Scott Heiner
As I said in my introductory column, I grew up in a small rural community in Utah basically raised on meat and potatoes and other common menu items of the American West. But I was curious about everything, including unusual (weird) foods.
In America I had was introduced to such new things as:
• Chinese and Mexican food – Albeit Americanized Chinese and Mexican food, I was at least beginning in an adventurous direction
• Liver and onions: I liked it and still sometimes order it eating out while the rest of my group order more standard things like fried chicken and meatloaf.
• Cow’s tongue – It tasted like beef (of course), but was somewhat tough and stringy.
However, it was my LDS mission to Japan that really got me hooked on trying weird foods and I was on my way to world-wide culinary expeditions which continue to this day. In Japan, some of the things I was introduced to include:
• Tofu – Kind of a jiggly block of soy bean curd. Weird, but I like it.
• Sushi – Various dishes of prepared vinegared rice with a bit of sugar and salt, accompanying a variety of ingredients, such as seafood and vegetables. There are many different kinds of sushi, but all contain vinegared rice.
• Sashimi – Sliced raw fish, often confused with sushi. Some kinds of sushi use raw fish, but sashimi is generally eaten alone or with plain rice. – I like sashimi, but I didn’t develop a craving for it like some of my companions did.
• An – A thick sweet paste or jelly made of red adzuki beans – Commonly filled inside a sweet bun called “anpan,” meaning “an bread.”
• Gyoza – Dumplings of wonton wrappers stuffed with ground pork and cabbage and lots of garlic. It is first fried then steamed so it is crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. My family grew up on gyoza and Sharon makes it often.
• Ramen – We ate lots of ramen noodles because they were so easy to cook. I liked them so much that I shipped a case of ramen home before returning, only to find it on the grocery shelves in America.
Some of the weirdest Japanese foods I’ve eaten are:
• Whale meat – It was quite rancid; I don’t know if that is its natural taste was an old piece of whale meat. Not a favorite.
• Mutsugoro or “mudskipper” – A kind of amphibian. It was a bit creepy eating a fish with bulging frog-eyes and little fin-feet beneath him. The locals especially value the cheeks of this little critter. Tastes like fish.
• Pajun or “Century eggs – Duck eggs traditionally prepared by preserving in a clay ball containing charcoal and quicklime. A delicacy in China, they’re
• Natto -- a food made from fermented soybeans and eaten with soy sauce on rice. It has an unbelievably stinky smell, strong flavor and a sticky, slimy texture. Touted for his health benefits, some people crave natto. However, natto is definitely an acquired taste, one that I don’t think I’ll ever acquire.
While I’ve liked most of the Japanese foods I’ve eaten, I confess that some of them really weirded me out and I won’t likely ever develop a taste for them. However, I’m pleased to say I was at least willing to try everything that was put in front of me. Fearless Foodie.
One interesting observation is that I wasn’t especially attracted to the “an” the sweet bean paste. I’m used to eating beans, but not sweet beans. On the other hand, Japanese eat lots of rice. Now, I’m familiar with rice pudding but when I put milk and sugar on my rice, it really grossed the Japanese out.
Emboldened by these unusual--or even weird--foods, I have ventured to try ever more adventurous things. It’s become almost an obsession. More about that next time.
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