be sold, but the government is paying huge subsedies to keep the catching quotas up.

[Tonal Architect]

Huh? :smallconfused: She was Japanese. She ate it in Japan. Not sure you were right, but there's nothing here to suggest that you're wrong.

Sorry, maybe the meaning I was intending to convey got lost in translation.

What I meant is that the aforementioned item can't really be placed anywhere near "Yummy, tasty! I want some!" delicacy category, and instead falls into the "traditional part of the local food repertoire" category, albeit one that's not really pleasing to the taste buds.

At least the overall overly fat part does give that impression.

edit:
That's the really weird part. The Japanese really don't like that stuff that much. The whalers make massive surplusses that can't be sold, but the government is paying huge subsedies to keep the catching quotas up.

What do they do with the surplus, then? :smallconfused:

I've read somewhere the japanese have a special permit that allows them to hunt whales for scientific purposes (whatever that means), and that they've kept the country fed during the harsh aftermath of WWII from the products of whaling, making the whaling trade some sort of tradition, but I'm not sure how all of this info adds up.

[THAC0]

Bison is good, antelope is better, caribou is the best.

Rabbit's okay, as is porcupine.

[Archonic Energy]

I have to admit, when I saw this thread, my first thought was regarding the stuff you find in the back of the meat drawer when you are cleaning out the fridge. You know what I mean. The mystery meat. The stuff that may or may not actually be meat any more. The stuff that you feel is safer to just dispose of in the container without opening, rather than risking your life trying to clean it and reuse that tupperware.

Unless of course, you are one of those people who can't resist opening and smelling something, even when you know it has got to be the most horrible thing you ever smelled.

And then after nearly fainting dead, you hold it out to the nearest person, and go, "GAH! This is the WORST thing I EVER smelled! Smell it!!!"

the first thing i thought of was this (http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Strange_Meat) i've had buffalo, it makes good healthy burgers, i wanted to try some of that fermented shark they have in iceland but alas mother couldn't bring any home
i've had deer, rabbit, phesent, and pigeon
i've also had quail & duck eggs but hardly noticed a difference.
i really should get hold of an ostrich egg and make the mother of all omlettes!

also i've had kobe wagu beef... i want that again!
and i'm planning a trip to heston's fat duck. that should be an experience!

[Admiral Squish]

This thread is useful to me. *steeples fingers*

[Asta Kask]

I've eaten bear. Not very good, sort of dry.

[H Birchgrove]

Whaling has a long history in Japan, since the land can't produce enough food for the population, and because whale oil has historically been an important commodity. Almost directly when Japan had surrendered at the end of WWII, General MacArthur, in his infinite wisdom, ordered that Japan's whaling fleet should be allowed to proceed with hunting again, since it would produce cheap and nutritious meat for the population and whale oil for exports. (Including as payment on war debt.)

There is no excuse for hunting dolphins though. It even contains too much mercury for human use, but it's sold as "whale meat". :smallfurious: Parents had to stop school restaurants from serving dolphin. (Good for them!)

Edit: Partially ninja'd.

[Asta Kask]

the first thing i thought of was this (http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Strange_Meat) i've had buffalo, it makes good healthy burgers, i wanted to try some of that fermented shark they have in iceland but alas mother couldn't bring any home.

It mostly tastes and smells like ammonia. For my money, surströmming is worse.

[Yora]

i wanted to try some of that fermented shark they have in iceland but alas mother couldn't bring any home
Probably got confiscated as illegial bio-weapons. :smallbiggrin:

[Weezer]

The 'strangest' meat I've eaten is stuff my friends hunted then ate. So squirrel, pheasant, elk and venison are the limits of the weird things I've tried.
Though I did go to a Ukrainian restaurant in NYC over the summer, nothing identified the type meat used beyond that fact that it was 'meat'. My friend advised me not to ask what they were actually feeding me, it tasted wicked good though, so I was happy with it.

[Bhu]

http://www.danslowbutchers.co.uk/recipes.htm

http://alaskaoutdoorjournal.com/Departments/Recipes/Game/

I've tried the occasional recipe from these sites when I can find the appropriate ingredients. They might have something for the game enthusiasts here.


http://www.backwoodsbound.com/recipe.html

http://www.cookwildgame.com/

http://www.bowhunting.net/susieq/

http://www.huntingnet.com/cookbook/

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/martin/wildrecipes/

http://www.justgamerecipes.com/index.html

http://www.wildliferecipes.net/index.asp

[H Birchgrove]

Sorry, maybe the meaning I was intending to convey got lost in translation.

What I meant is that the aforementioned item can't really be placed anywhere near "Yummy, tasty! I want some!" delicacy category, and instead falls into the "traditional part of the local food repertoire" category, albeit one that's not really pleasing to the taste buds.

At least the overall overly fat part does give that impression.

edit:

What do they do with the surplus, then? :smallconfused:

I've read somewhere the japanese have a special permit that allows them to hunt whales for scientific purposes (whatever that means), and that they've kept the country fed during the harsh aftermath of WWII from the products of whaling, making the whaling trade some sort of tradition, but I'm not sure how all of this info adds up.

Dog food would be my guess.

[Keld Denar]

Beaver tail is delicious. Completely lean, no fat on it. Beaver in general is BAD. No lean, ALL fat. Blech. Tail, however, pan sear on high heat with a little butter and even less garlic salt. Nom nom nom!

I killed and butchered my own deer 2 years ago. Got a bunch of steaks and ground venison. Butchering is HARD WORK! Wow! Still, makes it taste extra delicious.

NEVER eat a bear when he's on the fish. Repulsive. Bear on the berries, however? Sweet and marbley. Yum.

Other than that, I've had what, 2-3 dozen different types of fish, mostly lake trout, whitefish, walleye, and chinnok or coho salmon.

Canadian goose (not worth the time it takes to clean one!), pheasant, woodcock, roughed grouse, and various types of duck are good. Cleaning grouse is the easiest...step on the wings, pull on the feet, and pluck the breasts out from the half of the bird you are still holding.

On top of that, I've had squirrel and rabbit, but they were stewed in with so much cream of mushroom soup that they coulda been tofu for all I knew.

I think that's about it. I've killed porcupines before, but I've never been brave enough to try to eat one. Like a beaver, all they do is eat and poop and aquire fat reserves. Blech!

[Asta Kask]

Boar is good. Mum has eaten guinea pig, but doesn't recommend it.

[THAC0]

I think that's about it. I've killed porcupines before, but I've never been brave enough to try to eat one. Like a beaver, all they do is eat and poop and aquire fat reserves. Blech!

Really aren't all that bad. I got mine in the spring so their fat reserves were low, maybe that was it. Slow-cooked to tenderize. Not bad at all.

[Orzel]

I once had a list of all the meats I ate.
I have to add snake and turtle to my list.

Which reminds me that I need to eat 1 more new animal this year. :smallannoyed:

[Shadow of the Sun]

Apparently Galapagos turtle is the most delicious meat ever.

...I'd advise people not trying it, though.

[Shyftir]

Weirdest one I ever had was Moose. It was a bit stringy but I had it in a sauce so I can't really vouch for flavor.

Also Swordfish is delicious. (Not Marlin, that poisonous or so I heard.)

