Food warnings please

[co_delphi]

Like your typical stupid american, I found that going to asian markets and buying random items to be a truly interesting experience. Being that I cannot read any asian languages and speak even less suprises abound for me every time I go. Recently though I came across a truly evil product. One would normally think that anything that comes in the form of a wafer cookie would be a tasty treat. The picture on the package showed a fruit I was unfamiliar with and looked interesting. It was called a Durian fruit. Nothing ever prepared me for the foulness contained within. It smelled like rotten garlic and the smell was so pungeant that even though I was not breathing through my nose I could not get the "cookie" close enough to my mouth to taste it without triggering my gag reflex. Are there any other know evil food items for me to steer clear of that you know of?

[BluZytrix]

Wasabi green pees. They are little green pees slightly coated in yellow wasabi. Many like them, but they really aren't that good.

[PopCulturePooka]

Pre-boiled eggs.

When money is tight in your first few weeks and you just want to cook some Carbonara as its a bit of a comfort food, and you blow the last of your self-set weekly allowance buying ingrediants for it, only to get home and find the eggs are PRE BOILED, you will know what I mean.

[co_delphi]

Pre-boiled eggs.

When money is tight in your first few weeks and you just want to cook some Carbonara as its a bit of a comfort food, and you blow the last of your self-set weekly allowance buying ingrediants for it, only to get home and find the eggs are PRE BOILED, you will know what I mean.

I had to look up Carbonara to find out exactly what it was and am pleasantly surprised to find out that the ingredients are exactly what I have in my fridge. Looks like I get to try this tonight. Now as to why anyone would want pre boiled eggs is beyond me..... I mean boiling water is not exactly hard to do.

Also what exactly is going on in your avatar..... I tried watching it repeatedly but still can't figure it out.

[atomiton]

Like your typical stupid american, I found that going to asian markets and buying random items to be a truly interesting experience. Being that I cannot read any asian languages and speak even less suprises abound for me every time I go. Recently though I came across a truly evil product. One would normally think that anything that comes in the form of a wafer cookie would be a tasty treat. The picture on the package showed a fruit I was unfamiliar with and looked interesting. It was called a Durian fruit. Nothing ever prepared me for the foulness contained within. It smelled like rotten garlic and the smell was so pungeant that even though I was not breathing through my nose I could not get the "cookie" close enough to my mouth to taste it without triggering my gag reflex. Are there any other know evil food items for me to steer clear of that you know of?

Hahah!! Durian... yes indeed, it is an acquired taste. It's very popular among Chinese and Vietnamese. It's called "Stinky Fruit," it's the size of a melon, and it looks DEADLY if it fell from the tree and hit you... in fact, it could easily do so.

However, it was programmed, this marvellous creation, to only fall at night. And to think, some people things like these evolved.

It's not bad when it's fresh... quite the texture.

[General_Admission]

I've read from a woman in China on a blog or some kind of messageboard (It was like 6 months ago) who sweeps at a temple that it is popular belief that Durian tastes like a woman's snatch & that girls should marry a guy who attacks the Durian the most b/c he will be the best in bed and the most fertile.

Ever since I read that I've wanted to eat one. Only problem is that Durians imported to the US are of low quality. I want to know what a pussy tastes like! ToT

[Ziellos.ein]

erm... make an effort to get a female.

better yet, give up on trying to get one, then its almost liek you have one to the other girls(cuz you dont seem liek your needing/desprate) and youll instantly get 4.

[General_Admission]

^ On it, actually, more like they're on me. 0_o'

But I'm not going to date just any girl & I'm not going to date her just so I can taste her. That's weird.

[co_delphi]

If any of you are fans of Maxim magazine you probably will recognise the following. If not they had a monthy article involving thier Japanese art assistant Hiroki where they fed him odd things and wrote down his responces. I found this article about a month after my Durian fruit episode.

Our tender, inexperienced Japanese art assistant gets his cherry popped.

