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Friday, October 17, 2014

Adventurous Eating


      It is well known that different parts of the world offer many varieties of foods and local cuisine. Some are very basic and safe, like ordering a quiche or a croque-monsieur in France. In the village that we are staying in, the local market sells fresh milk, as in practically bottled from the utter, with a picture of the cow on the bottle. Although fresh cows milk is refreshing and delicious, it is not really too adventurous. Here in France we have also had horse, rabbit and quail meat. All are very delicious, especially the horse. Don't hate me for it. All of these meats had their own section in the supermarket and are very common here. On a related note, goat meat happens to be the most consumed red meat in the world. Being from the States, you would think that it is beef but I am afraid not. It helps you get a feeling for how different the world really is. But eating adventurously is something that can be very fun and help broaden your knowledge of the worlds' cultures and broaden your palate.
    Eating adventurously can be risky though. I would like to share my most recent incident with you. Walking the streets of Florence, after a weary day of train travel, a wonderful scent hits my nose. I follow the trail to a food truck with Lampredotto  written in bold letters. I ask the man in my best Italian, "What is this?" His response was "Stomaco di vitello." I had to translate in my head. It turned out to be veal stomach! I was 100% on board, jumping with the excitement of trying something new. The man pulled this gooey thing out of a hot pan, slathers it with two types of chili sauces and then dips the top bun in the veal juice. I handed the man 4€  and marched happily on my way, elbows deep into an incredible and delicious Florentine specialty. A day later though, after all of those yummy juices settled, I was quick to say that Lampredotto is not a good thing! After all of the crazy meats in France, I thought I could handle it. Nope. Never in my entire life...I won't even finish that though. You can use your imagination. I refuse to allow this Lampredotto incident dampen my spirits though. I feel the need to warn you about kidney pie though. I ordered it from a pub in Trim, Ireland. Also not a good thing. Regardless of the bad, there is so much good food out there and I will continue to try new things and I urge you all to do the same as you explore the world.

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