Forgot Crayfish. But that's really not weird. Like miniature freshwater lobsters. Also kind of like shrimp. (No, I didn't suck the head, no matter how much my East Texan uncle tried to convince me it was the best part.)

[Lady Moreta]

Except, you know, we have two or three other people saying it does work, and very well :confused:

Yeah... I think the failure was more on our part than the mince's part :smallsmile: It tended to taste fairly weird with the nacho seasoning, I think it didn't suit being turned into Mexican :smalltongue:

[Kittenwolf]

From what I remember Nacho seasoning does tend to dry out meat a bit more than usual, that probably didn't help :)

[Lady Moreta]

From what I remember Nacho seasoning does tend to dry out meat a bit more than usual, that probably didn't help :)

Heehee, probably not :smallsmile: and we add water, then reduce it down to increase the flavour which probably didn't help either :smalltongue:

[llamamushroom]

I really want to try kangaroo nachos, now. Possibly do some SCIENCE! and make kangaroo, beef, chicken, and other meat nachos all at once, compare, blah-di-blah.

Grr. Stupid Chinese apartment, not having a kitchen. :smallannoyed:

It is possible that my forgetting breakfast this morning is influencing my desire for science...

To answer the "how do you eat tarantula?" question posed a little while back, it was deep-fried on a stick. Just skewered from abdomen to thorax, dipped in boiling oil for a bit, tossed in the generic spices they put on everything, and given to me. It all went down my gullet, eventually - a lot of tourists wanted my picture with it.

And Feytalist, my granny would be very disapproving of you eating elephant, I suspect. She's loved them ever since she was the first to ride the baby one in Johannesburg (spelling?) zoo when she was 5. Believe me, she can pack quite a wallop when she wants to.

Has anyone tried a Balmain Bug? I hear they basically taste like crayfish, but I haven't ever had them.

[AtlanteanTroll]

Also Swordfish is delicious. (Not Marlin, that poisonous or so I heard.)
Swordfish is actually pretty high in Mercury. You shouldn't eat it frequently.

I'm not very adventurous with food, so the oddest meat I've ever eaten is Octopus Sashimi. Nasty stuff. Very bland and the texture was horrible. I have a big sensitivity to texture.

[Rising Phoenix]

Whaling has a long history in Japan, since the land can't produce enough food for the population, and because whale oil has historically been an important commodity. Almost directly when Japan had surrendered at the end of WWII, General MacArthur, in his infinite wisdom, ordered that Japan's whaling fleet should be allowed to proceed with hunting again, since it would produce cheap and nutritious meat for the population and whale oil for exports. (Including as payment on war debt.)

There is no excuse for hunting dolphins though. It even contains too much mercury for human use, but it's sold as "whale meat". :smallfurious: Parents had to stop school restaurants from serving dolphin. (Good for them!)

Edit: Partially ninja'd.

Whaling at the moment is unsustainable as most populations are (trying) to recover from the huge impact of the whaling industry. Unfortunately some species will never recover it seems (e.g. Blue Whales)

[Yanagi]

I've read somewhere the japanese have a special permit that allows them to hunt whales for scientific purposes (whatever that means), and that they've kept the country fed during the harsh aftermath of WWII from the products of whaling, making the whaling trade some sort of tradition, but I'm not sure how all of this info adds up.

Wikipedia has a full article. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whaling_in_Japan)

Relative to your last point:

Due to its low food self-sufficiency rate, around 40%, Japan relies on stockpiling to secure a stable food supply. As of 2009, Japan's 1.2 million ton seafood stockpile included nearly 5000 tons of whale meat. Japan has started to serve whale meat in school lunches as part of a government initiative to reduce the amounts. However, there has been criticism of serving whale meat to school children due to allegations of toxic methyl mercury levels. The World Wildlife Fund has also estimated that the Japanese government has had to invest $12 million into the 2008–09 Antarctic whale hunt alone just to break even, and that subsidies in total have amounted to approximately $150 million since 1988.

As whale meat is in general heavily contaminated by Mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls, it constitutes a health risk. Thus children and pregnant women are advised to refrain from eating whale meat

[Bhu]

Whale is mostly fat anyway. You seen whale bacon? Absolutely disgusting. You know it's bad when even the Japanese refuse to eat it.

[H Birchgrove]

Whaling at the moment is unsustainable as most populations are (trying) to recover from the huge impact of the whaling industry. Unfortunately some species will never recover it seems (e.g. Blue Whales)

It's really sad, I don't dispute the ecological wrongness of whaling. I'm just saying that the economical - and humanitarian - reasons for whaling should not be forgotten, at least historically speaking. You may have heard about how Norwegians struggled financially before they struck oil (and gas) in the North Sea? They would have suffered even more if they had not hunted whales, in order to produce and sell whale oil.

Thank goodness for kerosene. At least it made making lamp oil from whale oil obsolete. :smallsigh:


Whale is mostly fat anyway. You seen whale bacon? Absolutely disgusting. You know it's bad when even the Japanese refuse to eat it.

It's good fat though, just like fish and seal. (Good as in "healthy", not as in "tasty", though I don't know about that since I haven't eaten whale meat or whale margarine.)

With the risk of sounding sinophobic: It's the (mainland) Chinese who have traditionally eaten "anything that moves", due to poverty, wars and famine. Which makes me wonder why I haven't heard about a Chinese whaling fleet, considering that the neighbouring Japan and Russia have been whaling *a lot*.

[Brother Oni]

Whale is mostly fat anyway. You seen whale bacon? Absolutely disgusting. You know it's bad when even the Japanese refuse to eat it.

According to my wife, who's Japanese, it's really only the older generation that eat it anyway, which ties in with the Wikipedia page's comments on it being introduced on a large scale post WWII.

I doubt it's because it's because of it being excessively greasy though. I've had beef while over there and they force feed the cows so much that the strips of beef for yakiniku have visible fat nodules in it, giving it an excessively greasy taste and feel once cooked.

Mind you, my mother-in-law was absolutely shocked when she first saw the standard size of a sunday roast beef joint. :smalltongue:



With the risk of sounding sinophobic: It's the (mainland) Chinese who have traditionally eaten "anything that moves", due to poverty, wars and famine. Which makes me wonder why I haven't heard about a Chinese whaling fleet, considering that the neighbouring Japan and Russia have been whaling *a lot*.

Not sure actually. Hong Kong and the surrounding areas are renown for their seafood, but I've never seen anything larger than shark for sale or served (even then it was only their fins in soup).

Maybe whales tend to stay out of the warmer southern Chinese seas, so the culture of catching and eating whale never took off in Southern China? The flaw with that theory is that it doesn't explain why it didn't take off in the cooler northern ports.

[Kittenwolf]

Verdict of Buffalo burgers.
Unusual taste, but actually quite tasty.

[Shadow of the Sun]

Also, taste is cultural.

Native Australians hunt dugong for cultural ceremonies and then eat it- one of my professors has actually eaten it.

The best bits of meat were saved for the tribal elders - ala, they boiled up the fat and a bit of meat in a can and ate it as a soup. My professor and the younger members of the tribe had to stick the the worst bits of meat- the lean steaks, for example.

In a culture where meat is an uncommon thing to consume - pre-industrial agricultural societies, for example, which would include Japan - the high fat parts of meat are loved, because they provide some covering to the bones that can help in times of hunger and provide dietary needs.

