Natto is delicious.
Posted on 01/29/2012 3:21:03 PM PST by nickcarraway
Disgust is one of our most basic emotions—the only one that we have to learn—and nothing triggers it more reliably than the strange food of others
Disgust is one of our most basic emotions—the only one that we have to learn—and nothing triggers it more reliably than the strange food of others
In the last several years there has been an explosion of research on disgust. Disgust is one of the six basic emotions—along with joy, surprise, anger, sadness and fear—but it is the only one that has to be learned, which suggests something about its complexity.
Most children get their first lessons in disgust around the time that they are potty trained. After that, the triggers of disgust are quickly acquired from the responses and rules of parents, peers and, most importantly, the wider culture. One of the best places to look for the vast differences in what is or is not considered disgusting in different parts of the globe is food, especially distinctive foods, like every culture's favorite fermented dish.
Take cheese, considered by Westerners to be anything from a comfort food to a luxurious delicacy. A good taleggio, Gorgonzola or Brie might be described as sweaty or slimy. Cheese also has its fair share of aromatic obstacles and, depending on the circumstances, may be confused with vomit, stinky feet or a garbage spill. Many Asians regard all cheese, from processed American slices to Stilton, as utterly disgusting—the equivalent of cow excrement.
Given that cheese can be described as the rotted bodily fluid of an ungulate, that's not far off. But controlled rot tastes good in this case—at least to us (or most of us). The key is to manage the decomposition in such a way as to get that desired flavor and to ensure that we don't get
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Natto is delicious.
I am making sausage and kraut with granny smith apples right now.
Needs either noodles or toasty bread on the side.
On my honeymoon, we went to New Orleans and I tried the escargot. I vowed then and there that I would try anything one time.
I’ve pretty much stuck by that; although I now have a small list of foods I don’t have to try again, and won’t.
That’s what I’m talkin’ about!
For the record, I love Kim Chee, and have never found a cheese I didn’t like.
I am unlikely to find any of the scary cheeses in this country.
Some peroghies would be good.
I like eel too!
It was about all I could do to convince them to let me order eel in a local Vietnamese restaurant...
Boy oh boy do I love some pierogies(piroshki). Gotta put some cheese and sour cream with em.
And ya cant forget the kielbasa.
YUMMY!!
Disgust seems to go beyond basic emotional reactions to something more evolutionary about survival. Probably in genetic memory of various cultures as what is safe and what isn’t.
Oh, and I absolutely love Natto, putrid aged cheeses, Durian, and all that disgusting stuff- except Surströmming. Something about fermented fish (other than fish sauce) that I can’t take.
Have you ever tried Angulas (baby river eels)? They are amazing and tender. It looks like a plate of cooked pasta.
my fav meal. cheddar/potato perogies fried with bacon and onions with baby baby beef liver.
Visited S.Korea last year, and Kim Chee is everywhere in endless varieties. Never found one I could love, although I found a few I could tolerate.
I vowed to taste everything put before me, since I'll probably never return, but there was one I swore off - in Korean open-air markets they sell a delicacy hot and fresh, stir-fried on the spot. I was going to sample it, then the smell hit me - pure dirt. Turns out it was stir-fried grubworms.
Bourdain says you should always eat what is offered, with gusto (fake it if you have to) in order to not offend the locals. Guess I failed that time...
I have. I thought the stink was over-rated unless there is another breed they have in Hawaii. It did have a cheese type smell you don’t expect from a fruit, but it tasted like an over-ripe banana (with a similar texture).
That is what I’m having tonight!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.