G'morning, gang!
It's 0436, and I'm managing to stay awake and largely because of Kimmi-Jo's antics at the desk next to me. Blondes - you gotta love us! And, beyond that, there's all the chitter-chatter of those special dishes we either love or hate.
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| Vegamite Squeeze |
Topping the list was Marmite! I flipping-flapping hate Marmite! But, Dr. Darla (at the desk behind me) loves the stuff! Be it Vegemite or Marmite, she thinks it's wonderful and has informed me that I'm not eating it right, and that it should be served on a no-salt biscuit (which translates to an unsalted cracker to we who employ Kentucky-lingo.). Personally, I don't care if you smear the stuff on crackers, bread, biscuits, or mix it with chocolate pudding, it's foul, period. (GAK!!)
Pas the Marmite/Vegemite comment war amongst The Aussie (Dr. Darla) and I, we've decided we've got two in favor of, and one against alligator. If it's smoked, ground into burgers, or floured and flash fried, Dr. Darla and I love the stuff. However, the Lady Marilyn looks as if she'd rather lick a toilet seat rather than try it.
We've argued about frogs' legs and turtle. I say it all tastes like chicken. Darla and Marliyn say I've got it all wrong. But, it really DOES taste like chicken, it's just a little more chewy and takes longer to swallow! The difference is, they've had the stuff cooked southern style, and I've had the stuff cooked my 'Momma Style', and Hoosier cooks don't toss in quite the same sorts of spices as the Cajuns do. Darla's not Cajun of course, but both she and Marilyn hook themselves up on trips to Lousiana, where they love Old Bay Seasoning.
Marilyn won't eat alligator or turtle, but she and Darla both love crayfish, Louisiana style. I hate crayfish, which we call crawdads in Kentucky and we don't eat them, we use them for bait! To me they taste like pond water. (GAK again!)
Darla voted thumbs up on jellied eel. I gave it thumbs down and think it's in the same class as the crawdads. But, we're all in agreement on conch! Conch is wonderful, regardless of which state, commonwealth or country it's cooked in, and if it doesn't actually get cooked, we'll eat it anyway!
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| Jellied eel bits! GAK!! |
Kimmi-Jo keeps repeating herself telling us she's never had a single one of the foods on our list, and asks why we ever had such things for meals. Did we all grow up really poor, having to scrounge the river bottoms and bayous for our food? How could we have possibly eaten them on purpose???
Yes - I'm rolling my eyes at the city-girl. We've collectively made it our mission to get her out more, but, our trip to IHOP for brekkie after our shifts isn't going to quite make the exotic tastes list.
Have a great Sunday!
74 comments:
That eel looks NASTY!!!
I am the city girl reading this, and it still sounds and looks horrible. But you right about me getting out more oftem will try. breakfast was good later....
Hey Blondie - thank you for being a contributor to content, lol. Happy to be a part of "The Plan" in getting you out more and looking forward to watching YOUR work develop in literary arts!
Nee - yup! Looks gross, and probably tastes about as bad as it looks, unless you've got tastes that swing like Daddy's, which I didn't inherit. But then, Marines will eat anything.
Gator gets 2 thumbs up, floured and pan fried, baked, tail steaks coated in seasoned mayo and grilled, deep fried, smoked and gator jerky its ALL good.
Conch can be good if done right and tender other wise its just an industrial rubber band soaked in sea water. Conch ceviche Jamaican style in particular is really good. Those Scotch Bonnet peppers will really clean your sinuses out for you and wake up your taste buds.
Marmite/Vegemite is something that I've encountered only in Singapore where they use it to flavor what would other wise be a bland rice porridge called congee. I suppose I could be charitable about it and say that while not a favorite dish of mine it was best described as an acquired taste and slowly grew on you.
I've had turtle in about 5 or 6 different ethnic styles and have concluded that the water that the turtle comes from has a lot to do with your turtle experiences. By and far sea turtle is the best and I would say snapping turtle the muddiest tasting. I have also concluded the two best ethnic cuisines for introducing someone to turtle are Hawaiian and Japanese.
