Worst tasting thing you've ever eaten?

Worst tasting thing you\'ve ever eaten?

Since some recent posts have talked about favorite foods, I thought I'd try the other side...

What's the worst tasting thing you've ever eaten? By eaten, I mean put in your mouth - you didn't have to swallow; and by "thing", I mean something that was intended to be eaten and which was in its normal eatable condition (not spoiled, etc.) when you put it in your mouth, i.e. refrigerator and barnyard accidents don't count.

And tastes vary a great deal, so please, I hope no one takes offense if someone's gag food happens to be their favorite delicacy. We're just trying to entertain each other and broaden our horizons.

Anyway, I'll start. My mother liked persimmons (a sort of greenish tomato looking thing) so she gave me one once. I guess there are 2 kinds, the good tasting kind and the other kind. This was the other kind and it wasn't ripe yet, I guess, but this was my MOM so I took a bite.

God, it was...AWFUL. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif

I've never tasted anything so sour and bitter outside a chem lab ever. It actually numbed the inside of my mouth for a time after I spit it out.

Later, she said she had some of the other kind and it was better and I should try some. I said no thanks, the fact that the other thing shared even the same name as the thing I had had was a reason to avoid it.

Another time, I was offered a Swedish delicacy whose name I forgot (but it was fermented fish) at a party. Luckily, I got a whiff of that before it got in my mouth (which automatically clamped shut on its own), so it doesn't count as something I "ate", but it was real impressive to my nose. It must be a really acquired taste.

Anyone else?

BTW, this is also an opportunity for those who are talented at making up colorful graemlins to come up with new ones.. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[OK, if you really want, you can tell barnyard accident stories, you can...]

Re: Worst tasting thing you\'ve ever eaten?

Most likely, it was liver.

Re: Worst tasting thing you\'ve ever eaten?

I recall eating some soap as a kid for saying #&@*(%$! when my mom was listening. Not only did it taste bad but sometimes you could blow bubbles out of your nose that felt weird too.

Re: Worst tasting thing you\'ve ever eaten?

Balut (fertilized unhatched duck egg) Never actually ate a whole one. ALl I did was crack open the top and taste the juice. They are not pretty.

In the Philippines I spent 15 minutes one night paying the woman selling them to also eat them. She was more than willing to oblige. My buddy and I found it quite entertaining for .25 each.

Re: Worst tasting thing you\'ve ever eaten?

[ QUOTE ]
a Swedish delicacy

[/ QUOTE ]

That would be Lutafisk

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif

Re: Worst tasting thing you\'ve ever eaten?

Oh, never mind...
I didn't read carefully enough first time. I listed a non-food item.

Sorry /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif

Re: Worst tasting thing you\'ve ever eaten?

One time when the moon was in a particular phase my girlfriend wanted me to try eating a raw clam.....

On a different note; when I was in Korea, I tried several times to like Kimchee (sp), but it never appealed to me. I kept thinking it reminded me of decomposing fish. Later I learned that one of the ingredients is in fact decomposing fish. Hmmm.. No wonder I didn't like it. It didn't seem to matter how much soju I washed it down with./ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hahaha.gif

Re: Worst tasting thing you\'ve ever eaten?

[ QUOTE ]
nerdgineer said:
My mother liked persimmons (a sort of greenish tomato looking thing) so she gave me one once. I guess there are 2 kinds, the good tasting kind and the other kind. This was the other kind and it wasn't ripe yet, I guess, but this was my MOM so I took a bite.

Later, she said she had some of the other kind and it was better and I should try some.

Another time, I was offered a Swedish delicacy whose name I forgot (but it was fermented fish) at a party. Luckily, I got a whiff of that before it got in my mouth (which automatically clamped shut on its own), so it doesn't count as something I "ate", but it was real impressive to my nose. It must be a really acquired taste.


