100 Foods to Eat Before You Die

So, you’ve probably all seen this thing as it’s been circulating around Facebook lately. Since it’s in the form of a Facebook app and I don’t feel like dealing with that, I’ve decided to weigh in here (that’s why one has a blog after all). I would not consider myself to be a picky eater. And while I’m not always inclined to seek out weird foods, if they are presented to me I’ll generally try them just for the experience – and will often enjoy them.

Whoever made this list said that “most people” have only had about 20 items. That seems low due to the diversity of items on the list, but I guess there are a lot of picky eaters out there.

(the ones I’ve eaten are in bold)

1. Abalone
2. Absinthe
3. Alligator
4. Baba  Ghanoush
5. Bagel and Lox
6. Baklava
7. Barbecue Ribs
8. Bellini
9. Bird’s Nest Soup
10. Biscuits and Gravy
11. Black Pudding
12. Black Truffle
13. Borscht
14. Calamari
15. Carp*
16. Caviar
17. Cheese Fondue
18. Chicken and waffles
19. Chicken Tikka Masala
20. Chile Relleno
21. Chitterlings/Chitlins
22. Churros
23. Clam Chowder
24. Cognac
25. Crabcake
26. Crickets
27. Currywurst
28. Dandelion Wine
29. Dulce de Leche
30. Durian
31. Eel
32. Eggs Benedict
33. Fish Tacos
34. Foie Gras
35. Fresh Spring Rolls
36. Fried Catfish
37. Fried Green Tomatoes
38. Fried Plaintain
39. Frito Pie
40. Frog’s Legs
41. Fugu
42. Funnel Cake
43. Gazpacho
44. Goat
45. Goat’s milk*
46. Goulash
47. Gumbo
48. Haggis
49. Head Cheese
50. Heirloom Tomatoes
51. Honeycomb*
52. Hostess Fruit Pie
53. Huevos Rancheros
54. Jerk Chicken
55. Kangaroo
56. Key Lime Pie
57. Kobe Beef*
58. Lassi
59. Lobster
60. Mimosa
61. MoonPie
62. Morel Mushrooms
63. Nettle Tea
64. Octopus
65. Oxtail Soup
66. Paella
67. Paneer
68. Pastrami on Rye
69. Pavlova
70. Phaal
71. Philly Cheesesteak
72. Pho
73. Pineapple and Cottage Cheese
74. Pistachio Ice Cream
75. Po’ boy
76. Pocky
77. Polenta
78. Prickly Pear
79. Rabbit Stew
80. Raw Oysters
81. Root Beer Float
82. S’mores
83. Sauerkraut
84. Sea Urchin
85. Shark
86. Snail
87. Snake
88. Soft Shell Crab
89. Som Tam
90. Spaetzle
91. Spam
92. Squirrel
93. Steak Tartare
94. Sweet Potato Fries
95. Sweetbreads
96. Tom Yum
97. Umeboshi
98. Venison
99. Wasabi Peas
100. Zucchini Flowers

That’s 59 for me (unless I counted wrong or ate one of these things and forgot about it) – not too bad. In fact, with one notable exception (I’m looking at you Spam), everything on the list that I’ve tried I really like – if not love (that includes the Hostess Fruit Pie, though the iconic Twinkie seems more appropriate for this list). Many of the foods here I would even count among my favorites (Eggs Benedict – my favorite breakfast; Chicken Tikka Masala – my favorite frozen dinner from Trader Joe’s; Churros – my favorite fried dough thing that’s not a donut).

The asterisks are because:

• I’m sure I’ve eaten carp at some point, but can’t think of a specific instance
• Same with honeycomb
• I don’t know if goat cheese counts as having goat’s milk. If so, yes; if not, no.
• I believe I’ve had “Kobe style beef” and while I think I’ve also had actual Japanese Kobe beef, I’m not 100% – and I’m trying to be honest here

Of the items that I have not tried, only 5 remain that I am actually interested in trying:

• Steak Tartare – I’ve eaten a lot of beef rare enough to be considered raw, but never chopped and prepared in this manner
• Chicken and Waffles – I still think it seems weird, but I’m sure it’s awesome. The downfall for me may be the fact that I cannot eat syrup that is not pure maple #littlelordfauntleroy
• Dulce de Leche – I’ve had the Haagen Dazs flavor, but never the real thing
• Currywurst  – I’d never heard of it until this list, but it looks good
• Haggis – It sounds heinous, but I’m gonna try it next time I go to Scotland

The rest are things that I’m either entirely indifferent to, or overtly opposed to (I can’t even look at snails let alone eat them).

Now, I don’t know who wrote this list – and sure there are some glaring omissions (poutine?) as well as dubious inclusions (the aforementioned Hostess Fruit Pie),  but it’s just a conversation starter and maybe a way to get people interested in trying some new things. So with that in mind – if anyone would like to share their own results, please comment below – we’d love to hear from you (especially if you’ve tried some of the weird things that I haven’t).

This is 101 on the list for me . . . someday

casualken