# What's the weirdest thing you've eaten? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 6, 2002, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-weirdest-thing-youve-eaten/141013 "2002-12-06T20:48:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Bindrah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@Bindrah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bindrah)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2002, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-weirdest-thing-youve-eaten/141013/61 "2002-12-08T23:12:38Z")
you people have tried some rather interesting things…i don’t have much to add other than what i’ve tried at bugfest at the local museum…however i would like to say that i tried chitlins once and it wasn’t that bad. it really tastes like barbcue pork, i mean for gods sake, if we look at what we eat everyday all these strange foods listed really aren’t that much worse.its just another type of anumal or whatnot…eat on… ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2002, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-weirdest-thing-youve-eaten/141013/62 "2002-12-08T23:45:10Z")
I’ve kept kosher since 15 or so. Many strange foods are forbidden by Jewish dietary laws. However, I enjoy experimenting with odd combinations of ordinary foods. ``` sizzlelean and peanutbutter sandwiches-I don't fry anything but the beef. I need no bananas. I love these things. ``` Papa John’s garlic butter and Chips Ahoy cookies-Very interesting experience. The tastes don’t blend or interfere with eachother. Combining the two ingredients had no effect. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-weirdest-thing-youve-eaten/141013/63 "2002-12-09T01:16:29Z")
I never ate anything unusual. Weird foods just disgust me, so I only eat the ordinary stuff : pork’s feet, sweetbread, horse meat, sheep brains, frogs, snails, chicken feets, pork kidneys, blood sausage, calf’s head,etc… ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-weirdest-thing-youve-eaten/141013/64 "2002-12-09T01:23:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by neutron star \* > \*\*Then, of course, there’s crawfish (crayfish to Yankees). I’m not sure how unusual that is considering some of the other responses in this thread, but I’m pretty sure the stuff isn’t widely available outside of Lousiana and China \*\* Crayfish are eaten over here. Actually, I assumed they were eaten everywhere… ---
**Author:** ![vix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a88e4f/32.png) [@vix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vix)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-weirdest-thing-youve-eaten/141013/65 "2002-12-09T02:05:10Z")
I had pig’s ears at a Taiwanese friend’s house. They were sort of chewy/crunchy and pretty tasty. Her mom was surprised that a non-Taiwanese person would eat 'em, but I’ll pretty much eat anything. I’ve no problem with tripe, sweetbreads, squid, squab, venison, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Global\_Citizen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/46a35a/32.png) [@Global\_Citizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Global_Citizen)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-weirdest-thing-youve-eaten/141013/66 "2002-12-09T02:30:18Z")
The weirdest food I’ve had was consumed during my two years living in Japan. As has been posted by others, I’ve also had raw horse. Not bad at all. Dipping sauce is optional. There was the usual assortment of non-Western foods that I’m sure you’re aware of. But the most unusual was a 10 inch mackeral that was served to me, raw. Sushi had, by that time, long since become my favourite native food but this was different. The mackeral had been slice and skewered in such a way as to keep it alive. Yep, when the fish was served to me it was still gasping for breath, still moving and trying to flop and its closest eye turned and looked at me. Global Citizen ---
**Author:** ![LindyHopper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@LindyHopper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LindyHopper)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-weirdest-thing-youve-eaten/141013/67 "2002-12-09T02:50:50Z")
Well, I haven’t had _too_ many really weird food items, especially since I flat-out refuse to eat insects and I have a problem in general with organ meats, but (in varying degrees of unusualness): Venison Elk Antelope (yummy) Moose mincemeat pies (miniature ones) Alligator (Cajun cow-orker brought it to a company function once) Crawfish (triple yummy) Uni (gack) Ama-ebi (raw shrimp sushi; delicious) Bighorn sheep Bear (black bear, I think; kind of greasy) Wild boar Frog’s legs (mmm) Menudo (didn’t care for it) Blood sausage (ditto) Octopus (great cooked at a Greek place, not so great raw at a Japanese place) Squid (pretty much the same caveats as octopus, only better both ways) Oxtail stew (made some myself last week–enough to feed an army–and just finished it tonight. Delicious!) Wild duck and goose Soft-shell crab (both Louisiana and Chinese style, and also in spider rolls) Duck feet (at dim sum in Richmond, BC; didn’t really care for them) Marinated baby octopus sushi (not so great) Bison (both as burgers and as a roast; very tasty) Ostrich (_very_ tender; a real treat) Mountain lion (on a pizza, no less) ---
