Day 145

"Apple" Banana: If some of you have been checking back today in hopes of reading my post about trying pig tongue, I apologize. I went out for dinner unexpectedly tonight, and after a killer cheeseburger at Craftbar, I wasn't really up for stuffing strange pig parts in my mouth. That'll come tomorrow, but for today, I decided to try this unusual piece of fruit I found during my shopping trip at the Super H Mart a few days ago. I spied these tiny bananas in the produce section, but at first couldn't figure out what they were or how they were different. My only clue was the small label from Del Monte, which labeled it as an "apple" variety. I had no idea what that meant, but I knew it was something perfect for me to try.

The first difference was the size - it was about half of a regular banana, but the same shape. The outer skin was a bit rougher and paler in color, and I was curious to see what the "apple" label was all about. I peeled it and took a bite, and the flavor surprised me. It really did have a fruity, tart taste, almost like a regular banana that hasn't ripened. The fruit flavor became more obvious with each bite, and I actually detected a mango (not apple, actually) flavor that was really interesting. Good stuff. I also liked the small size, since I often end up not eating the whole banana after I peel it.

I'd definitely buy these again, especially since I prefer bananas when they're in their tart, under-ripe stage. Highly recommend.

Day 144

Pork Liver: Today's new food is another offering from the combo platter of pork offal I bought yesterday at the Super H Mart in Doraville. After a truly strange experience with the pig's ear I tasted yesterday, I decided to keep it a little safer today and try the liver. I really love beef and chicken liver, so I was curious to see what pork liver was all about. I've probably had it in various pates and terrines without knowing it, but I've never had it in its unadulterated form.

The liver had been previously steamed (like the other offerings in the platter), then sliced thinly into small servings. It had a dark brown appearance like other liver I've had, and the taste was rich, spongy and gamy - pretty close to chicken or beef liver. If you've never had liver, it's a difficult taste to describe. It has a quality all its own, unlike any other part of the animal it comes from. Some people love it, and I actually prefer it fried to steamed or sauteed. However, this was actually pretty tasty, and the salt/spice dip included only added to the strong flavor. Not something I could eat a huge portion of, but in small doses it can be great.

Coming up next...stomach and tongue. Oh yeah.

Day 143

Steamed Pig's Ear: Ok, so today's post is a return to the stuff I enjoy the most: offal and any other related strange parts. I did some shopping today at the Super H Mart in Doraville, which is one of my fave places to browse. Their inventory is primarily Asian, and I always manage to find some great new foods there. After looking through the produce (which I've disturbingly eaten most of now), I wandered back to the prepared foods section to see if there was anything new. There was a long table where some cooked items were displayed, and I saw some tantalizing offerings, including pan-fried kimchi, some tasty looking fried mackerel, and the piece-de-resistance: this combo platter of pig offal. Aside from how awesomely interesting this looked, it was a way to score 4 new foods for less than $5. Nice. The platter included pig's ear, stomach, liver, tongue and some of the amazing Korean blood sausage that I love so much (but obviously won't count as new).

After a long day in the recording studio recording some bass tracks for a local producer, I ventured home to make some dinner, and I decided to try a bit of the pig's ear for an appetizer. I've eaten plenty of pig parts in my time, but never the ear. As far as I know, all the items in this package were cooked by steaming, and it also included a small container of the salt/spice mix that's common with many Korean dishes.

I grabbed a small piece of the ear (pictured above) and took a bite. Wow. I guess the texture could best be described as "squeaky." The ear was sliced thinly, and the fattier outer layer thinly covered the inner cartilage, which made a resounding "snap" when I bit into it. The "snap" kept happening as I kept chewing - this was a truly new texture for me. I can't say I enjoyed it, to be honest. It didn't have a lot of flavor on it's own, and it tasted more fatty than anything. I tried another piece, this time dipping it into the salt/spice mix, and that definitely added some flavor.

Maybe pig's ear is better when prepared other ways - a friend of mine has raved about a "crispy pig's ear salad" at a restaurant in Chicago. This was ok, but it was more about texture than taste. I'm looking forward to trying the rest of this platter over the next few days - stay tuned.

Day 142

"Smiling Fish" Brand Fried Mackerels in Green Curry Sauce: So I hope my readers are glad to know that my stomach is officially better after last week's nasty sickness. I took it easy for a few days, sticking to light meals (and light new blog items), but today marks a return to the stuff I love trying. I bought these fish snacks a few weeks ago at the BHFM in the Thai section, but I haven't had the chance to try them until today. I love any canned fish product, so these looked especially interesting to me. Most canned fish items aren't mixed with sauces, but these featured a green curry/coconut milk sauce mixed with the fried mackerel. Time to try.

