Archive for August, 2008
The Omnivore’s Hundred
Very Good Taste created a list of food that every omnivore should try at least once. In his words – “The list includes fine food, strange food, everyday food and even some pretty bad food – but a good omnivore should really try it all.”
Here’s what he wants us to 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.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
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
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
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
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
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
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.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
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
I have tried 57 so far. I would try any of these, even roadkill if I hit a deer or something (no, just a deer probably, can’t think of any other animal that it would apply to!).
There are a few that it’s really wrong that I have never tried – borscht, huevos rancheros, pho. It’s not that I haven’t had the chance, but that there are usually more appealing dishes on the menu. I’ll have to order them next time.
What’s your number? Is there anything you wouldn’t try?
some walk by night…
I kind of feel sorry for the television shows that came and went before the internet. They are missing the documentation that later shows have in spades.
After a watching Californication with friends and then discussing television couples with great chemistry/tension, I started re-watching Moonlighting from the beginning.
There are several witty, fast-paced dialogue sequences that are not referenced anywhere on the web (fast-paced for the time, at least. The show is surprisingly slow by today’s standards.) Post-internet shows that have great dialogue (like Buffy and the Gilmore Girls) are quoted everywhere, but if you miss the mark by a couple years, you get nothing, not even a “Quotations” page for each episode on imdb.
Here’s my contribution to the transcription of the series. I wish there were a YouTube video to embed*.
Maddie: David, David, David. All this blood, and violence!
David: I know. I get giddy just thinking about it!
Guy: Tell me – how does the Blue Moon girl get involved in something as gruesome as this?
Maddie: Just lucky, I guess.
Guy: No, no. I want to know. who are you guys working for?
Maddie: Working for?
Guy: Working for.
Maddie: Working for. (to David) He wants to know who we’re working for.
David: What for?
Maddie: What for you want to know who we’re working for?
Guy: Why not?
Maddie (to David): Why not?
David: Why not what?
Maddie: Why not what for you want to know who we’re working for?
David: What?!?
Maddie: What?
* I wrote this and then I found it. My quote starts at 1.44. What was I thinking? Everything exists on the web!
new feature
Check out my sidebar to see a feed of my shared items from Google Reader. The full articles are compiled here. The list will change daily as I share additional items.
95% of my web reading is done through Google Reader. It saves having to click through all of one’s favorites every day to see who has updates. And it prevents the frustration of seeing the same un-updated page day after day. As Charlie Runkle in Californication said “The whole idea behind the blog is an ongoing narrative, you understand? A series of event that follows another series of events”. I’m guilty of long absences, I know. I am trying to do better. Give Google Reader a try if you don’t already have a feed aggregator.
how to get your motorcycle license in NYC, part 3
Laying it all out up front is probably overwhelming. It’s meant to give you some idea of what to expect, but there’s nothing you need to know to take the class. The instructors will walk you through each step. I had no clue.
There are four parts to the class indicated by A, B, C, and D below. Depending on whether you choose the 2.5 or 2 day version, the time of day is different, but the sequence is the same.
2.5 day class
day 1 pm: A
day 2 am: B
lunch
day 2 pm: C
day 3 am: D
2 day class
day 1 am: A
lunch
day 1 pm: B
day 2 am: C
lunch
day 2 pm: D
A: Inside instruction: at the start of the class you’ll introduce yourself and tell a little bit about why you are taking the class. The next couple hours are composed of lessons from the instructor and short videos from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. A written manual is used as a reference. The instructors make it interesting and involve everyone without putting anyone on the spot.
B. Riding practice: here you’ll actually get to ride on a motorcycle! I was a bit nervous about this part as I had never done this before, so I was glad that the first few steps were introduced slowly. You start by sitting on the bike, getting a feel for it, and then ride with your legs down across the lot (kind of a mixture of walking and riding the bike). Some of the other students own motorcycles, so this might have been a tad slow for them, but everyone was happy to have taken the class in the end – we all learned something. The pace starts to pick up and by the end of this part everyone is riding around the lot with confidence.
C. Inside instruction: this is mostly the same as what happens in A, but also includes review for the test. The instructors repeat the important parts without becoming boring.
Written Test: I had planned to read the manual after session A, but was so tired after all the concentration required for the riding in B that I totally flaked. Many others were in the same boat. It was okay though, because the class time covered everything required. Everyone passed, most with flying colors.
The test consists of 50 multiple choice questions taken directly from the book and videos. That seems like a lot, but it only takes 10-20 minutes to complete. It’s also available in Spanish.
The instructor will score the tests as you finish, so you’ll know immediately if you passed. If you happen to fail, you have a month to retake the test with no consequences and no fee.
D. Riding practice: more riding! We focused on shifting gears, quick stops, slow/controlled turns, and quick turns. You’ll get a lot of practice for what’s on the riding test.
Riding test: the test had four parts for us (I believe that it varies).
1. quick stop: shift into second gear, then quickly stop and downshift.
2. 2 u-turns: going very slowly (friction zone), make a u-turn, then immediately start a second u-turn. There’s a box painted on the pavement. You get points off if you put your foot down or go out of the painted lines (try especially hard not to do both. If you go out of the lines, go out of the lines again rather than putting your foot down). This gave me the hardest time.
3. lane change: shift into second gear, then quickly change lanes at the cones.
4. faster curve: shift into second gear, brake before the curve, look where you’re going, then push into the curve.
You are given points for mistakes. The limit to pass is 20 points. Everyone in my group passed. If you fail, like with the written test, you have a month to retake it.
At the end of the test everyone goes back inside. The instructor will talk to each person about what they did right and wrong. You’ll get a card that allows you to ride alone in a parking lot (legally).
After class: 2-6 weeks later you’ll receive a card in the mail to take to the DMV and/or provide to your insurance company to get a cost reduction.
Hopefully I’ve answered you’re questions. If not, or if something I’ve written is incorrect, please leave me a comment. Thank you!
Please also refer to the MSS FAQ for more information.