Older people, especially in Japan that didn't modernize as quick as the West did, would probably have a taste for fatty meat like whale because, well, when they were young, they didn't have any of it at all.

[Brother Oni]

In a culture where meat is an uncommon thing to consume - pre-industrial agricultural societies, for example, which would include Japan - the high fat parts of meat are loved, because they provide some covering to the bones that can help in times of hunger and provide dietary needs.


According to anecdotal evidence I've read, red meat wasn't commonly eaten by lower caste people and was reserved for when they were sick (additional nutrition to help convalesence).



Older people, especially in Japan that didn't modernize as quick as the West did, would probably have a taste for fatty meat like whale because, well, when they were young, they didn't have any of it at all.

I disagree with the speed of modernisation reason. Without straying too far into politics, Japan was essentially forced at gunpoint into modernising from its pre-industrial age around the late 1850s. In the 1950s, Japan's technology was sub-par, but by the 80s (and arguably today), their innovation was state of the art and world leading.

[Shadow of the Sun]

Brother Oni: I will admit, I phrased that incorrectly.

The Japanese did modernize very quickly. I should have said they didn't modernize as early as the West did.

[Mono Vertigo]

I'm very, very fond of ostrich meat, and I agree kangaroo steaks are pretty good. And now you guys made me hungry for ostrich. :smallsmile:
Now, I remember that back in Thailand, I've seen snake, dog, scorpion and rat meat being sold (but didn't touch any of these). Has anyone ever tasted rat?

[Ricky S]

I always find it amazing what people actually will eat. Unless it is poisonous then I am sure it has been eaten many times and even when it is posionous people still eat it (blowfish).

Perhaps we would be better off trying to name foods that no one has ever eaten before and then go out and eat them?

[Brother Oni]

I always find it amazing what people actually will eat. Unless it is poisonous then I am sure it has been eaten many times and even when it is posionous people still eat it (blowfish).


With regard to fugu, it's only a very specific part of the fish that is poisonous and careful preparation leaves it safe to eat.
However I do agree that people will eat anything even if it is poisonous - Casu marzu (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casu_marzu) in Italy, or snake venom gland in Thailand, for example.



Perhaps we would be better off trying to name foods that no one has ever eaten before and then go out and eat them?

I believe there was a thread a while ago about a Japanese researcher that processed sewage mud into an edible form (http://www.odditycentral.com/videos/researcher-creates-artificial-meat-based-on-human-excrement.html), so that probably tops the list in both availability and un-appetising form.

[Asta Kask]

Yeah, but that story was a hoax.

[Brother Oni]

Yeah, but that story was a hoax.

I hadn't heard that actually.

Mind you, alternate sources of protein like soya/mycoprotein becoming the norm while the 'real' stuff is reserved for special occasions or the rich, isn't too far outside the realms of possibility.

[Bhu]

To answer the "how do you eat tarantula?" question posed a little while back, it was deep-fried on a stick. Just skewered from abdomen to thorax, dipped in boiling oil for a bit, tossed in the generic spices they put on everything, and given to me. It all went down my gullet, eventually - a lot of tourists wanted my picture with it.



You cn fire roast them too.



With the risk of sounding sinophobic: It's the (mainland) Chinese who have traditionally eaten "anything that moves", due to poverty, wars and famine. Which makes me wonder why I haven't heard about a Chinese whaling fleet, considering that the neighbouring Japan and Russia have been whaling *a lot*.

I know but japan has some pretty messed up stuff they eat too. Sort of like "if it comes from the sea it must be edible. There's a mollusc of some sort they eat that looks like a pile of rotting garbage. To cook you place in the middle of a grill, and shove it back into place with a stick as it tries to slowly flee :smalleek:


I'm very, very fond of ostrich meat, and I agree kangaroo steaks are pretty good. And now you guys made me hungry for ostrich. :smallsmile:
Now, I remember that back in Thailand, I've seen snake, dog, scorpion and rat meat being sold (but didn't touch any of these). Has anyone ever tasted rat?


Nope. But heres a few possibly nsfw links for you:
http://www.jabulela.com/food-drink/how-rat-cooked

http://www.squidoo.com/freaky-foods

[MlleRouge]

A friend's dad slipped me some opossum once, at least that's what I was told.

All I know is that the meat in question was amazingly greasy, unfamiliar and foul. When I demanded to know what it was, that's what I was told :smallmad:


Also, my stepdad's restaurant used to serve shark. It's good, but I won't eat it for conservation reasons.

[Avaris]

Most exotic things I've eaten were horse meat and icelandic fermented shark. Don't really remember the shark, but the horse was part of one of the nicest lasagnes I've ever had (we were only told it was horse after eating it Most people on the trip said they wouldn't have eaten it if they knew, I wanted seconds :smallbiggrin:)

I also now refuse to eat beefburgers, as venison is so much better. Less fat, better taste, less smell when you cook it.

[Pokonic]

Well, for one thing, attempt to find a place that has Camel hump. Yes, that lump of pure fat. Best thing ever to get melted and used in lew of regualer butter.

Alpaca is... interesting. Its like good goat, but slightly chewy. Not as eqine tasting as I expected.


Now, I remember that back in Thailand, I've seen snake, dog, scorpion and rat meat being sold (but didn't touch any of these). Has anyone ever tasted rat?

Snake is fine, if you like reptile. Be sure its not a protected species, tho. Scorpions are a bit like a very large piece of crunchy shell. No real flavor, add spices and lemon and you could be eating a big shell-on shrimp for all you know.

As for rat: Never, EVER eat one that has been caught in city limits. Now, I do expect someone would have the decency to raise them themselves, so this is my say in it: they, when raised or caught wild, are fine to eat. Now, you can say all you want about it, but any small mouse-like creature raised fully on a diet of apples and other veggies taste quite nice when roasted. Nothing differing from the taste of, say, a rabbit.




I know but japan has some pretty messed up stuff they eat too. Sort of like "if it comes from the sea it must be edible. There's a mollusc of some sort they eat that looks like a pile of rotting garbage. To cook you place in the middle of a grill, and shove it back into place with a stick as it tries to slowly flee

Call me horriable for saying this, but I think there is something in the water around that island. Between the general crazy inventions that come out of that place and the amount of tentical monsters that are imagined up, I can only assume that R'lay is a few miles off the coast and that the so called "food" are just the result with a pact with Dagon. After all, what other country had the idea to eat small octopuses alive, let alown raw!

[H Birchgrove]

Not sure actually. Hong Kong and the surrounding areas are renown for their seafood, but I've never seen anything larger than shark for sale or served (even then it was only their fins in soup).

Maybe whales tend to stay out of the warmer southern Chinese seas, so the culture of catching and eating whale never took off in Southern China? The flaw with that theory is that it doesn't explain why it didn't take off in the cooler northern ports.

Interesting. :smallsmile:


I know but japan has some pretty messed up stuff they eat too. Sort of like "if it comes from the sea it must be edible. There's a mollusc of some sort they eat that looks like a pile of rotting garbage. To cook you place in the middle of a grill, and shove it back into place with a stick as it tries to slowly flee :smalleek:

:smalleek: :smallamused:


Call me horriable for saying this, but I think there is something in the water around that island. Between the general crazy inventions that come out of that place and the amount of tentical monsters that are imagined up, I can only assume that R'lay is a few miles off the coast and that the so called "food" are just the result with a pact with Dagon. After all, what other country had the idea to eat small octopuses alive, let alown raw!

