What Every Omnivore Should Eat — According to Andrew

Over at Very Good Taste, they have a little challenge. They put together a list of 100 foods that they think every good omnivore should try at least once. I could add a few things to this list — based on strange, and usually unfortunate things I've eaten — like beaver, cow's foot or steak and kidney pie.

Want to play along? Here’s what you do:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating. (Julia’s note: I’ll try anything once… at least a small bite)
and let me know the things you think are missing from the list!

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison (I even have a few pictures of the deer, but I don’t think you want to see them J)
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile (probably when I was 19)
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi (see below for my recipe)
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses (yummy, creamy, salty goodness)
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes (and I don’t particularly recommend it)
19. Steamed pork buns (best part of Chinese Dim Sum)
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper – I’ve eaten other varieties raw.
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut – though I do prefer my Reuben’s with coleslaw.
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O (I’m thinking I had one during my college years, but I must have black it out)
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects (- chipolines in Oaxaca Mexico)
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal (I must have had one when I was in junior high school)
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
A most unfortunate experience. The durian barely hit my tongue before I spit it out.
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
So close, I had a tasting menu at Le Bristol in Paris, only a two star restaurant
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam – I’m proud to say no!
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake – In the bayou country of Louisianna

For a grand total of: 81!
What's your score?

1 lb. cauliflower, separated into florets
3 tbs. ghee
½ tsp. brown mustard seed
½ tsp. cumin
pinch fenugreek
½ tsp. turmeric
3 slices fresh ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 onion, finely sliced
1 tomato, chopped
1 fresh green chili, sliced
½ tsp. salt
Heat ghee and fry mustard seeds until they start to pop. Add cumin, fenugreek, turmeric, ginger, garlic and onions. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are soft.
Add cauliflower, and stir until well coated. Add tomato, chili, 1/4 cup of water and salt, and cook covered for 15 minutes, or until cauliflower is tender.