[/ QUOTE ]

As far as persimmons go, they fall into two groups - the Astringent Varieties and the Nonastringent Varieties. The astringent kind must be ripe enough to be the consistency of over ripe tomatoes to be edible. The nonastringent kind can be eaten from under ripe (the consistency of an apple) to over ripe (the consistency of a very ripe pear). They nonastringent type are very good tasting whenever you eat them - I have a Fuju (nonastringent) persimmon tree in my back yard, and love the fruit.

As for your fish dish, it is called lutefisk. It is a Scandinavian delicacy typically served during the Christmas holidays.

Here are the basic steps to make lutefisk:

1) catch some Cod and clean it as if you were going to cook it
2) salt the fish heavily and hang it outside to dry until it is the consitency of shoe leather
3) soak the cod in lye for several months to reconstitute it. (includes several rinse cycles at the end) - This part can get really aromatic, to say the least.
4) cook in a large baking dish until warmed completely through, and prepare

-- a) Norwegian style - cover with about a 1/4 inch of melted butter

-- b) Swedish style - cover with about a 1/4 inch of seasoned white sauce


5) serve (may still be slightly aromatic at this point)


The key to endearing yourself to your host who is serving lutefisk is to take a very small portion at first, then make a big deal of going back for seconds.

For real fun you should try a ballute. Ballute is a boiled egg with an unborn chick inside. It is a delicacy to the Filipinos, but turns the stomach of most Westerners.

Re: Worst tasting thing you\'ve ever eaten?

Uhhhhh, yeah - that would be "chitlins". While in the service, the chow halls would try and serve up some local dishes. I loved the seafood they served when I was stationed near the Southeast US coastline (Keesler AFB, Biloxi, Mississippi - Moody AFB, Valsosta, Georgia - Eglin AFB, Pensacola, Florida). Lots of fish, oysters, & clams, prepared many different ways - sometimes LOBSTER (rarely though)! BTW, I ALWAYS liked chow hall grub!

Well, there was an attempt to serve chitlins once. I'll try "almost anything" at least once. (Hmm, seems I've told this story here somewhere before?) My co-workers are saying, "Hey, you gonna' try them?" I say, "Yep"!

I get my plate of goods, head over to the salad bar...hmmm, smells like something is spoiled here?! Dish up my salad and proceed to my table. I go to eat my salad, still smelling something BAaaad! Take a taste of salad, fine!

Got some of those chitlins on my fork. As the fork approached my mouth - the nose took over...eeewwwwwwwwwwww - "What is that smell?"! Ok, I tried one bite - spit it out promptly and did not eat supper that evening!

No thanks, been there, tried them - don't need to do that again!

BTW, I really enjoy good kimchee! There's a place here in town that sells "next to homemade kimchee"...not that I know what homemade kimchee tastes like. However, I've got friends that "know" and they tell me this stuff is as good as homemade! It beats ANY kimchee I've ever tried. Love to put a little on top of a burger!!

Hey, variety is the "Spice of Life"!!

Re: Worst tasting thing you\'ve ever eaten?

Mine's not really inteanded for everyday eating. A while back there were some Harry Potter Jelly Beans created that had normal flavors like chocolate, strawberry, etc., and they also had other flavors including grass, dirt, earwax...I first tried them in South Carolina after the Junior Olympics. I was fine with all of them, and then the puke flavored one entered my mouth. I tried my hardest to swallow it, but, nope, it just wasn't gonna happen, any longer and I would have puked my self. So what did I learn from that experience? Buy a couple small boxes of the Harry Potter Jelly Beans and mix them in with a 1/4 pound of normal Jelly Belly beans for my family to find the "hidden treats".....

Re: Worst tasting thing you\'ve ever eaten?

[ QUOTE ]
JOshooter said:
Buy a couple small boxes of the Harry Potter Jelly Beans and mix them in with a 1/4 pound of normal Jelly Belly beans for my family to find the "hidden treats".....

[/ QUOTE ]
He did - and I fell for it - and yes we all got quite the laugh on that one - BTW, I still owe you for that too, ahhhhh paybacks! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Re: Worst tasting thing you\'ve ever eaten?

