Ragi Tape Yeast: After almost a year of doing this blog, I guess it was inevitable that I accidentally end up trying something that wasn't really food at all, and that's exactly what happened tonight. During my last trip to the Buford Highway Farmers Market, I noticed this unusual item called "ragi tape yeast" in the Indonesian aisle. I wasn't sure what it was, but since it was mixed in with other snack foods (crackers, cookies, etc.), I assumed it was meant to be eaten alone. Strangely, there were no ingredients listed on the packaging, but that sort of roadblock never stops me.
I didn't get a chance to do any real researching before I bought it, and if I'd been smart, I would have done so before I decided to try it tonight. Once I opened the bag, each little disk had a chalk-like appearance that mystified me. Surely it had to taste like something, so I took a bite off one of the discs. Ugh. In addition to looking like chalk, it tasted like chalk, and I chewed a couple times before spitting it in the sink. It had absolutely no flavor at all, and it left a burning sensation in the back of my mouth that took a couple glasses of water to get rid of. This was an Indonesian snack food? I had my doubts, so I fired up the computer in hopes of figuring out what I just ate.
After some intensive searching, I discovered the truth: I had just eaten solid yeast. Apparently, this style of yeast is used to make a few different Indonesian desserts, including "ragi" and "tape." Well, that explains the name on the packaging. I feel like the BHFM could have prevented my misfortune by putting this item in a different section, but I guess that's just the risk I take when I buy things like this. It was never meant to be eaten alone, but that's exactly what I did. Oh well, you live and learn, right?
I'm pretty sure everything else I have lined up from here on out is food that's actually edible. This was pretty disgusting, but in all fairness, it wasn't even real food.
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