ROTFL :smallbiggrin:

[Pokonic]

Maybe whales tend to stay out of the warmer southern Chinese seas, so the culture of catching and eating whale never took off in Southern China? The flaw with that theory is that it doesn't explain why it didn't take off in the cooler northern ports

It could be something to do with a distinct lack of ports in Russia and upper china. As for southern china, I think I recall from somewere that the Whale was a sign of good luck, so it would be bad for everyone to eat one.

[H Birchgrove]

It could be something to do with a distinct lack of ports in Russia and upper china. As for southern china, I think I recall from somewere that the Whale was a sign of good luck, so it would be bad for everyone to eat one.

Gotta love superstition. :smallamused:

[Pokonic]

Gotta love superstition.

Hey now, its not superstition, its praticality.

Are you going to poke the giant animal with a pointy stick in the middle of the ocean?

[Brother Oni]

I know but japan has some pretty messed up stuff they eat too. Sort of like "if it comes from the sea it must be edible. There's a mollusc of some sort they eat that looks like a pile of rotting garbage. To cook you place in the middle of a grill, and shove it back into place with a stick as it tries to slowly flee :smalleek:


Had that once. It was... interesting to see it cooked, to say the least.
I personally don't agree with the method of cooking (I dislike unnecessary suffering), but it was tasty.

About the only piece of sushi I've tried and disliked is sea urchin or uni sushi, which is much about taste as it is appearance (http://http.cdnlayer.com/smoola/00/00/c8/261dcdbc37b96760_m.jpg).


After all, what other country had the idea to eat small octopuses alive, let alown raw!

That's the Koreans (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sannakji). :smallannoyed:



Are you going to poke the giant animal with a pointy stick in the middle of the ocean?

Didn't stop all the other nations with a history of whaling. :smallamused:

[H Birchgrove]

Also, according to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whale_meat#History), one of the reasons for whaling was to make sea travel safer. (Remember that most ships were made of wood back then.)

Sea urchin or uni sushi looks like rice porridge coloured with saffron. :smallconfused:

[Bhu]

Call me horriable for saying this, but I think there is something in the water around that island.

I'd call it the industrial waste that blows over from china yearly in toxic storms, and the after effects of several nuclear bombs...

[dgnslyr]

Shark fin, if it could count as meat, is about as delicious as it is politically incorrect. There's something satisfying about eating a chunk of the ocean's most perfect predator.

[AtlanteanTroll]

Whale is mostly fat anyway. You seen whale bacon? Absolutely disgusting. You know it's bad when even the Japanese refuse to eat it.

They were selling this at a restaurant I ate at in Nagasaki. :smallsigh:

[THAC0]

I've never had muktuk (whale) myself, but my friend said it was like eating shrimp-flavored chewing gum.

[Bhu]

They were selling this at a restaurant I ate at in Nagasaki. :smallsigh:

Does it taste nearly as bad as I'm told?

[Anuan]

I've never had muktuk (whale) myself, but my friend said it was like eating shrimp-flavored chewing gum.

Isn't muktuk beluga whale specifically? Inuit, right?

[THAC0]

Isn't muktuk beluga whale specifically? Inuit, right?

Inuit, Inupiaq, etc, but not specifically beluga.

[Viktyr Gehrig]

Now, I remember that back in Thailand, I've seen snake, dog, scorpion and rat meat being sold (but didn't touch any of these). Has anyone ever tasted rat?

Leaner, gamier squirrel. I've only ever eaten city rats-- as a matter of necessity-- so it had a nasty chemical aftertaste. I'm quite sure that domesticated rats would taste far, far better.

Grasshoppers are good. Taste the way that fresh-cut grass smells. They're good fried but even better in chocolate fondue.

I have a strong preference for game meats over livestock meats.

[Winter_Wolf]

Having tried dog meat, I can say with absolute certainty that I will never eat it again. Stringy and tough, the texture is not pleasant. The spices and seasoning were good, but once you got past that, the actual flavor of the meat was just really really bland. You could boil up a piece of old shoe leather and have more or less the same gustatory experience as I had. Also, and this is important if you own a dog, they can smell it on you if you've eaten dog meat, and they will NOT come near you.

I really like raw octopus, but detest it in cooked form. Squid is the opposite case for some reason. I once had horse sashimi, but all I can say regarding that, is the meat tasted like horses smell. Not really my thing.

Maybe a more relevant question though, is if you've grown up eating certain kinds of meats, what would you consider "strange meat"? I grew up eating moose meat, ptarmigan stew, caribou, and several varieties of fish which simply cannot be had outside of the region I grew up in. NONE of those things tasted like chicken, just FYI. :smallwink:

I consider lobster a strange meat, myself. I've had it, and frankly I just don't see the attraction taste wise. If drowning it in butter is what it takes to make it tasty, then by that logic pretty much anything (like that old shoe leather I mentioned) could be made tasty if you apply enough butter to it. :smallbiggrin:

[Tirian]

Also, and this is important if you own a dog, they can smell it on you if you've eaten dog meat, and they will NOT come near you.

Wait. Really? If I eat dog meat, dogs will leave me alone? Hmmm....

[Pokonic]

Wait. Really? If I eat dog meat, dogs will leave me alone? Hmmm....

Interesting. I know have a uncle of mine I need to call up.

"Self-deprication ended"

[Asta Kask]

Moose tastes very well. I'll try to have some when Serpentine visits Sweden.

[Viktyr Gehrig]

Maybe a more relevant question though, is if you've grown up eating certain kinds of meats, what would you consider "strange meat"? I grew up eating moose meat, ptarmigan stew, caribou, and several varieties of fish which simply cannot be had outside of the region I grew up in. NONE of those things tasted like chicken, just FYI. :smallwink:

Meat is meat. It's good for you. I refuse to eat apes unless there is no other meat available, and I refuse to eat human until I've run out of lesser apes. After that, though, it probably wouldn't take me very long.

I consider insects and arthropods strange, though. It never even occurred to me that they were edible until I learned that other cultures eat them, and the effort in catching them seems to outweigh the reward. On the other hand, the ones I've had were delicious.

[Tirian]

I consider lobster a strange meat, myself. I've had it, and frankly I just don't see the attraction taste wise. If drowning it in butter is what it takes to make it tasty, then by that logic pretty much anything (like that old shoe leather I mentioned) could be made tasty if you apply enough butter to it. :smallbiggrin:

Well, yeah. The only reason people eat escargot is because it is (unfortunately) considered gauche to just drink a glass of garlic butter.

[Pokonic]

Well, yeah. The only reason people eat escargot is because it is (unfortunately) considered gauche to just drink a glass of garlic butter.

Well, most people.:smallbiggrin:

[Coidzor]

Well, yeah. The only reason people eat escargot is because it is (unfortunately) considered gauche to just drink a glass of garlic butter.

That's what edible fungus is for. :smallconfused:

[H Birchgrove]

Moose tastes very well. I'll try to have some when Serpentine visits Sweden.

Nice!

OT: Has she said anything about what towns she'll visit?