I'm not sure I ave ever have "jellied eels" though I have eaten many many an eel and in several different recipes. smoked are great if you can get past the tarred rope appearance. Baby eels in broth with scallions and radish sprouts is delicious. Eel pie great. I also seem to recall having one quite large fellow served steamed stuffed and whole.
Crayfish/Crawfish/Crawdads/Mudbugs to me are no different than langostinos, shrimp, rock lobsters spiny lobsters, crabs of any sort and Scorpions. How they taste is going to largely be dependent on the waters they are caught in and the temperature of those waters. colder & cleaner is always better. Boil or grill them (or in the case of Scorpions, skewer, dredge in seasoning and flash fry crispy in a wok please) and point me at the cocktail sauce.
Let me know when you girls decide to get adventurous and move on the the serpent family! Deep fried rattle snake is excellent and there is nothing like the experience of your 1st Formal Cobra Meal where all parts of the cobra are used.
Then there is always squid, octopus, sea urchin, barnacles gooey duck and live razor clams!
Or we can more on to organ meats!
Speaking of which lightly smoked and then ground aligator tongue makes a GREAT sausage with cheddar and jalipinos!
Lethal, I can't imagine how I managed to forget that you're a chef. I'll repost the notice for this blog so my gang can see it again with your added comment!
But yeesh, once again it's confirmed ... Marines will eat anything. :s
I think I am gonna hurl....pbj for me please.
Nee,
Hurling allowed on my blog, or I'll be hurling too!
You have willingly eaten and liked liver, so you have no right to throw the "GAK!" card.
Lethal, I saw an Andrew Zimmern episode in which he caught a conch and ate it raw, right out of the shell. He said it tasted great, but admitted that about half of it was rubbery.
I think we Marines, Navy Seals and some Army Rangers could come up with meals that would turn Andrew Zimmer technicolors.
I was once accused of finding edible "things which would make a Billy Goat puke" while there are things that I will draw the line at eating I try to keep an open mind.
A wise old SEAL once told me that if I wanted to blend mingle and appear one of the locals I had to eat like one so I would smell like them. Good woodcraft wisdom on the surface, but I immediately saw a deeper truth.
If you want to win their hearts and minds you first have to accept their stomachs because food was the creation of society.
The first social events were communal sharing of food. All ate from a single fire/pot and all were equal. The best way to make friends get to know and to be known is to break bread with people. Their bread on their terms according to their customs.
Besides you never know when a meal is more of a evaluation of your character and metal (as in the Cobra Meal) than a social dining setting.
And Nee stop whining about my list of foods! I'd bet you'd all eat Boudain until you found out what was in it just cause someone said it was a Cajuin specaility.
Funny thing about PB &J in the Navy & Marines its on the table at every meal for them you just can't please any other way.
I'm afraid to ask what's in Boudaine, and I've cooked it (pre-packaged) but never eaten it. It was one of our Uncle's fav dishes, and we had easy access to it at the BX grocery.
Of course, my version of cooking and everyone else seems to be at odds.
Lethal, pass me the recipe for the sauce, and I'll share my gran's recipe for goedda ...
P.S. Lethal,
I would SO LOVE to see
Andrew Zimmern be presented food that would turn him colors, lol. I've only seen two things he couldn't manage to swallow. Some odd looking Asian fruit, and he doesn't seem to like things of pudding consistency.
Your last was an impressive comment by the way. I appreciate the education!
Somewhere along the line, a great many of us managed to become picky eaters. I'm not sure how that happened, unless it occurred when we started moving out of our region and had to eat 'other peoples' food that we might not have been accustomed to in both taste and how it looked.
And, I can imagine a cook's feelings being hurt by someone who was unappreciative of local cuisine that the cook the time and effort to make especially for the guest.
Kind of puts dinner at a friend's in a whole new light. :)
I just had grapes and cheese for a bedtime snack, I had bugs earlier while cutting the grass. I could feel the neighbors bonding with me as they cut their grass and ate buggs also. Lol I am sorry but could not hold back.lol.
Nee,
I deleted one of your comments, but no worries. It was a duplicate.
You should have just followed Daddy right into the Corps. You're the only civilian I know who can bond over a bug dinner. GAK!!!
I keep tellin' ya to wear a BANDANA!!