**Author:** ![Flowerchild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/858c86/32.png) [@Flowerchild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flowerchild)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-weirdest-thing-youve-eaten/141013/68 "2002-12-09T03:21:33Z")
I’ve had Alligator,and turtle. Both of which were fried and friends told me it was popcorn shrimp or something along the lines of that and I (being Gullible) ate it , on 2 different occasions. ---
**Author:** ![Copper\_Pin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Copper\_Pin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Copper_Pin)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-weirdest-thing-youve-eaten/141013/69 "2002-12-09T03:50:56Z")
Some of the things people are describing as the weirdest thing they’ve eaten, like tripe (good in stew), escargot, sushi, and squid (mmm… calamari), I consider good eats. I’m a bit embarrassed to say, but when I was a kid in elementary school I ate ants. I did it a few times to gross out some girls. 🙂 I got in trouble when one of the girls told on me. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-weirdest-thing-youve-eaten/141013/70 "2002-12-09T04:38:11Z")
Mountain lion? _Mountain lion???_ :eek: ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-weirdest-thing-youve-eaten/141013/71 "2002-12-09T04:55:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jjimm \* > \*\*But the worst, worst, _worst_ thing I **ever** heard of was from a friend of mine who was working in Beijing three years ago. He made friends with a number of Chinese colleagues, and after a few weeks of getting on well with him, they decided to honour him by taking him to a “special” restaurant. They all sat around a circular table which had a hatch in the middle. Under the table was a lit barbecue. After they’d finished their starter dishes, a waiter came over, removed the hatch from the centre of the table, and put a live, trussed-up monkey on the barbecue. My friend tells me the monkey thrashed around, looking into their faces and screaming like a child as it burned to death in front of them. When, after about ten minutes, it had finally reached unconsciousness, the waiter came back and lopped the top off the monkey’s skull with a chopper, and with steam rising out of its brain, they all dug into the head with their chopsticks and picked out pieces.:mad: \*\* **Jimm** , your buddy have photo’s or anything that resembles something other than an Urban Legend? Cecil wrote a column on this and there have been past threads. I’ve personally _looked_ all over SW China and couldn’t find live monkey brain anywhere. The description sounds like a crock – but there are wierd things in China that do end up being true. Still, on balance, I’d put the money on your friend pulling your leg big time. ---
**Author:** ![Jet\_Jaguar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jet_jaguar/32/3562_2.png) [@Jet\_Jaguar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jet_Jaguar)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-weirdest-thing-youve-eaten/141013/72 "2002-12-10T00:25:43Z")
I once ate an entire stick of butter on a dare. Some friends pooled together about $30 to get me to do it. I didn’t feel so hot afterwards, but I kept it down. 🙂 **Jimm** , I agree with **China Guy** , I wouldn’t believe your friend unless he can provide some hard evidence of live monkey brains. Besides being a known UL, my wife is from China and the first she’s ever heard of it was here in the 'States, on the internet. ---
**Author:** ![LindyHopper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@LindyHopper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LindyHopper)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-weirdest-thing-youve-eaten/141013/73 "2002-12-10T00:32:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sunspace \* > \*\*Mountain lion? _Mountain lion???_ :eek: \*\* Yep. Every year, the University of Montana (or more specifically, the Dining Services department) puts on a wild game dinner; all the meat is donated by hunters. One year, there was mountain lion pizza. It was pretty good, but all the spices and sauce and stuff were probably necessary. They say carnivores don’t taste too good; I wouldn’t want just a big ol’ mountain lion steak. This was the same year I had bear (cut into little medallions–quite tasty, really, but then again, bears are omnivores). The chef, an Austrian man who also happens to be the personal chef of the president of the university, described receiving this bear. It had already been skinned, and it looked–as the chef described it–“like a human being”. :eek: Tasty anyway, though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-weirdest-thing-youve-eaten/141013.md?page=3)