The Omnivore’s Hundred

Here's a list I came across at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk. I was just wondering to myself if there was any kind of food that I wish I could try that I still haven't. Went through my mental list that included foie gras, caviar, truffles, etc and couldn't really think of anything. This list brings to fore some other stuff I haven't even heard nor thought of. My score's pretty decent. What's yours?

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Here’s a chance for a little interactivity for all the bloggers out there. Below is a list of 100 things that I think every good omnivore should have tried at least once in their life. The list includes fine food, strange food, everyday food and even some pretty bad food - but a good omnivore should really try it all. Don’t worry if you haven’t, mind you; neither have I, though I’ll be sure to work on it. Don’t worry if you don’t recognise everything in the hundred, either; Wikipedia has the answers.

Here’s what I want you 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.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

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
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

trekking in wawa dam

This was a school field trip unlike any we've taken before. It was hot, humid, wet, muddy and a whole lot of fun. It was nice to see the girls (and the other moms) outside their usual habitat. It was good to see them walking on a muddy trail, crossing the monkey bridge, getting sweaty and dirty. It was amusing to see them outside their air conditioned, concrete and carefully controlled worlds. There were still some ubiquitous bodyguards in back up cars but they didn't seem inclined to do the trek themselves and
pretty much let the little princesses cope on their own. There was a lot of complaining and whining, but they didn't look any worse
for the wear. In fact, they did look like they enjoyed themselves.
I'm not really sure what kind of lessons they will draw from the experience but I'm just glad they saw and felt a bit of what the outside world looks like.

In the post-Florence world, every new experience counts and playing Mommy to Yso is still the best way to spend the day, no matter how hot and humid...

The post Florence world

Like an opium high, the fall is hard.
What could've, didn't. What if's don't count.
What happened was uplifting, not depressing.
There isn't one major decision. It's a series of little choices.
In the post-florence world, home is still Mandaluyong.

Desú

Disappointment comes from a lot of different sources. If serendipity is an unexpected source of happiness, what do you call an unexpected source of sadness?
Meanness cannot be undone, cannot be taken back.

panna cotta

Panna cotta

This was one of my favorite desserts learned from the cooking class. It's something I've always wanted to learn how to do as it presented me with limitless options for flavoring and topping. My only apprehension was finding the gelatin sheets here in Manila as it's not something I was familiar with. I've only worked with the powdered and the "gulaman" blocks. So when I was in Santi's buying meat for the fileto balsamico and I saw them sheets, I immediately decided to get the cream and take a spin at doing my own panna cotta.

My ingredients were 2 one liter packs of cream, 1 liter milk, 230 g of sugar (which I googled and found to be roughly one and a third cups) and 25 g gelatin sheets and peel of one lemon and one orange.

I boiled the milk, cream and sugar with the lemon and orange peel. While that was cooking, I soaked the gelatin sheets in tap water. After heating the milk and cream mix, I added the softened gelatin sheets in the mixture. THIS was where I think my mistake lay. The gelatin sheets didn't just soften, I think a large part of it dissolved in the water. So I don't think I put in 25 g worth. The water I soaked it in was kind'a thick already by the time I retrieved the sheets. But I put the mixture into little serving dishes , hoped and prayed and let them cool and put them in the ref to set.

I left them in the ref overnight and found cream soup the morning after. Saaad. Carmen (my trusty sidekick) thought of re-boiling the cream mix and adding some more gelatin. We didn't soak the sheets anymore but just dunked them in the water to soften before adding it to the cream mixture. We also didn't do individual servings anymore as it was taking too much space in the ref. We just let them set in bigger plastic containers.

Well, the panna cotta was rescued. In class,Chef made a strawberry puree and I was thinking of doing mango. Ysobel declared them a success and didn't even want to put any sort of topping on it.We scooped them into chilled martini glasses and reprised the orange flavoring by putting orange wedges on the side. We served them to guests who came for a dessert one evening. It was perfect because it was light and refreshing and something you won't have to worry about going to sleep with.

In the post-Florence world, humidity is a factor. Failure is a possibility but rescue is an option. :-)

my heels are made for walking

Averaging seven kilometers a day on foot in Paris kept the weight and alcohol consumption in check. This also allowed for a lot of serendipitous moments as otherwise unseen nooks and crannies were discovered. Of course, tree lined streets and wonderful architecture made the walk a lot more pleasant and interesting. In the post Florence world, I decided to give walking another run (mwahahaha).

Ok, so the streets of Makati are not exactly tree lined but there were some trees along the way, too. The architecture is not quite as interesting and the sun was just too hot! I also had to dodge motorists who don't quite get that pedestrians get right of way especially where there are perpendicular lines on the road. No, it wasn't a pleasant walk, any way I look at it. I arrived at my destinations hot, sweaty and smelling of l'eau d'enfume. But I'm willing to give it a chance. I resolve to walk more, thinking that at least it will reduce my carbon footprints. It should also burn the same amount of calories. And yes, my heels should be made for walking.

magic hour

Going down Makati-Mandaluyong bridge around 645PM last night, I caught a glimpse of the magic hour sky. It was that melancholy blue with streaks of magenta peeping through. The lamps on the riverbank were turned on and for a few seconds there, I had a fleeting Florence feeling. Magic hour is my favorite time of day. It always gives me pause depending on the kind of day I've had. It has on occasion driven me to tears and this time, it was very comforting. Yes, there are pesky electric cables, Pasig is not quite Arno, and squatters do live by the river. No, Mandaluyong is not Florence, but magic hour can still be magical... even in Mandaluyong.