We live in Milwaukee, and there is a dearth of top-tier shopping in this metro area. (No Macy's, no Nordstroms, etc.) So the weekend after Thanksgiving, my parents always went overnight to the "Miracle Mile" in Chicago to do some Christmas shopping, and catch a musical/show.

Even after I had moved out, I was always welcome to come back and raid the Thanksgiving leftovers since no one else would be home to munch on them until late Sunday.

So I was at my parent's home the Friday after Thanksgiving, 2002. Using some leftover rolls, and some choice slabs of turkey, mounds of chestnut wild-rice stuffing, and gravy, topped off with some spicy Polish brown mustard and some mayonaise, I proceeded to make a Dagwood leftover sandwich about a foot thick. I bit...

(Erhuuukkk!)

After I finished washing my mouth out, and the shakes and heaving subsided, I proceded to carefuly probe the sandwich to find out where it all went so terribly, terribly wrong.

It was the Mayo. A closer inspection of the bottle said:

BEST IF USED BY: MAR 1997

My parents don't buy Mayonaise very often, apparently.

Re: Worst tasting thing you\'ve ever eaten?

The head of a rainbow trout I'd caught earlier in the day. It was un-cooked, I just bit it off. That was 20 years ago, on a dare, after we'd gotten a bit /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/drunk.gif .

Now, I would suggest kimchee, except it tastes wonderful...provided that you can somehow get past the smell and texture.

Re: Worst tasting thing you\'ve ever eaten?

It's got to be either the creamed asparagus or the brussel sprouts my mother tried to get me to eat as a kid.

Geoff

Re: Worst tasting thing you\'ve ever eaten?

For food, I would have to say Kraft Vegemite. It is a paste of vegetable extract spread on bread or toast like a pb&j but far worse. Some friends from australia swear by it and thier kids were disgusted by peanut butter and jelly. So... I tried it, spit it out and ran my mouth under the faucet. Tasted like someone left the fruit bowl out untill it liquified and spread it on toast.

For drinks, I would have to say gammel dansk. It is a danish herbal liquor similar to jagermeister or unicum. Jager is german and unicum is hungarian, and I like them, but I have to draw the line at gammel dansk

Re: Worst tasting thing you\'ve ever eaten?

[ QUOTE ]
lessing said:
For drinks, I would have to say gammel dansk. It is a danish herbal liquor similar to jagermeister or unicum. Jager is german and unicum is hungarian, and I like them, but I have to draw the line at gammel dansk

[/ QUOTE ]

I have a bottle of gammel dansk at home. It is nasty stuff - it tastes like a medicine you are not supposed to like.

Re: Worst tasting thing you\'ve ever eaten?

Cow Stomach. nuff said

Re: Worst tasting thing you\'ve ever eaten?

Yes, vegemite is it for me, too. Nasty stuff. The Aussies that gave it to me got a good laugh out of it, though.

Re: Worst tasting thing you\'ve ever eaten?

This brings back another recollection: steak and kidney pie. I ordered some at a nice London restaurant once, thinking "when in Rome...". I've actually had good kidney dishes before (Chinese stir fried kidneys) so I didn't think I was being that adventurous.

Turns out, the Chinese wash their kidneys before they cook them and at least this restaurant apparently did not. The result was a strong "barnyard" fragrence to the pie when I cut into it.

Couldn't eat it at all, not even the crust.

To our UK members, is this normal for S&K pie or was that an anomaly?

Re: Worst tasting thing you\'ve ever eaten?

I wasn't going to post or even read this thread but then I remembered once while travelling through Mexico I had an orange with maggots in it. I think the first orange was delicious, so when I cut into the second I barely looked at it before popping it into my mouth. That's when I noticed the maggots!@#@! I started spitting and retching, not knowing if I had eaten one before. For a while every orange I cut into I had to inspect for maggots- all the fibres were looking like that! Yuck!