I made a mistake in an earlier comment when I said "Hurling allowed" on my blog. I meant "NO hurling allowed". However, once i re-read Lethal's description of baby eels for dinner ... go ahead and hurl. GAK!!!
As for eating sea turtles ... goodness, Lethal! Shame on ya! How can you eat a sea turtle? They're beautiful and rare and, well, I'd much rather have one for a pet than for dinner.
I'm posting an alert to the turtles to steer clear of the Leprechaun in the chef's hat.
I was invited to a traditional Maori wedding feast by a friend while I was on R & R in Hawaii when stationed in Japan.Stewed Sea turtle was on the menu. It looked and smelled very appetizing.
Since the Maori were making bets on just how fierce and brave a warrior I was you bet your butt I ate a double helping and graciously accepted the "honored guest's" portion of heart & brains (or so they claimed at the time)
The baby eels in the soup were killed and deslimed by immersion in Sake, deheaded and gutted, lightly grilled over real charcoal and them finished cooking in the piping hot covered soup bowl on the way to my table. They looked like short thick black noodles,had the texture of sardines and a lightly smoky flavor from the char grilling.
For me personally I was caught more off guard by the radish sprouts which you add fresh right at the table as you eat the soup so they do not mush up because those suckers are peppery hot and have a horseradish/wassabi like effect on the nose all at the same time!
It was quite easy to see what some there consider it the Japanese equivalent of Jewish Chicken soup.
As for the secret(s) of flavored mayo...check your inbox
As far as Boudin goes...there is an adage that states "Three things you should never allow people to see how they are made are hot dogs, sausages and laws." This hold well true of Boudain for most people.
Boudin blanc: A white sausage made of pork without the blood. Pork liver and heart meat are typically included. In Cajun versions, the sausage is made from a pork rice dressing, much like dirty rice, which is stuffed into pork (intestine) casings. Rice is always used in Cajun cuisine, whereas the French/Belgian version typically uses milk, and is therefore generally more delicate than the Cajun variety. In French/Belgian cuisine, the sausage is sauteed or grilled. The Louisiana version is normally simmered or braised, although coating with oil and slow grilling for tailgating is becoming a popular option in New Orleans and Baton Rouge.
Cajun sausage making lesson over.
(evil grin) We could discuss headcheese next if you like though consider carefully the name before you ask!
Lethal,
I've eaten smoked eel, but can't say I liked it. I WAS however, proud of myself for trying it. :)
In England, it seemed to be THE thing to fish for. They even have special cane-pole looking contraptions, all with their bait dipped in the canals, waiting for an eel strike.
I think I'm probably turned off by them in general because they look like snakes.
I could do the boudin. I suppose there's no way to wrap it in something other than a piece of something's gut?
Two summers ago, visiting my roommates parents who are
Burmese, I was wondering what all the scramble was about over some food a group of the guests had hidden so there would be enough for left overs later.
The dish that had every one in a tizzy was smoked cow's rectum.
Guess what I made sure didn't come nearly my plate?
I agree with you on the eels look like snakes thing. They are also from my experience disgustingly slimy and nearly impossible to grab a hold of to deal with.
When I was a kid there was a family that moved into the neighborhood into the only house with a pool. We were elated to find they had a child, female because we figured we'd all get to go swimming w/o pestering parents to got to the beach. However she turned out to be one of those clicky snot nosed status conscious girls and wold only allow her favorites of the moment to swim in her pool.
A bunch of us neighborhood guys went to a local stream well know for its unsuitability for fishing despite its closeness due to the number of eels in it. We must have caught 2 dozen that night and carried them in a wet squirming burlap bag to her house upending the bag into the pool long about midnight.
She lived about a 1/4 mile up the street from my house and I SWEAR she screams as she dove in the following morning and disturbed them all drown out the sound of our lawn mower I was pushing at the time.
The smiles thumbs up spontaneous laughing anytime she was spotted must have carried on among those responsible for over a week. Most of the girls in the neighborhood knew who was responsible and precisely where and when the eels had been obtained but could prove nothing so they opted not to talk to us the rest of the summer.