[Anuan]

I believe there's a link in her sig. However, I shall perform the ancient ritual chant for the Summoning of the Serpentine.


Aiyyyolum Herisius Reptilium, Snaykus Extolum, Notanagaobjectai...

[Serpentine]

I am summoned! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xY8Rp4GOPag&feature=related)
Moose tastes very well. I'll try to have some when Serpentine visits Sweden.83 <3 I would verily like that.

The plan now is basing myself in Largs with the very kind KuReshtin and looking for work in the UK. If I can't find any work, or not very good/well-paying work I'll have to live on my savings 'til I run out and have to come home - which will mean just hanging out in the UK and doing what I can there. If I can find good-paying work, I'll use my savings to travel: I'm thinking of getting one of those round the world tickets and visit ALL the places!
Realistically, I should be able to get a good enough job to pay most of my day-to-day costs, I think, and should at least be able to visit Europe. Including Sweden, if there's promise of moose :3
Nice to know someone's still interested, thanks :smallsmile:

I posted a great big post about all the different meats I've eaten but my 'net eated it :smallfrown: ...and then I couldn't be bothered doing it again. (it very almost happened again! :smalleek:)
Here we go again, then, anyways. Beef, lamb (probably mutton at some point), chicken, duck, pork... All pretty standard. Dunno if spatchcocks count - teeny little chickens*. Similar for duck and quail eggs. Also quail and pidgeon. And "duck chin" and chicken feet.
We've already covered kangaroo. I've also had crocodile (some pubs sell croc steaks), snake (just once, think it was nice enough) and witchetty grub (also just once - like a sandy paste wrapped in prawn shell. Balmain bugs (I wrote up a big history of it last time... Can't be bothered this time, too bad :smalltongue:), lobster, crab, prawns, oysters, mussels, octopus, squid... Don't really consider any of that weird, though. Yabbies are maybe slightly odder. Tasty, but.
Apparently having eaten lots of different fishes is weird? :smallconfused: In that case... I don't even know how many I've had. Off the top of my head, there's been swordfish, trout, salmon (whole, steak, fillet and sashimi), mullet, jewfish, gummishark, whatever shark "flake" is, dolphinfish, I think parrot fish, tuna (raw and steak), whiting, sardines (fresh as well as tinned - pretty tasty fried), bream (fillet and whole, including self-caught), flathead... Plenty of others, just can't think of them. I'd like to find out how to cook carp without it tasting like mud - I think the town I went to high school could benefit from such knowledge.
Ummmm... Emu's pretty good. Think there's something else, but I forget... Lots more I want to try, though - especially honeypot ants.
There is little, I think, I wouldn't eat because of squeamishness, but there are some things I'd refuse to eat for ethical reasons - mostly endangered species (unless it wasn't hunted for food, e.g. died of natural causes, had to be put down, etc), dolphins, whale, primates, etc (same exceptions as endangered species), most types of live food - i.e. food eaten while it's still alive; that idea completely disgusts me (things like honeypot ants and witchetty grubs I'd squish the head first).

*"spatchcock" actually refers to a type of preparation to which teeny chickens are particularly suited to, but I think referring to the chickens themselves as spatchcock is probably common enough for that to be the definition now anyways.

[Asta Kask]

I am summoned! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xY8Rp4GOPag&feature=related)83 <3 I would verily like that.

Realistically, I should be able to get a good enough job to pay most of my day-to-day costs, I think, and should at least be able to visit Europe. Including Sweden, if there's promise of moose :3

Nice. Yeah, I'll try to get hold of moose - it's not in season but I don't think that matters. One thing I'll definitely be able to get hold of is pickled herring, which is something we Swedes can never get enough off. I'll spare you the surströmming... :smallbiggrin:

ETA: And we have a zoo here with moose, so you'll be able to see them as well. I don't think Australia has anything that size (up to 1500 lbs.), so you should be suitable impressed.

[H Birchgrove]

Awesome post, Serpentine!

[Serpentine]

Heh. Thanks...
Nice. Yeah, I'll try to get hold of moose - it's not in season but I don't think that matters. One thing I'll definitely be able to get hold of is pickled herring, which is something we Swedes can never get enough off. I'll spare you the surströmming... :smallbiggrin:I'd try it - just don't expect me to like it :smalltongue:

ETA: And we have a zoo here with moose, so you'll be able to see them as well. I don't think Australia has anything that size (up to 1500 lbs.), so you should be suitable impressed.Not native, but we do have some pretty substantial zoos with elephants and so on. And feral camels and buffalo...

[H Birchgrove]

I know Russians think we Swedes are crazy with our fish in sweet sauce and sweet bread. :smallbiggrin:

[AtlanteanTroll]

Does it taste nearly as bad as I'm told?

Didn't eat it. I don't have the heart (or the gut) too.

[Asta Kask]

Has anyone had dog or cat?

[THAC0]

Has anyone had dog or cat?

I haven't myself, but I know some people who've eaten wolf, coyote and lynx. They tend to receive mixed reviews.

[AtlanteanTroll]

Has anyone had dog or cat?

Math Teacher has accidentally eaten dog. She said it tasted fine, but after being told it was dog, she vomited.

[Pokonic]

Has anyone had dog or cat?

I only felt slightly bad after knowing it was dog. It tasted fine, altho a bit leaner than what the meal called for. It was tastier than Fido had the right to be, however. I blame the tasty sauce on that part.

I could never eat a cat ,however, on account of being a proud owner of one. I would never eat a turtle as well, considering that I would feel guilty because my little Boxy has a tank in my room, and it has been there a long time. It would feel like I was eating a lifelong pet.

All mammels, birds, and fish,isopods, and other animals with no attachments to me are fair game, however.:smallbiggrin:

[Serpentine]

Has anyone had dog or cat?Do a search through the thread. A bunch of people have said they have.

[Feytalist]

I suppose if you haven't actually grown up near the ocean, seafood might count as strange.

I live in a coastal town, and I'm pretty fond of all sorts of fish and shellfish. And it's readily available, which I'm sure helps. We regularly have lobster, crab (river crab has the most amazing rich taste), crayfish, mussels, oysters, perlemoen (which I believe is actually called abalone), even sea roaches. You grill them on an open fire, they burst open like popcorn. Truthfully, it's not really all that good, heh. A kind of a fatty, oily seawater taste.

Another regional delicacy is bokkoms, essentially just small dried fish. Somewhat like kippers, but not spiced or smoked at all. Just dried. Also not that good.

[Serpentine]

Oooo, you have abalone? It's absurdly expensive here (as in, say, $100 for a 100g serving).

[Feytalist]

Oooo, you have abalone? It's absurdly expensive here (as in, say, $100 for a 100g serving).

Heh. Over here you pretty much just walk knee-deep into the tide pools and go pick a few.

It's very strictly regulated though. Size and amount regulations are strictly enforced. Perlemoen smuggling is a huge problem along the coast. But if you feel like it, you can pretty much just go harvest a few at any time.

[Asta Kask]

I could never eat a cat ,however, on account of being a proud owner of one.

a) the cat owns you

and

b) would happily eat you if need arose.

[Serpentine]

Heh. Over here you pretty much just walk knee-deep into the tide pools and go pick a few.

