What’s Your Food Threshold (or, Do You Go to Monkey Brain)?
It’s always interesting to discover what people will eat, and why, and when (in the way that people and food are always interesting, to me at least). For example, though I’m a vegetarian, I also eat cheese, and will eat and adore the stinkiest cheese, cheese that many of my meat-eating friends who consider themselves adventuresome would never try. I also have one or two friends (such as my pal Jeremy Holt) who will eat absolutely anything, true omnivores. This interest is the levels of what someone will eat is why I find the food threshold chart below, which I found on Dana McCauley’s food blog, so much fun. While my ovo-veggie-ness leaves me only at a 5, I figure that my ability to eat nutty cheeses (and the fact that I’ll drink anything--maybe there should be a separate chart for that) may get me a few more points. Where do you fall? Are you willing to go all the way to Monkey Brain? Or do you stop at insects?
Dana McCauley on October 01, 2009 at 11:42 AM
THanks for the link! I'm sorry that I gave this chart numbers since I don't think you should feel compelled to say you are 'only a 5'. It's not about what's better or worse, just about where you draw your lines so that we can compare ourselves and start conversations about food.
M2inOR on October 01, 2009 at 12:16 PM
I seem to recall that those pepperoni sticks, like Slim Jims, use beef hearts. Yum, I guess.
I've had horse as well in Japan. Shark's Fin soup in Beijing. Bird's nest soup and duck tongue in Taipei and Shanghai. Earthworms in Beijing and Shanghai as well - another translation issue.
Organ meats? only by accident, due to a faulty French translation in Paris. It wasn't veal, it was roignons (rognons) de veau. Similarly here in Oregon at a brunch, once. Yuck. In the UK, I've heard organ meat nicknamed "pipes and valves". As a child, I stopped eating potted meat products from the can once I learned how to read.
Monkey brains? Never knowingly!
clarke thomas on October 01, 2009 at 03:31 PM
I go all the way, haven't had the opportunity for bear heart/monkey brain yet. (though I have had elk heart, that was still warm & tuna/sashimi freshly cut while at sea).
we only go around once, so might as well try it all. Just because I've had something doesn't mean I'll have it again.
HopeSew on October 02, 2009 at 06:12 AM
I don't understand why bird's nest and shark's fin rates higher/stranger than insects. Interesting chart, though.
Carrie on October 02, 2009 at 10:45 AM
I'm willing to try anything at least once. But in reality (actual foods already eaten) I'm only up to the rabbit line. Haven't had the opportunity to eat anything above that one. Rabbit is actually quite tasty - lots of little bones to deal with, though.
brustkrebs on October 02, 2009 at 11:02 PM
Successful bloggers should take steps to make these kinda contests more common so that visitors get attracted.