Weird Food

[Razade]

No, regular vinegar would be wine vinegar, at least here. And if there is something I wouldn't call vinegar is bland, it's one of, if not the, stronger condiments you can put on anything, which is why it's mostly used as a preserving agent instead.

No one said vinegar was bland. And vinegar was used as a preserving agent before it was used as a condiment because...it's just fermented liquid gone south. It kills bacteria real good.

There are exceptions in various recipes and with special kinds of vinegar, like balsamic vinegar, which is sweeter and less of a punch in the gut.
But normal vinegar around here is eye-watering, throat burning, tongue scraping, "oh God why did I used so much of this?!" material.

You don't have to explain vinegar to me :P I understand it quite well.

What color is said "regular vinegar"? Because there's red wine vinegar and white wine vinegar and they have different flavors, but both could plausibly be considered "regular vinegar."

White Vinegar is pretty much the "normal" vinegar in the states, either that or Apple Cider. There's really no such thing as "normal" vinegar. Every culture developed their own off what grew locally. Obviously Italy and the area around it used grapes considering the wine trade.

[BWR]

What color is said "regular vinegar"? Because there's red wine vinegar and white wine vinegar and they have different flavors, but both could plausibly be considered "regular vinegar."

There are a few more than two varieties.

[Togath]

Malt vinegar is a sort of brown vinegar. If you've ever had salt and vinegar crisps/chips, then you have some idea of it's flavour.

[WarKitty]

There are a few more than two varieties.

There are, but generally around here "regular vinegar" refers to either red or white wine vinegar.

[Winter_Wolf]

I'm living in the United States, but honestly I don't think balsamic vinegar is so expensive, considering how far a little goes. I used to eat it on apple slices, with a bit of fresh ground black pepper. Delicious, *cheap* snack. The same could not be said of apple cider vinegar on apples; it was horrid.

[WarKitty]

I'm living in the United States, but honestly I don't think balsamic vinegar is so expensive, considering how far a little goes. I used to eat it on apple slices, with a bit of fresh ground black pepper. Delicious, *cheap* snack. The same could not be said of apple cider vinegar on apples; it was horrid.

The catch in the U.S. is that we don't have as strict food labeling laws as a lot of places. So a lot of what passes for "balsamic vinegar" in the U.S. is not what would be recognized as genuine balsamic vinegar.

[Kalmageddon]

The catch in the U.S. is that we don't have as strict food labeling laws as a lot of places. So a lot of what passes for "balsamic vinegar" in the U.S. is not what would be recognized as genuine balsamic vinegar.

I was just about to say that.
Actually the label is somewhat loose here as well, so if you want the real stuff you have to know which area can legally produce it and look for the "traditional" balsamic vinegar instead.

[Winter_Wolf]

It's why I prefaced with "living in the United States." I'm sure loads of foods are appropriations of the traditional stuff they're based off. Trying to get proper Chinese food is a constant exercise in frustration, and my friend assures me he feels the same about Indian food. It can be had, but it's not easy and definitely not common.

So it's probably for the best I haven't had "authentic" balsamic vinegar. Can't miss it if I never had it, right?

[Caribou3]

I live in the Southern part of the US, and I've been told that Crawfish is a weird food to eat by those not from the South. Thoughts?

PS. Why do animals that literally eat crap taste so good?!

[Xyril]

I live in the Southern part of the US, and I've been told that Crawfish is a weird food to eat by those not from the South. Thoughts?

My first thought after glancing through the thread topics was that Caribou is in fact Weird Food.

[BWR]

My first thought after glancing through the thread topics was that Caribou is in fact Weird Food.

Really? Any weirder than venison?
It's good stuff, btw.

[Eldan]

I live in the Southern part of the US, and I've been told that Crawfish is a weird food to eat by those not from the South. Thoughts?

PS. Why do animals that literally eat crap taste so good?!

They are pretty normal in Europe, though the species we have are getting rare and expensive. Apparently, the German translation, once I looked it up is "River crab". So, *shrug*.

[tomandtish]

I live in the Southern part of the US, and I've been told that Crawfish is a weird food to eat by those not from the South. Thoughts?

PS. Why do animals that literally eat crap taste so good?!

My grandfather used to have awesome crawfish boils every spring. Couple hundred pounds of crawfish, corn, potatoes, garlic bread, beer... Habanero oil and spices in the pot. About 50 people.

Now I'm sad.

[2D8HP]

I live in the Southern part of the US, and I've been told that Crawfish is a weird food to eat by those not from the South. Thoughts?

It's not a usual food. But you can get it at "Soul" and "Louisiana" restaurants.

[Knaight]

It's not a usual food. But you can get it at "Soul" and "Louisiana" restaurants.

Also "cajun" restaurants and stores, at least in the West. It's not unusual so much as not a staple.

[tomandtish]

I'd even argue that if you're in the south, it's not an "unusual" food. It's a seasonal food, obviously, and (depending on where you are and how you get it) it can be an expensive food for what you get. it is one of those foods that a lot of places will price a lot more than it is really worth.

[Honest Tiefling]

I live in the Southern part of the US, and I've been told that Crawfish is a weird food to eat by those not from the South. Thoughts?

Not really. We eat big lobster, so we eat little lobster. Get on the plate you! It's rarer, but a lot of places that advertise Cajun, fried sea food, or Southern food will have it.

Here's a question: Has anyone heard of tzatziki on fried calamari rings? My husband insists it was normal where he was, but he keeps getting odd looks from people for mentioning it.