Maxim, July 2001

Asian Pear
We paid 50¢ Grown in Asia; United States
Comments: Is it a pear? Is it an apple? Is it the name of a pricey sex act in a Thai whorehouse? We’re not really sure, but it may very well be the perfect fruit.
Hiroki says: “Very nice. Taste like Asian healthy food; it’s seriously Japanese style.”
*****

Star Fruit
We paid 50¢ Grown in Southeast Asia
Comments: It’s hard not to feel good after eating a slice of delicious star fruit—unless, of course, you have bad kidneys, in which case its high potassium content can kill you. Oh, well!
Hiroki says: “Smells like tulips. It have neat shape and nice bite. I like it.”
*****

Cherimoya
We paid $3.99 Grown in South America; California
Comments: The fleshy texture of the fruit was pleasant, but the uncanny resemblance of its many seeds to dung beetles was rather unnerving. Bonus: It’s more filling than concrete.
Hiroki says: [smells, nearly falls out of chair] “Maybe it dog food again! That toe jammy.”
*****

Ugli Fruit
We paid $1.98 Grown in Jamaica; Florida
Comments: We thought this tasty cross between an orange and a grapefruit looked like Dennis Franz’ pockmarked ass. Silly us! It actually looked like Larry Hagman’s pockmarked ass.
Hiroki says: “Tastes like banana…Joking! Looks ugly, but taste is sweet.”
*****

Persimmon
We paid $1.49 Grown in Asia; United States
Comments: The persimmon looks like a tomato, tastes like an ultrasweet pumpkin, and sounds like a brand of noxious old-lady perfume. So we weren’t really sure what to make of it.
Hiroki says: “It’s good, it’s good. Why? It smells like sperm.”
*****

Durian
We paid $1 per pound Grown in Southeast Asia
Comments: This “delicacy” is banned from airplanes because of its unholy stench. Oh, and its meat looks like a human fetus. We’ve never made Hiroki vomit. Until now.
Hiroki says: [screams, retches into a garbage can] “The smell is now coming from inside me!”
KEEP AWAY!!

[kim]

Natto.

I have never had said natto, but trust me, just looking at it will make you ill.

It's fermented soy beans, and it has this white sticky film on it.. basically it's molded soy beans. I've read you either love it or hate it, but I will NEVER try it if I can help it (I'm not a fan of soy beans to begin with, much less fermented ones).

http://www.foodsubs.com/Photos/natto.jpg

[CopraSanctum]

There are two kinds of people in the world: one that loves durian and the other that hates it. I belong to the former, and strangely, so is my former French tutor. In fact, he told us that once he ate only durian for meals for three days and the experience was heavenly. However, as far as I know, most westerners can't stand the pungence of durian.

Fresh durian tastes nothing like the durian-flavoured cookie you bought; it doesn't smell that nasty, instead, it is rather fragrant. You should try putting away all the squeamish thought and eat it when you have chance. You probably will like it.

Nasty Asian foods that you should avoid:
1. Rotten beancurd
The name speaks for itself. It is a delicacy in Hongkong. Even though I have never tasted it myself and I probably won't, this stuff is quite notorious.

2. Raw, unhatched eggs with chicken embryos within
It is a delicacy in the Phillipines and its description is enough to make my stomach churning.

3. Shrimp paste
A popular seasoning in South East Asia cuisine.It is pungent especially when being cooked.

4. Fish sauce
Another popular seasoning. It smells like urine. No kidding.

[Samwise]

Natto.

I have never had said natto, but trust me, just looking at it will make you ill.

It's fermented soy beans, and it has this white sticky film on it.. basically it's molded soy beans. I've read you either love it or hate it, but I will NEVER try it if I can help it (I'm not a fan of soy beans to begin with, much less fermented ones).

http://www.foodsubs.com/Photos/natto.jpg

Quoted for emphasis. Stay away from natto. FAR AWAY. You will experience a lot of things in an asian food market. Your tastebuds manifesting a fist and choking you with your own uvula need not be one.

[hapamama]

Natto always hit me as looking like navy beans in rubber cement. I've never been close enough to smell it.

Pickled fish innards. They were selling it at the Obon Carnival at the church I went to in Los Angeles one year as a snack to eat while you drank your beer. Icky.

Fish or fruit flavored beef jerky.... eeewww.

If you've got a sensitive nose, avoid takuan, which is pickled daikon. It smells like nail polish remover, daikon and old socks. It doesn't taste too bad, but the smell is really foul.

[hapacheese]

Takuan is tasty!!!! :(

Oh, stay away from Stinky Tofu. Granted, it's a Chinese dish, but MAN, that stuff is foul.

