Chicken of the cave maybe
Foreign Food Horrors
- Thread starter That Jekka Gal
- Start date
Traditional Hákarl in Iceland has to be the worst thing I've eaten.
They take whale shark meat, which is poisonous because of the high urea content, and then bury it in the sand for a couple of months to ferment. Then dig it up and dry it for another 5 months before eating.
Smelt like pee and tasted like fishy cheese... not something I'd care to repeat!
/Salsa
They take whale shark meat, which is poisonous because of the high urea content, and then bury it in the sand for a couple of months to ferment. Then dig it up and dry it for another 5 months before eating.
Smelt like pee and tasted like fishy cheese... not something I'd care to repeat!
/Salsa
Caporegime
They won’t even use Balut eggs as a bushtucker trial as they’re so sick.
Soldato
Sea slugs/cucumber are a particular low. Pig uterus wasn't great either.
Soldato
Chitlins .........
).
Soldato
Never eaten it but French bum sausage smells gross. Troyes du Andouillette is a sausage made from pork, onions, tripe and intestines in a casing made out of the pigs colon. Got to have a strong stomach to eat that.
Eaten Guinea pig in Peru, llama and Alpaca in Bolivia, Durian fruit in Thailand, Crocodile in Cambodia and kangaroo in Australia
Eaten Guinea pig in Peru, llama and Alpaca in Bolivia, Durian fruit in Thailand, Crocodile in Cambodia and kangaroo in Australia
I've mentioned it on here before but the most disgusting thing I have eaten is sour cod semen (Japan).
I've eaten some pretty rank things in China (as well as many amazing dishes) and one that comes to mind was a plate of some sort of connective tissue linked with joints. It had no real flavour but just a horrible texture.
I've eaten some pretty rank things in China (as well as many amazing dishes) and one that comes to mind was a plate of some sort of connective tissue linked with joints. It had no real flavour but just a horrible texture.
Associate
Well, 1 mile down the road from my work is a restaurant that always has a small headless dog on a spit, (I assume a different one every day).
Toads are widely sold in markets here and field rats are a popular southern delicacy. The general rule with protein in Vietnam is 'if it wasn't moving when you purchased it, avoid...' Refrigeration is little used and none existent in markets where 80+ % of food is purchased daily.
I once accidently visited a donkey factory in China, and then stupidly ended up eating the meat thinking it was Ham, it is drier but looks similar cold.
Toads are widely sold in markets here and field rats are a popular southern delicacy. The general rule with protein in Vietnam is 'if it wasn't moving when you purchased it, avoid...' Refrigeration is little used and none existent in markets where 80+ % of food is purchased daily.
I once accidently visited a donkey factory in China, and then stupidly ended up eating the meat thinking it was Ham, it is drier but looks similar cold.
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Associate
- Joined
- 31 Aug 2017
- Posts
- 141
I've had that once before from a high street sandwich shop in Brittany (no longer on the menu). My usual order was salami, but fancied a change.
While I could understand most of the menu, I had no idea what this was, so asked the waitress.
All I could gather was it was some sort of sausage, so gave it a go.
It came cold and smelt of nothing, but when eating it I got a slight whiff of turd.
I did not finish my sandwich
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Soldato
Cambridge Lines DFAC was the best DFAC IMHO
Caporegime
Working in Tunisia and our contact/oil company rep took us to a restaurant that served "raw blood all over the plate" mutton or goat, certainly not lamb, as described.
Twice we asked them to re cook it. Ended up not even eating it.
Our guy was quite insulted but I honestly didn't give a crap as it was my last visit to that job
Not even gonna bother with Surströmming, sewage in a can.
Twice we asked them to re cook it. Ended up not even eating it.
Our guy was quite insulted but I honestly didn't give a crap as it was my last visit to that job
Not even gonna bother with Surströmming, sewage in a can.
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Soldato
Balut eggs
Yep - had these plonked down in front of my by my team when I was over in Manila and I nearly heaved. I didn't have the courage to try them. Maybe if I'd have been drunk.
Is that the market in Hoi An?
Caporegime
Was she number four prostitute in all of Kazakhstan?
How much do you think I earn!!!!!
China (Beijing) is a culinary adventure at the best of times. You've no idea what you're getting half the time, what's written on the menu and what you get is your next best guess. You can't even rely on the pictures because they're made of ink and lies.
Some items are just beyond stupid. Like a soup with a candle underneath so it doesn't get cold, EVER, it's literally boiling ****ing hot throughout. While you try to eat gristly chicken with chopsticks and getting third degree burns in the process.
Some are disconcerting. They sell little kebabs in some bars, I wanna say kwai sticks? something along those lines. The menu will list the possible choices:
- chicken
- pig
- cow
- meat
Meat? What meat? Why list the others and not that? And why is it cheaper than the rest? This is very suspicious. It was probably dog, but honestly no idea.. it tasted ok though.
The worst though is an example of the food subverting expectations. I felt like I hadn't eaten properly in about 3 days, owing to the surprise nature of every meal, but I had a gooood feeling about tonight. We were off to a fancy Szechuan restaurant with some of my hosts more western friends. Ohhh yesss, this is gonna be great! Lots of choices on the menu, none of them say simply "meat", there are translations for every dish, and big glossy pictures of delicious food. One of them catches my eye, Szechuan style duck stir fry. It looks amazing. Big pieces of duck breast laid out on top, all the veggies, with a three chili out of five rating... perfect. I point at the picture while grinning at the hostess, "Neiga" ('that') I say - smooth, impress her with the lingo - off she goes. I sink a couple of beers, we all talk, and I excitedly wait for my meal.