[Razade]

Not really. We eat big lobster, so we eat little lobster. Get on the plate you! It's rarer, but a lot of places that advertise Cajun, fried sea food, or Southern food will have it.

Here's a question: Has anyone heard of tzatziki on fried calamari rings? My husband insists it was normal where he was, but he keeps getting odd looks from people for mentioning it.

Tzatsiki sauce is like...one of the most popular sauces from Turkish cooking. It's not even close to a "weird" food. Tons of other Balkan States have a similar yoghurt dish. And how are calamari rings weird? Places like Olive Garden sell them. If a major U.S food chain sells them, they can't really be "weird".

[WarKitty]

Tzatsiki sauce is like...one of the most popular sauces from Turkish cooking. It's not even close to a "weird" food. Tons of other Balkan States have a similar yoghurt dish. And how are calamari rings weird? Places like Olive Garden sell them. If a major U.S food chain sells them, they can't really be "weird".

I think it's more the combination. Tzatski sauce is common. Calamari rings are common. Tzatski sauce on calamari rings is not common.

[Honest Tiefling]

I think it's more the combination. Tzatski sauce is common. Calamari rings are common. Tzatski sauce on calamari rings is not common.

Pretty much this. It's weird how picky people get on sauces.

[tomandtish]

Yeah, it's not a usual sauce (those are usually cocktail, marinara, horseradish, or mustard sauces in no particular order), but I wouldn't send a weird look at anyone for ordering it.

I tend to not eat it (tzatziki) because my wife is so highly allergic to cucumber that the smell alone can trigger anaphylaxis.

[tantric]

i put mayonnaise on my pbj sandwiches. my mom made them for me that way - 1 part homemade jelly, preferably muscadine, 1 part JIF peanut butter 1/2 part mayonnaise. mix to a slurry. the mayo adds a whang.

[javurek]

Life savers. Why would someone like to have a candy that tastes like mouth wash?!?

[Sobol]

My grandmother had a small apiary and I've tried bee larvae. A tasty and healthy food.


In Eastern Europe, we have kvass - a mildly alcoholic drink (about 1%) which isn't that weird per se, but the thing is, it's considered perfectly OK to be drunk even by three-year-olds in any quantities. I think some foreigners don't get it.
Also, it's used to make a great refreshing summer soup:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okroshka

[super dark33]

My grandmother had a small apiary and I've tried bee larvae. A tasty and healthy food.


In Eastern Europe, we have kvass - a mildly alcoholic drink (about 1%) which isn't that weird per se, but the thing is, it's considered perfectly OK to be drunk even by three-year-olds in any quantities. I think some foreigners don't get it.
Also, it's used to make a great refreshing summer soup:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okroshka

There are many former russians in here, and a lot of shops sell kvass (and other eastern european wonders like condensed milk), but i never managed to buy some because im the only one in the household to actually drink it except me :U

[Florian]

I moved from Bavaria (Southern Germany) to Brandenburg (Eastern Germany), so the former socialist part of the country. It´s pretty obvious here what impact that had on culinary arts (Each production site featured a cantina and meals were very meat-heavy to feed the workers). There was also the former cultural exchange program, so some dishes from "brother countries" were introduced by force. For some reason, the former DDR also had an overproduction of eggs and dairy products, which they solved by throwing mayonnaise in huge quantities at their citizens, along with canned fish.

So, things that look cringe-worthy at first, but are still all over the place:

- Soljanka and Borscht: Two soups with a russian origin. Tomato, red beet, shrimps, citron, sour cream, what´s not to make you run away from it?

- Schichtsalat (stacked salad) and by association, potato and noodle salad: Take healthy ingredients, then drown them in tons of Mayo.

- Würzfleisch (literally seasoned meat): One of the classics of french cuisine, Ragout Fin, in a socialist version, now with pig, mayo and topped with grilled "american cheese".

And now the absolut highlight, something everyone visiting most eat at least once, just to know why we enjoy not living in a socialist country....

- Steak au Four: Take a poor, harmless tenderloin steak and flatten it with a meat iron until it´s about 2mm thick, grill, top with Würzfleisch (see above), then top that with "american cheese", grill again until the cheese is runny, then serve with a champignon sauce and french fries.

Last but not least, the things you can do to fish...

- Brathering: Pan-fry a poor and unsuspecting herring, then marinate in vinegar and put in a can.

[Sobol]

Soljanka and Borscht

I don't like them myself. Sorrel soup and ukha are better.

Russian cuisine isn't all sour cream and butter and lots of fat. And in recent years, Christianity growing more popular again is making it healthier re-introducing lenten food.

[Bohandas]

It's not rare or uncommon but neapolitan ice cream always struck me as bizarre. How did strawberry get in there. Logically it should be coffee that completes the set, being a bean like chocolate and vanilla.

[Fri]

I always thought it's a reference to italian flag, but then I realized there's no brown (chocolate) at Italian flag.

[BWR]

i put mayonnaise on my pbj sandwiches. my mom made them for me that way - 1 part homemade jelly, preferably muscadine, 1 part JIF peanut butter 1/2 part mayonnaise. mix to a slurry. the mayo adds a whang.

I think this is pretty much the worst thing listed here. Possibly because I've never tried most of the other stuff, but I'm sure this would still be near the top of the list.

I tried kvass, but was unimpressed. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't much of anything. Could be the brand I got, if the commercial stuff varies as much as various colas do.