People have pleasant and not so pleasant recollections of places they have been, things they have done that they are proud of some things that they regret. I have food. Food that I have eaten and wish I hadn't , food that brings back fond memories of a time and a place where I enjoyed it and I was happy. Food makes a mark on the milestones of my life.
I remember when I first got drunk, it was the night I downed 2 bottles of Zinfandel (pink) with my best friend in a hotel room. Every time I see that "Z " word on a bottle of wine, everything comes sreaming back at me.
Coffee and pancakes at "Waffle House" remind me of my first boyfriend and the countless nights we spent slouched in a booth scratching coffee hives and talking about philosophy and stuff we had no idea about.
99cent Wendy's burger marks the time when I was in college and poor as dirt. I would go through the drive through, order the burger and wait until the girl had already rung up to order extra bacon, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise (she was always too lazy or simply forgot to ring up the extra.)
White castles: the biggest mistake of at least one day out of each week. No wonder they call them "sliders." But then again, what can you do at 4am, drunk as a skunk and high as kite flown by a hyperactive monkey?
Kyobashi Tepanyaki (japanese): The most expensive date I was taken to where dinner cost 350 Yuan and drinks added up to 400Yuan on their own. (You really have to not convert here as that kind of money is as good as spending 750 USD.)
In China, 90% of my meals are dining out which means over the past 2 years I have seen a lot of menus, food dishes and waiting staff. While I was eating today, I thought about all the strange stuff I had eaten which led me to a not so original and unashamedly cliched top ten list of the most unusual food I have eaten.
And here it is:
#10 Shark soup
#9 Dog (soup, stew, ribs, bones...you name it, I have indulged)
#8 Blood cubes fondue (As in you dip the cubes into a boiling broth until they cook to your satisfaction)
#7 Turtle (Soup and fried)
#6 Frog (fried)
#5 Live shrimp cocktail
#4 Snail goulash
#3 Eel soup
#2 worms
#1 Mcdonald's latest Chinese menu addition: BBQ beef (urrrgh!)
And as an extra, here is something I saw that I chose to veto: deer fetus.
I guess its true what they say, you are what you eat. If I should swear on this, then I hope I stay poor for the rest of my life as I have only eaten the strangest food when I was in the company of the richest people.
What's on your dinner plate?