Now the food is arriving. First it's a few small dishes here and there.. and then.. there it is.. la piece de resistance. On the table she places the platter of bisected duck heads, chilis, peppercorns, peppers and peanuts. The heads are cut straight down the middle, beak and all, like they'd accidentally run into a band saw. My disappointment is immeasurable, my day is ruined. I stare at the heads and look around the table. The western guy I was staying with (who lived in Beijing) just looked at it, then at me and shrugged, "China." he says. sigh. I wonder if this is just something that's not translated correctly, so I ask my friend (who speaks Mandarin but doesn't read it very well) to speak to the waitress and ask her if, in Mandarin, it specifies that it's duck heads. He calls her over and explains the situation. You can see that she doesn't really understand what he's getting at and then she turns to look at me like there's a village in England somewhere that's missing its idiot. While something clearly got lost in translation, you can understand contempt in any language, and pointing at the beaky heads staring back at us she says, as if she were talking to a two year old, "LOOK! it's DUCK!"
With what was left of my dignity, I poke around and pick up a head by the beak with my chopsticks and try a bit of tongue and cheek, there's a joke in there somewhere, and while I might have been able to muddle through this grisly scene from avian Auschwitz I realise I can't. Not because of the heads, no no, but because the meal is 50% chilis and peppercorns. It would have defeated a 10-pint-in Glaswegian curry house champion who was looking to up his vindaloo game. This wasn't food, it was chemical warfare and my eyes were sweating just looking at it. It was so hot I swear the platter was a different shape when it left the table. I eventually left the restaurant, hungry and defeated, and made for the nearest bar - Hello barkeep, 3 of your finest kwai sticks, please. What kind? Meat.
Some items are just beyond stupid. Like a soup with a candle underneath so it doesn't get cold, EVER, it's literally boiling ****ing hot throughout. While you try to eat gristly chicken with chopsticks and getting third degree burns in the process.
Some are disconcerting. They sell little kebabs in some bars, I wanna say kwai sticks? something along those lines. The menu will list the possible choices:
- chicken
- pig
- cow
- meat
Meat? What meat? Why list the others and not that? And why is it cheaper than the rest? This is very suspicious. It was probably dog, but honestly no idea.. it tasted ok though.
The worst though is an example of the food subverting expectations. I felt like I hadn't eaten properly in about 3 days, owing to the surprise nature of every meal, but I had a gooood feeling about tonight. We were off to a fancy Szechuan restaurant with some of my hosts more western friends. Ohhh yesss, this is gonna be great! Lots of choices on the menu, none of them say simply "meat", there are translations for every dish, and big glossy pictures of delicious food. One of them catches my eye, Szechuan style duck stir fry. It looks amazing. Big pieces of duck breast laid out on top, all the veggies, with a three chili out of five rating... perfect. I point at the picture while grinning at the hostess, "Neiga" ('that') I say - smooth, impress her with the lingo - off she goes. I sink a couple of beers, we all talk, and I excitedly wait for my meal.
Now the food is arriving. First it's a few small dishes here and there.. and then.. there it is.. la piece de resistance. On the table she places the platter of bisected duck heads, chilis, peppercorns, peppers and peanuts. The heads are cut straight down the middle, beak and all, like they'd accidentally run into a band saw. My disappointment is immeasurable, my day is ruined. I stare at the heads and look around the table. The western guy I was staying with (who lived in Beijing) just looked at it, then at me and shrugged, "China." he says. sigh. I wonder if this is just something that's not translated correctly, so I ask my friend (who speaks Mandarin but doesn't read it very well) to speak to the waitress and ask her if, in Mandarin, it specifies that it's duck heads. He calls her over and explains the situation. You can see that she doesn't really understand what he's getting at and then she turns to look at me like there's a village in England somewhere that's missing its idiot. While something clearly got lost in translation, you can understand contempt in any language, and pointing at the beaky heads staring back at us she says, as if she were talking to a two year old, "LOOK! it's DUCK!"
With what was left of my dignity, I poke around and pick up a head by the beak with my chopsticks and try a bit of tongue and cheek, there's a joke in there somewhere, and while I might have been able to muddle through this grisly scene from avian Auschwitz I realise I can't. Not because of the heads, no no, but because the meal is 50% chilis and peppercorns. It would have defeated a 10-pint-in Glaswegian curry house champion who was looking to up his vindaloo game. This wasn't food, it was chemical warfare and my eyes were sweating just looking at it. It was so hot I swear the platter was a different shape when it left the table. I eventually left the restaurant, hungry and defeated, and made for the nearest bar - Hello barkeep, 3 of your finest kwai sticks, please. What kind? Meat.
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Soldato
Was in a restaurant in Tokyo and the fishy thing I ordered wasn't entirely dead! slithered down easily enough and the Japanese colleagues I was thought I was going to turn green/chunder 
Soldato
I’ve had fresh Durian. I was hoping to be disgusted or delighted but disappointingly was just in the middle somewhere - smells like something died, tasted like very thick, onion-flavour custard.