# What is the most "transgressive" food you've eaten? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [October 21, 2020, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-transgressive-food-youve-eaten/923464 "2020-10-21T06:14:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-transgressive-food-youve-eaten/923464/1 "2020-10-21T06:14:52Z")
Let’s be generous in our definition of “transgressive” - if a food could shock you and/or people whose opinions you care about, for cultural, religious, health, aesthetic, or other reasons, it counts. I ate endangered sea turtle in Micronesia in 1988. The turtle was a gift, given with great respect, from some outer islanders to the president of the Federated States of Micronesia. The roasting and consumption was done with considerable fanfare. It was one of those situations where there was no morally unambiguous answer, it was simply a question of which principle one decided to violate. I ate the turtle. It was delicious. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-transgressive-food-youve-eaten/923464/2 "2020-10-21T09:08:16Z")
A lot of people I know (not so much here) would probably be shocked that I’ve eaten bear. But my wife has me beat, she’s eaten both elephant and giraffe. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-transgressive-food-youve-eaten/923464/3 "2020-10-21T09:18:58Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > A lot of people I know (not so much here) would probably be shocked that I’ve eaten bear. Sometimes you eat the bear, sometimes the bear eats you. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-transgressive-food-youve-eaten/923464/4 "2020-10-21T11:25:31Z")
My gf is a bit ashamed that she ate puffin, whale, and wild horse while in Iceland. Me, I love veal. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-transgressive-food-youve-eaten/923464/5 "2020-10-21T11:30:44Z")
I ate a “Lion Burger” once. I didn’t like it. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-transgressive-food-youve-eaten/923464/6 "2020-10-21T11:41:21Z")
Foie gras. One of the most delicious foods I’ve ever tried. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-transgressive-food-youve-eaten/923464/7 "2020-10-21T11:53:45Z")
Well, there was that time my plane only made it half-way over the Andes… ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-transgressive-food-youve-eaten/923464/8 "2020-10-21T12:05:05Z")
One time I got a red wine flight at Epcot, drank a little out of each, then, at the counter, in front of the French-person-from-france person who was manning the counter, dumped them into one glass for more convenient carrying (they also balanced each other out IMO but the counter person was pretty shocked.) ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-transgressive-food-youve-eaten/923464/9 "2020-10-21T12:29:32Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Well, there was that time my plane only made it half-way over the Andes… Well done! 😁 (though they probably weren’t) ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-transgressive-food-youve-eaten/923464/10 "2020-10-21T12:48:27Z")
I’ve had shark fin soup (at a relatively fancy place in China, so I presume it was real shark fin). I’ve also had balut (boiled egg with a duck embryo inside). I don’t think I’ll have either of those again. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-transgressive-food-youve-eaten/923464/11 "2020-10-21T13:03:54Z")
I pretty much avoid it but I’ve had Veal & Rabbit on very rare occasions. The Rabbit wasn’t good. Like greasy chicken. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-transgressive-food-youve-eaten/923464/12 "2020-10-21T13:21:50Z")
I’ve had veal, foie gras, rabbit and horse. Nothing unusual about the first three, I suppose. I’ve given up the first two for ethical reasons. Still love me some hasenpfeffer. The horse was a long time ago and it’s unlikely to be on the menu again. ETA: Sheep and goat too, if memory serves. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-transgressive-food-youve-eaten/923464/13 "2020-10-21T13:23:11Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > My gf is a bit ashamed that she ate puffin, whale, and wild horse while in Iceland. Was it a ‘turducken’ situation? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-transgressive-food-youve-eaten/923464/14 "2020-10-21T13:24:42Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > I’ve had veal, foie gras, rabbit and horse. Nothing unusual about the first three, I suppose. I’ve given up the first two for ethical reasons. My gf has a source for “ethically raised veal”, but I prefer the regular old veal (much cheaper, tastes the same). > [@Folly](#): > > Was it a ‘turducken’ situation? No, a tasting menu at some restaurant. But I like your idea. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-transgressive-food-youve-eaten/923464/15 "2020-10-21T13:34:53Z")
Had a taste of my friend’s foie gras when we were in Paris. Was interesting. My dad makes duck liver pate from results of his friend’s duck hunting, which I really enjoy. I’ve eaten veal sausage (weisswurst/kalbsbratwurst) and will probably eat it again. Veal is not demonized here in Switzerland, except by those who are against eating any meat. I don’t buy it to cook at home, just eat it at a restaurant. I’ve tasted rabbit, which I didn’t like. Both rabbit and horse are acceptable meats here. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-transgressive-food-youve-eaten/923464/16 "2020-10-21T13:35:25Z")
Human flesh, but it was my own. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-transgressive-food-youve-eaten/923464/17 "2020-10-21T13:49:35Z")
I rather enjoy telling people I’ve eaten rat. (And I tell them it didn’t taste like chicken, it tasted very much like rat.) When I worked for the New Zealand Wildlife service, some university people were doing work on the Polynesian Rat on the island where I worked and were trapping them. Since the rats were a favorite dish of the Maori, one day they decided to fricassee a few and try them out. A reporter who was sharing the bunkhouse with us was absolutely horrified. They weren’t very good. The meat was very dark. As rodents go, I much prefer guinea pig (which I’ve had several times in Peru) and Paca (a large jungle rodent). Muskrat and squirrel aren’t that great. I quite like rabbit (not a true rodent, though). Other “shocking” foods I’ve had are alligator, caiman, iguana, sea turtle, kangaroo, whale (the last three were canned, over 50 years ago, as a gift I got as a joke), and large beetle grubs on a stick. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-transgressive-food-youve-eaten/923464/18 "2020-10-21T14:30:23Z")
I’ve had coyote which is ~awfully~ close to dog. I also once drank some live minnows. ---
**Author:** ![TheCuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thecuse/32/2854_2.png) [@TheCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheCuse)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-transgressive-food-youve-eaten/923464/19 "2020-10-21T14:33:58Z")
Kangaroo burger. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-transgressive-food-youve-eaten/923464/20 "2020-10-21T14:40:36Z")
Like TheCuse, roo burger. I didn’t think it was very good. I’ve also had gator and shark. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-transgressive-food-youve-eaten/923464.md?page=2)