It's very strictly regulated though. Size and amount regulations are strictly enforced. Perlemoen smuggling is a huge problem along the coast. But if you feel like it, you can pretty much just go harvest a few at any time.Coooool :U Where do you live, again?

[Feytalist]

Coooool :U Where do you live, again?

South Africa. Specifically, along the southern coast. Even more specifically, right at the southernmost tip of Africa.

An area which, as I've said, is pretty bountiful with regards to seafood and fishing :smallsmile:

[Viktyr Gehrig]

Has anyone had dog or cat?

I ate the neighbor's dog once. It was disgusting and I don't recommend it.

But I suppose it probably wasn't a very well fed dog, considering the circumstances under which I had to kill it.

[Coidzor]

I've often wondered about cat, considering I've been stuck with over 20 of them at a time and it seemed like good payback for barfing on my shoes...

On the other hand, I'm leery of the idea with many cats because of cat food and if it contains even 10% of the fish it's supposed to, there'd probably be enough built up mercury in the cat to cause a pregnant woman problems just from being in the same room as someone eating the cat. I may just be unduly paranoid about mercury though.

[Tirian]

Even without the mercury, I think you've got a good point that you should stay away from eating any animal that eats cat food. My (layman) understanding is that dog food is made out of premium cuts of meat by comparison, so cats are potentially collecting the heavy metals from the organs of cows and pigs and chickens as well as fish.

[Dire Moose]

I've passed up opportunities to do so in the past, but I'd really love to try ostrich sometime, as it's the closest one can get to eating a dinosaur.

I'm told it tastes like really lean beef, which is the main reason I dislike the assumption that "dinosaurs must have tasted like chicken."

[Shadow of the Sun]

Nah, if you really want exotic, you gotta go to Siberia, where you can eat mammoth.

[AtlanteanTroll]

Nah, if you really want exotic, you gotta go to Siberia, where you can eat mammoth.

I was going to say, hasn't Mammoth been served once on some ridiculous occasion?

[Asta Kask]

Mammoth Soup. (http://www.mainlesson.com/display.php?author=belloc&book=more&story=frozen&PHPSESSID=24206077492cf6095dee9d5d9f845f75)

[llamamushroom]

Mammoth... mammoth soup?! How? Why?!

[Bhu]

Even without the mercury, I think you've got a good point that you should stay away from eating any animal that eats cat food. My (layman) understanding is that dog food is made out of premium cuts of meat by comparison, so cats are potentially collecting the heavy metals from the organs of cows and pigs and chickens as well as fish.

A lot of cat/dog food is puffed corn/rice sprayed with rancid fat and flavored with meat considered unfit for human consumption.

[Shadow of the Sun]

Mammoth... mammoth soup?! How? Why?!

In Siberia, you can find still perfectly preserved mammoth corpses in the permafrost. They dig 'em up and eat 'em.

[pffh]

My high school Japanese exchange student had. Didn't seem too fond of it, said it was greasy and fatty and blech.

That's only if it's improperly cooked. If the cook knows what he's doing it's really really delicious.

Lets see what have I eaten that other people would consider weird:
Fermented shark (an aquired taste to say the least), sheep testicles and face (om nom nom tasty the tongue is the best part), horse and pony (pony with bernaise sauce and fries is my favourite dish), whale (see above), kangaroo (tastes kinda like reindeer), reindeer (tastes kinda like kangaroo), squid and octopus (tastes like rubber and no taste respectively) and that´s about it I think.

[Dire Moose]

The mammoth meat thing is mostly an urban legend. There was no mammoth meat served at scientific banquets, and while a few starving Siberians may well have tried it it's hardly common.

Plus, would you really want to eat 15,000 year old meat?

[pffh]

The mammoth meat thing is mostly an urban legend. There was no mammoth meat served at scientific banquets, and while a few starving Siberians may well have tried it it's hardly common.

Plus, would you really want to eat 15,000 year old meat?

I would try it. Then again I will taste all food at least once before writing it off.

[Shadow of the Sun]

The mammoth meat thing is mostly an urban legend. There was no mammoth meat served at scientific banquets, and while a few starving Siberians may well have tried it it's hardly common.

Plus, would you really want to eat 15,000 year old meat?

As an anthropology student, it was included in one of my textbooks. I'm inclined to think that it did indeed happen.

[turkishproverb]

:smalleek:

He's lying. it tastes more like really crappy squirrel.

[Rising Phoenix]

Oooo, you have abalone? It's absurdly expensive here (as in, say, $100 for a 100g serving).

I've had it twice... for free... cause we know people in the industry. It's delicious. It has the texture of chewy chicken but tastes like scallops.

Also to those of you who have had octopus and squid and thought it bad. You've obviously not had it done the proper way. A well marinated, tendered octopus melts in the mouth... yum...

[No brains]

...pony (pony with bernaise sauce and fries is my favourite dish)...

It tastes like magic!:belkar:


He's lying. it tastes more like really crappy squirrel.

Crappy is an odd qualifier for any kind of squirrel; it assumes there is some that are good. Also, don't call me a liar, turkishdelight. :smallamused:

[THAC0]

Also to those of you who have had octopus and squid and thought it bad. You've obviously not had it done the proper way. A well marinated, tendered octopus melts in the mouth... yum...

Oh god yes. There's this italian place in Anchorage that does the most fantastic calimari steaks.

I heard somewhere that it's actually legal to take... things that aren't octopi or squid and sell them as calamari. This, I think, might be part of the "people not liking it" problem.

[Bhu]

squid and octopus (tastes like rubber and no taste respectively) and that´s about it I think.

Squid can be good if properly marinated/spiced, its just a real pain getting the cooking time down. The time separating when its under cooked (rubbery) and overcooked (rubbery) is less than a minute.

[Tirian]

turkishdelight. :smallamused:

I know it's not a meat, but don't get started on Turkish Delight. After a lifetime of build up, I had this piece of barely flavored wax-gelatin in my mouth and was thinking "Edmund betrayed Narnia for THIS?" Ech.

[AtlanteanTroll]

I know it's not a meat, but don't get started on Turkish Delight. After a lifetime of build up, I had this piece of barely flavored wax-gelatin in my mouth and was thinking "Edmund betrayed Narnia for THIS?" Ech.

You had some very bad Turkish Delight my friend. Very bad.

[Yanagi]

The mammoth meat thing is mostly an urban legend. There was no mammoth meat served at scientific banquets, and while a few starving Siberians may well have tried it it's hardly common.

Plus, would you really want to eat 15,000 year old meat?

In The Gulag Archipelago Solezhenitsyn describes a case of just this: starving prisoners doing forced labor up in the permafrost regions of Kolyma unearthed intact frozen fossils and proceeded to devour them.

Edit: I don't recall what it was they dug up.

[Dark Elf Bard]

I once ate ostrich, weasel, and meerkat stew. It was actually quite delicious!











:amused:

[dgnslyr]

Sea cucumber is worth trying. It, like most Chinese delicacies, is pretty much tasteless, so the flavor comes from the sauce. It's got a chewy texture, and is pretty good as long as you don't think too hard about the fact you're eating a very phallic starfish. well they're both echinoderms so close enuff

[Serpentine]

I know it's not a meat, but don't get started on Turkish Delight. After a lifetime of build up, I had this piece of barely flavored wax-gelatin in my mouth and was thinking "Edmund betrayed Narnia for THIS?" Ech.I can honestly say I've never eaten Turkish delight that tasted anything resembling that :smallconfused: If anything, most of the time I find it too sweet.