I pulled open the tab on the can, and the first thing I noticed was the smell - kind of like cat food. Hmm, not a good way to start, but I decided to keep going. I poured the contents into a small plastic bowl, and the appearance wasn't any better. If I'd seen this stuff last week, my vomit reflex would have kicked in instantly. Thankfully that wasn't the case this week, so I eagerly dug in. The mackerel filets didn't really taste fried, but the green curry sauce definitely had a spicy, sweet kick that wasn't too bad. The fish itself was, well, appropriately fishy, but I don't mind that sort of thing. If you like spicy green curry and/or little fried fish, check these out if you see them at the BHFM.

For my money, it's hard to beat the Eastern European brands for canned fish products, but these were good for a change of pace.

Day 141

Blood Orange: Today's blog entry is one of my purchases from Whole Foods on Ponce yesterday. I only managed to find a couple things there, but their produce section yielded a pretty cool discovery: blood orange. I've always wondered how blood oranges are different from traditional varieties, so I was eager to take one of these home to try. The outer appearance wasn't any different from a regular orange, but I suspected the interior would be a different story.

I decided to give it a try for a snack tonight, and I was pretty surprised when I sliced the orange in half. The flesh didn't look much different than what I'm used to, maybe a little pinker, but there was definitely a bloody-looking juice leaking from in between each section. It was creepy, to say the least, but I wasn't about to not eat it. I cut it into wedges and tried a piece, and it was much more tart than a traditional orange. It reminded me of a cross between a grapefruit and an orange, with less sweetness than I expected. Tasty, but I think I prefer navel or valencias to these.

I'm glad I tried blood orange, but I'm not sure why these would be preferred over others. I've seen blood orange as an ingredient on plenty of menus, so maybe someone out there could explain why/when they're more desirable?

Day 140

"So Delicious" Coconut Milk Yogurt: So I finally ventured out today in search of some new foods to blog about. My stomach is finally feeling normal, but I still wasn't ready for a full-on shopping trip to Buford Highway or other exotic locales. I decided to hit Whole Foods on Ponce to see if I could find anything blog-worthy, but didn't have much luck. I'm really not a Whole Foods fan - in my opinion, it's just overpriced versions of food I can get much cheaper at many other grocery stores. If you have the lifestyle that requires gluten-free/vegan/organic/macrobiotic goods, then I guess WF is fine, but just not for me. Anyway, after much scrounging, I did manage to score a couple new things.

One thing I've learned through taking on this experiment is how many variants of common foods there are. Take yogurt, for example. I've eaten more kinds of yogurt than I knew existed, with various results. When I saw this style today at WF made with coconut milk instead of regular dairy products, I was curious. And at only $1.25 (hey, cheap for WF!), it couldn't hurt much to try.

I halfway expected the yogurt to have a coconut taste because of the name, but it didn't at all. Other than a consistency that was a bit thinner/runnier, I really couldn't taste any difference between this and regular dairy yogurt. This one was strawberry flavored (naturally, of course), and I noticed some small chunks of real strawberry blended throughout the mix. Not bad, but I can't see any reason to buy this again over plain yogurt based on taste.

If you're lactose intolerant or have a dairy/gluten free lifestyle, then this yogurt would probably be a good option for you. Other than that, there's no need to make any big effort to try it.

Day 139

Cho Chung U-Gua Rice Snack: So I'm on day 3 of my stomach virus, and while it's getting a bit easier to eat real food, it's still been a bit unpleasant. I'm not about to let a little sickness derail me from completing my goal, but I have been playing it a bit safe when it comes to choosing new foods. Since I haven't felt up to shopping, I've been choosing new foods that I've stockpiled from past shopping trips, which obviously consists of non-perishable stuff. Today's entry is yet another Korean rice snack that I found at the BHFM. If you've followed the blog, you know I've tried several of these with varying results. Let's see what these are all about.

Based on the picture on the bag, the snack looked like some sort of baked chip-like thing with a sweet coating. Upon opening, the contents looked like oversized french fries with a shiny sesame coating. I bit into one, and the taste was indeed sweet, almost like a corn syrupy glaze. The texture of the puffed rice was really crunchy, and it was pretty easy to eat several of these despite my ailing stomach. Overall, it reminded me of a sesame/syrup coated Funyun, but sweet and not salty. Not too bad.

I promise to get back to the really creative and interesting stuff as soon as I can, but for now, the milder foods will have to do. Let's hope my stomach is back to normal ASAP.