[nice gaijin]

Speaking from experience, Natto tastes the way it smells. avoid it and keep your damned mustard to yourself.

takuan is good stuff. pungeant?

fish sauce is popular in vietnamese cooking. It has a really strong nasty smell but you aren't supposed to use that much in your dishes. Just don't spill the bottle.

if you eat durian to taste pussy then you are way too desperate, and it'll probably turn you off of women altogether.

by unhatched eggs I think you mean Baluts:
In the Filipino community in Hawaii, "baluts " are considered a real culinary delicacy. The preparation of the balut eggs involves the incubation of fresh fertilized chicken eggs for approximately 7 days. The eggs are then boiled for approximately 30 minutes and best when eaten hot as you would eat a hard boiled eggs. Duck eggs may be substituted if you have an available source. However, chicken eggs are preferable because of the prestigious position chickens hold in the Filipino communities as witnessed by the popularity of the infamous "cock fights". Baluts are generally available at these festive events.

The only thing that has almost made me gag was shrimp candy. Looks like a hard peppermint candy, tastes like concentrated freeze-dried shrimp substitute. Absolutely horrific. I'm not too fond of dried squid, but I can stomach it.

[Firefly]

2. Raw, unhatched eggs with chicken embryos within
It is a delicacy in the Phillipines and its description is enough to make my stomach churning.

Don't diss the balut! ;)

You don't eat the WHOLE THING -_-; and they're not raw, they're simi-boiled. You open it and drink the juice. You don't have to eat the duck! (tis usually a duck, not chicken)

Dinaguan is pretty good too. Seriously, don't diss it till you try it! :p

[bloop]

This thread makes me hungry....
Stinky tofu is pretty good, but it's hard to find in the States though. One restaurant had to remove it from their menu after their neighbors complained.
I also like fish sauce, shrimp paste, and dried squid.

I've tried natto twice. I don't think it's that bad. It's not good, but it wasn't as horrid as everyone said it would be. Just incredibly sticky, and I hated the mustard.

Another food I like that most Westerners find disgusting is tripe. If you're in an Asian store or restaurant, and you see a white thing with spiky flaps, you might want to avoid it. It could be pretty delicious though.

[hanacker]

Fruit-flavored beef jerkey is awesome. We bought some in Vegas and my whole family enjoyed it.

And natto smells like socks.

[limextreme]

2. Raw, unhatched eggs with chicken embryos within
It is a delicacy in the Phillipines and its description is enough to make my stomach churning.

3. Shrimp paste
A popular seasoning in South East Asia cuisine.It is pungent especially when being cooked.


#2 is called balot in the Philippines... I'm from the Philippines and I've only eaten this twice my whole life... I really can't say whether I liked it or hated it... It's just weird...

#3 well we call it bagoong never eaten it before cause I'm allergic to shrimp... I'm not even sure it it really contains shrimp...

[edit]
oh someone has already posted about balut or balot... I'm really not sure which spelling is correct :D

[Firefly]

It's balut. Bah-lUt. like...a sharp "u" sound.

Bagoong makes me really sick too. I ate it in Kare Kare once and I got so sick >_<

[h2orowe]

Man, I pretty much live in Vietnam, USA. (Little Saigon) and have never had any viet food, nor have I been in a vietnamese supermarket, and they're every other store. (I've had Boba though, but boba's a drink, and it's awesome :p)
I want to try Balut, kind of.

[akitaka]

I notice that people are often split on the topic of Chicken Feet, when ordering around Dim-Sum. It's awesome stuff.

No one I know here agrees, though.

[h2orowe]

I really love trying new foods (I'm a fat kid, what else do you expect?), so, I'd try chicken's feet.
I think the weirdest thing I ever ate, was like, little tiny octopus with the head still on, it stared at me, it was pretty good, you have to eat the tentacles, and I found out through trial and error. -.-

[Praetorian]

Kutti Pi


Heard of that on discovery, I won't go into it much more. It's really sick.

[Collapse]

It's balut. Bah-lUt. like...a sharp "u" sound.

Bagoong makes me really sick too. I ate it in Kare Kare once and I got so sick >_<


Nothing beats Balut suckers. NOTHING. Eggs boiled and sucked down for consumption always wins here.

And don't put TOO MUCH Bagoong. That stuff is greasy. Not even with Kare Kare, because the greasy taste of Bagoong doesn't go well with the peanut-esque taste of Kare-Kare. Stay away.


Second, Durian is mostly available in Davao. It has quite the stench, but before I left Manila going to Vancouver, I used to eat shitloads of Durian candy, but the fruit I can't stand.. smells quite nice after 2 hours though and in the fridge.