I had a squid, chorizo, bean and spinach thingy today. It was tasty P:

[Feytalist]

True turkish delight actually has a much different flavour and texture than the ones we usually get (those pink and white sickeningly sweet squares). Much less sweet and with nuts and stuff in. Actually quite nice. Best if eaten with some Turkish coffee :smallbiggrin: I never really liked the other ones. Too sweet.

And in the old sense, it would be called sweetmeats :smallwink:

[Serpentine]

Vanilla and pistachio Turkish delight is pretty good.

[Yanagi]

Feytalist--

You ever eaten mopane worms?

[Feytalist]

Feytalist--

You ever eaten mopane worms?

Yup. Only in a kind of a stew thing, though. Never tried the dried ones.

Not really something I'll try again, though. Tastes... not really much like anything, really. Kind of like a bit of sinew, actually.

[turkishproverb]

It tastes like magic!:belkar:



Crappy is an odd qualifier for any kind of squirrel; it assumes there is some that are good. Also, don't call me a liar, turkishdelight. :smallamused:


I'd be quiet if I were you. It's just one less organ to remove. :smallwink:

[Rising Phoenix]

Vanilla and pistachio Turkish delight is pretty good.

mmm, rose flavored ones are also real good.

[Serpentine]

Yeah, rose is definitely my favourite. I was just referring to the sort with nuts and things in them.
I was once sent some Grecian delight. From Greece fo' realz. One of them tasted like some sort of cleaning product... <.<
(the rest were tasty)

[Asta Kask]

Any of Australians had dropbear? :smallwink:

[paddyfool]

The good:
Buffalo
Ostrich
Shark (not really that weird anyway)
Goat (not really that weird anyway)
Pigeon
Grasshoppers
Horse

The not-so-good:
Elephant (left me feeling unusually guilty, too - never again)
Camel
Crocodile

[H Birchgrove]

Don't feel guilty about elephant meat if it was shot legally; some reservations in Africa need to shoot some elephants because there are too many elephants in a limited area. (They would eat up all the tree leaves.)

[Feytalist]

Yes, for culling. Although you still need a permit for that, regardless. See my post a few pages back.

[Rising Phoenix]

Yeah, rose is definitely my favourite. I was just referring to the sort with nuts and things in them.
I was once sent some Grecian delight. From Greece fo' realz. One of them tasted like some sort of cleaning product... <.<
(the rest were tasty)

As a Greek I get the real deal... frequently... thankfully I can only have one at a time...

[Yanagi]

Yup. Only in a kind of a stew thing, though. Never tried the dried ones.

Not really something I'll try again, though. Tastes... not really much like anything, really. Kind of like a bit of sinew, actually.

Thanks for the description. I'm always curious about staple foods.

[Feytalist]

Thanks for the description. I'm always curious about staple foods.

No problem.

Mopane worms is actually a staple for a large part of the population, here. You can buy tinned worms in the markets. Pickled, in tomato stew, the whole lot.

[dgnslyr]

Hmm. Wikipedia to the rescue! That... actually sounds pretty good, once I get over the fact that I'm eating a caterpillar. It's funny how I wouldn't find anything odd about eating sea cucumbers, or bird spit, but the idea of eating a bug doesn't sit well with my mind.

[paddyfool]

Don't feel guilty about elephant meat if it was shot legally; some reservations in Africa need to shoot some elephants because there are too many elephants in a limited area. (They would eat up all the tree leaves.)

I take the point, but I still feel guilty about eating intelligent creatures. (Pigs are my great guilty pleasure).

[Starwulf]

I take the point, but I still feel guilty about eating intelligent creatures. (Pigs are my great guilty pleasure).

Have you ever seen a pig on a farm? If not, please, don't worry about the pig being intelligent. The most intelligence they show is entirely malevolent when they realize you're about to take them to the slaughter-house. I remember one night trying to help my friend and his parents catch a hog they were trying to catch because they were going to slaughter it and roast it for a Fourth of July picnic the next day. Damn thing took great delight in trying to run into our legs and knock us down. But other then that? It's like they are mentally inept. Just gnosh all day long and stare vacantly at nothing while ****ting wherever they please.

[Serpentine]

And just how much mental stimulation do they get in their pens? They've been demonstrated to be more intelligent than dogs, you know. I bet if you gave them more opportunities to exhibit their intelligence, they'd do so - how much would you be able to show in the same conditions?

[Moonshadow]

Any of Australians had dropbear? :smallwink:

Maybe if it were possible to catch one... unfortunatly, all attempts have failed... generally because the last thing people hear is a strange whistling sound before everything goes black.

[Tirian]

Just gnosh all day long and stare vacantly at nothing while ****ting wherever they please.

Seems to me that anyone who can get away with living their life like that is smarter than I am.

[Starwulf]

And just how much mental stimulation do they get in their pens? They've been demonstrated to be more intelligent than dogs, you know. I bet if you gave them more opportunities to exhibit their intelligence, they'd do so - how much would you be able to show in the same conditions?

I have no idea if what you say is true or not, I've certainly never heard such a thing, and I've lived in rural country all my life, but I can tell you this much: My best friends family didn't keep their pigs in a small cramped pen, they were given free-roam of the yard, several football fields worth of space, and they were still the dumbest creatures I've ever laid eyes on. Certainly nowhere near the intelligence of even the dumbest mutt I've owned ^^

[Das Platyvark]

Squirrel is delicious, but really tough.

[paddyfool]

I have no idea if what you say is true or not, I've certainly never heard such a thing, and I've lived in rural country all my life, but I can tell you this much: My best friends family didn't keep their pigs in a small cramped pen, they were given free-roam of the yard, several football fields worth of space, and they were still the dumbest creatures I've ever laid eyes on. Certainly nowhere near the intelligence of even the dumbest mutt I've owned ^^

I've heard this before (hence the guilt). Here's the best article I found on this from a quick google search. (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/10/science/10angier.html) Interesting, no?

[Anuan]

I have no idea if what you say is true or not, I've certainly never heard such a thing, and I've lived in rural country all my life, but I can tell you this much: My best friends family didn't keep their pigs in a small cramped pen, they were given free-roam of the yard, several football fields worth of space, and they were still the dumbest creatures I've ever laid eyes on. Certainly nowhere near the intelligence of even the dumbest mutt I've owned ^^

Ever worked with sheep? Only things dumber than a sheep are a box of rocks, and various forms of fowl. In descending order of intelligence.

[Starwulf]

Ever worked with sheep? Only things dumber than a sheep are a box of rocks, and various forms of fowl. In descending order of intelligence.

Sadly, the only animals my friends family raised were Chickens, Emus, Ducks, Pigs, and they kept a horse around which loved to throw me off every chance it got ^^ No cows or Sheep, so I can't say I know much about their level of intelligence.