Another Filipino desert is Yema. It's basically condensed milk solidified and sprinkled with sugar. That stuff is great after lunch. I'd advise to give it a try to those who hasn't tried it at all. Another is Peanut Brittle. Hard yet sweet.

[Illusion]

I like durians, it's the King of Fruits! I only eat fresh durians, I don't like the manafactured products of it, it's just not the same.

The smell of durian is pleasant but it leaves a strong aroma around the place. Some people who don't like it say it smells like cat poo. Because of the smell, most hotels here banned the tourists from bringing durians into the rooms.

Durian is a love it or hate it fruit. :D

Edit: Forgot about the chicken feet, I don't really like it, it's fatty but I will eat it in Dim Sum only because I like the sauce.

[Firefly]

Another Filipino desert is Yema. It's basically condensed milk solidified and sprinkled with sugar. That stuff is great after lunch. I'd advise to give it a try to those who hasn't tried it at all. Another is Peanut Brittle. Hard yet sweet.

Halo Halo also owns. I highly reccommend it!

[hapamama]

Takuan is tasty!!!! :(

Oh, stay away from Stinky Tofu. Granted, it's a Chinese dish, but MAN, that stuff is foul.

I didn't say takuan wasn't tasty, but man, does it stink. My father-in-law (Japanese-American) doesn't even like to be in the same room as the stuff. Makes me wonder how he's managed to stay married to my mother-in-law so long. She loves takuan, fun yu (the stinky tofu crud) and pickled pigs feet.

My dad also thinks that takuan is stinky, but at least he doesn't whine and leave the room when he smells it.

[Yokohama]

I hate both natto and takuan very much. I firmly believe that those extremely smelly foods are not for human being.

Sorry for forgeting not to introduce myself, I am a Japanese.(Not a pure Japanese but 100%, I think.)

[Archkender]

Oh sweet a topic on food!
Hmmm i'm not too sure about specific Japanese foods that might be deadly, but as a Chinese person living in Canada, i've tried a bunch of questionable foods (i like them too!).

Blood Curds (Pig blood that looks like dark red tofu blocks)
- This actually has no taste. Or rather, it doesn't have any strong taste. Some people like it in congee, but i like it when they stir fry this with a vegetable. You generally eat this for the sauce it comes in.

Pig ears (flat with many spirals. kinda rubbery)
- I don't like this. I have no idea how they get an ear into this shape except maybe if it was minced and squeezed together.

Fish Heads
- Well, its not exactly the head you are eating, but it's in the head. The clear flimsy stuff. Someone can probably give a better description if they know what i'm talking about. But generally if you are lucky, this will taste great. But if the fish isn't fresh enough, whoa.... its fishy as hell.

Sea Urchin sushi
- omg, it smells bad and tastes worst. It reminds me of the smell of stale urine from the couches of a retirement home. I think this one is expensive. Despite the taste though, it has a very rich feeling on your tongue. Kinda like eating a really good egg. But uh, yeah, i don't find this appealing at all.

For chinese foods in general, expect that we use ALL parts of an animal in some bizzare dish or another. If you can psychologically get over the fact that you are eating a heart or stomach, then i recommend that you try it. It's actually tasty ;p

On another note in asian foods in general. WE LOVE SEAFOOD! So that means you can find shrimp flavoured chips, dried squid, seaweed, and any type of fishy flavour in an unsuspecting snack. I remember in my first year of university. I brought dried spiced-seaweed from home. The people who have ate it before kept wanting to steal my pile, but the people who tried it for the first time thought it was disgustingly fishy.

Well, enough rambling from me ;p
Actually, maybe not, i'll probably post more about food later when i can think of more things.

Edit: Durian is mixed for me. It smells like rotting trash and gives a horrid onion/garlic like after taste. But when i'm eating it, oh man... its godsent.

[Yoshiko]

please for the love of god, watch out for Natto.

If you like it, you get "EEEEEEEEEH? most foreigners don't like natto!" and they will try funky food experiments on you.

If you don't like it, they'll guilt trip you.

[Arvynia]

I love durian.. it's so good. You get used to the smell afterwards. The more you eat it, the more addictive it gets. It's so expensive though.

And I like chicken feet also. I'll only eat it once in a while though. Yums.

I don't like wasabi peas - it's ugh.

[caseylim]

Durian expensive...depends on breed. In malaysia we breed them, they had lots of kind. D24, D21, but D24 is the most common. besides we have kampung durian which are wild durians.

there are even red durian(yes the flesh is red).

http://www.durian.com.my/ check out to get to know more durian.