[Serpentine]

I have no idea if what you say is true or not, I've certainly never heard such a thing, and I've lived in rural country all my life, but I can tell you this much: My best friends family didn't keep their pigs in a small cramped pen, they were given free-roam of the yard, several football fields worth of space, and they were still the dumbest creatures I've ever laid eyes on. Certainly nowhere near the intelligence of even the dumbest mutt I've owned ^^Sure, a field. Glad to hear they had free-range pigs, but it's still not exactly mentally stimulating.
Anuan posted an article on the subject, I believe. There's also been a documentary that showed experiments where they directly pitted a pig and a dog against one another in various tests of intelligence. The pig won every time.

[Starwulf]

Sure, a field. Glad to hear they had free-range pigs, but it's still not exactly mentally stimulating.
Anuan posted an article on the subject, I believe. There's also been a documentary that showed experiments where they directly pitted a pig and a dog against one another in various tests of intelligence. The pig won every time.

Unfortunately I can't get that article to load. I ask this though: Was the pig just a normal pig, taken directly from the wild? Or was it one that had been taught in a lab? Was the Dog given the same learning opportunities as the Pig was? I'll be 100% honest, I am very skeptical that a pig has anywhere near the intelligence of a Dog, given equal time spent with both animals in the same type of environment. My own experiences just don't line up, and beyond that, I've read hundreds of stories were dogs did these absolutely amazing things, yet I've never once read any story about a pig doing anything extraordinary(like saving someone's life). If I can get that article to load, I'll give it a look, but I have a feeling it's likely a pig in a lab setting where it had special attention, whereas the dog, while probably pedigreed, likely wasn't given the same teachings and learning opportunities.

Edit: Well, I got that article to load, and it appears to have nothing to do with the pitting of Pig vs Dog, just the general attributes of a pig. Interesting read, but didn't particularly strike me as anything overwhelming. Kinda don't want to get into what I do and don't agree with on it, as lately I've had this annoying tendency to derail threads, and considering I've been following this thread from the start because I find it interesting all the crazy things people will eat, I don't want to see it taken to far off-topic. I will ask though, if you can, PM me with a link to the stuff you were talking about, the pitting of Pig and Dog in Intelligence tests.

On another note: The craziest thing I've ever eaten was Octopus! It was, as far as I know, raw. It was in 2nd grade(so, a LOOOONNG time ago), a kid in my class brung it and Seaweed to class. Neither of them tasted particularly good. Other then that, I've never even had lamb before.

[Serpentine]

Various (http://chris-mclaughlin.suite101.com/the-intelligent-pig-a84448) sources (http://sla-divisions.typepad.com/dbio/2009/11/the-intelligence-of-pigs.html) of various (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pig) types (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tfbf5DHcUcs) on the (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iz1sf-LDPFc) intelligence (http://www.varkensinnood.nl/files/Pig%20intelligence.pdf) of pigs (http://www.dissertations.wsu.edu/Thesis/Spring2005/a_gifford_012105.pdf).
If this doesn't satisfy you, I recommend tracking down the citations in several of these.

[paddyfool]

Well, here's another article. (http://chris-mclaughlin.suite101.com/the-intelligent-pig-a84448) (EDIT: Ninja'd).

Back on topic: personally, I don't view octopus as all that crazy. It is tasty, though.

[Starwulf]

Well, here's another article. (http://chris-mclaughlin.suite101.com/the-intelligent-pig-a84448) (EDIT: Ninja'd).

Back on topic: personally, I don't view octopus as all that crazy. It is tasty, though.

Did you have it raw, or was it cooked and seasoned? It was, admittedly, many many years ago, but I just remember it being extremely rubbery, with a fairly bleck taste, which would indicate Raw. I'm not a fan of raw ANYTHING, or even rare(I eat my Steaks Well-done, and Well-done ONLY), so that's likely the source of it.

I guess I view anything outside of staple food-groups for where I live to be "Crazy". So, Cow, Pig, and Chicken, alongside certain types of fish, cooked in very specific ways. Some of the stuff I've seen on this thread, I can't even begin to imagine actually putting it in my mouth. On the other hand, some of the stuff makes me want to actually try it, like Buffalo, or Kangaroo.

[Serpentine]

Octopus is nummy P: I made a whole baby octopus salad thing once, was pretty good. Can't imagine it'd be very nice raw, but I'd try it.
Seaweed's okay. Mostly just good with sushi, I think.

[dgnslyr]

Seaweed is delicious, depending on how it's prepared, though it's not exactly a meat. :smallconfused:

[Bhu]

Did you have it raw, or was it cooked and seasoned? It was, admittedly, many many years ago, but I just remember it being extremely rubbery, with a fairly bleck taste, which would indicate Raw. I'm not a fan of raw ANYTHING, or even rare(I eat my Steaks Well-done, and Well-done ONLY), so that's likely the source of it.

I guess I view anything outside of staple food-groups for where I live to be "Crazy". So, Cow, Pig, and Chicken, alongside certain types of fish, cooked in very specific ways. Some of the stuff I've seen on this thread, I can't even begin to imagine actually putting it in my mouth. On the other hand, some of the stuff makes me want to actually try it, like Buffalo, or Kangaroo.

Octopus and squi are rubbery only if under cooked or over cooked. Unfortunately the span of time between each of these states is extremely small so experience cooking them helps. It also sounds liek the cook didnt season it

[Serpentine]

Either hot and fast or long and slow, not much in-between. I've had octopus hot and fast, and stuffed squid tubes long and slow, btw. Both were nummingly tender.
Side-note: I judge a fish and chip shop by the tenderness of its calimari.

[Rising Phoenix]

Either hot and fast or long and slow, not much in-between. I've had octopus hot and fast, and stuffed squid tubes long and slow, btw. Both were nummingly tender.
Side-note: I judge a fish and chip shop by the tenderness of its calimari.

YUUUUUUUMMMMM... Stuffed calamari is amazing... My favorite combo is feta cheese, red capsicum, green olives, tomato with vinegar and lightly toasted bread that sucks in all the juices... Damn I miss good Greek food.

[H Birchgrove]

I take the point, but I still feel guilty about eating intelligent creatures. (Pigs are my great guilty pleasure).

"Dogs look up to man. Cats look down to man. Pigs look us straight in the eye and see an equal."
- Winston Churchill

Yeah, I guess I should feel more guilt about eating meat... But I don't! :smalleek: (Despite loving Charlotte's Web from 1973 and similar stories.)

"Meat is murder but [also] tasty"
- Graphitti on a concrete wall in Norrköping

Thanks for all the interesting articles and videos about clever pigs! :smallcool:

[Yanagi]

Anybody got a website/book recommendation for cooking squid/octopus at home?

I've had great squid out at restaraunts--especially grilled over charcoal--but can't figure out what they did such that I can replicate it.

[No brains]

Octopi are supposedly very clever too, some kinds at least. I would feel worse about eating polpo than pig because a pig would probably have close to a boring human outlook, the the chance to try and eke information out of a creature that has such a different world and viewpoint would seem too much to pass up.

Then again, I'm talking about them as if they were nearly as intelligent as people. While other sapient creatures are a fun thought they're still epochs away. Hey! Maybe the evolutionary stress of fishing octopi into near-extinction will drive them to develop faster! Evil, for the win!

[death pig]

I once ate a weasel!

[Winter_Wolf]

I once ate a weasel!

On purpose? I mean, did you make a conscious effort to eat it, or was it more of a "here's some mystery meat" deal? Details! How was it prepared, what did it taste like, seasoning, texture.