(Commencing to Grin nearly malevolently)
NOW, what precisely is your aversion to "wrapping it in a piece of something's gut?" Haven't you ever eaten a 'natural casing' hot dog? Where did you think natural casings come from? Trees? Natural casing farms?
Do you eat Italian sausage links? Bratwursts? Both use natural casings.
BTW there is a 'black boudin' that is much the same as the blanco version but also incorporates blood from the pig giving it a much creamier texture (the blanco tends to be gritty in my opinion)and a lot stronger flavor. Though I have yet to encounter it either offered on a menu or for purchase it is my understanding that there is a variety made with gators as well that I am interested in trying.
I can see now that if there ever is a DragonLaffs readers gatheri8ng one of the meals offered will have to be a buffet of some more exotic less familiar dishes we Leprechauns and Dragon are fond of.
By the way speaking of food and recipes, you and some of your readers may want to play attention to next Wednesday's Leprechaun Laughs. The Celtic Cooking section is going to feature a Lasagna Cupcakes Entree with Nutella Ravioli for dessert!
Both are unusual, easy to make and darn tasty
Lethal,
If I come to a DragonLaffs gathering, I'm gonna be brown-bagging it!
Yes, I do realize sausages come in casing, even turkey sausage, but I try to not think about it.
What are razor clams?
I've just given the addy for this blog to Dr. Darla, one of those responsible for the conversation the night this whole thing got sparked. Darla is Australian, raised there and in England, and finalllly I have a friend here stateside who's familiar with and even likes to eat half the stuff you've listed on here. :)
Yes, I will ensure that she gets the web addy for DragonLaffs as well. ;)
Another thing ... what's gooy duck, and have you ever heard of stinky tofu?
Lethal,
LHM on the eels in the pool!
And, what a perfect prank, lol, lol!!!
I'd have a pool phobia to go along with my open water phobia if I ever took a dip in a pool full of eels.
I bet the girl had to have therapy!
Just so everyone knows ... both of Darla's kiddos (her son and her daughter) are in the Navy. Her daughter is stationed in Washington state, and her son is stationed in Florida.
Therefore ... my thanks to Dr. Darla for raising some impressive younguns!
Razor clams have a dark almost Mussel shell colored long thin shell reminiscent of a straight razor that and the sharp edge to the shell gives the clams their name (I have heard though never seen one that some straight razors used to use razor clam shells polished up to decorate their handles)
Gooey Duck is a large shellfish- mollusk thing with long 'snout" protuberance that hangs out of the shell (Pictures & info here: http://www.product-reviews.net/2007/08/29/geoduck-aka-gooey-duck-one-of-the-longest-living-organisms-in-the-animal-kingdom/)
LOL you tell ME what the first thought of its appearance is that pops into your head, I don't want to be too Adult on your blog, I'll save that for DragonLaffs.
Stinky tofu- been there done that didn't find it all that appealing a taste but it was not totally objectionable. However I'll probably never eat it again as it took me 2 days to get the smell off my breath and 3 days to get the smell out of my nose!
Lethal,
There goes another fantasy scratched off my list. (Sigh)
I had high hopes for the Stinky Tofu if I could ever come across any. In fact, I was hoping you'd know of a place to buy it, or could tell me how to make it, but neverrrr mind. :)
I'm also laughing because I thought "Gooey Duck" was exactly that. Some duck recipe that turns out with the consistency of peanut butter!
So far, I haven't run across that sort of molluskn, nor the razor clams, but now if I DO see them, I'll at least know what it is I'm looking at. ;)
By the way, Dr. Darla is bringing me a boudin sausage to work this weekend ... made with turkey, and she promises there will be no blood in it.
She also wants you to know she has a freezer full of gator meat. :D
Jealous?
Lethal,
P.S. - Dr. Darla also plans to give your sauce mixes a go.
She'll let you know how it turns out. :)
Boudain made with Turkey meat?! Sounds like yuppie Cajun food. Oh well at least its not and with Tofu!
If you want to talk turkey with a Cajun I'd suggest you try a Turducken. Now THERE is good Cajun eating on a plate and all identifiable products too!
IF you could locate an upscale Asian market you might find some stinky tofu, I'd say not likely though because people are know to give their neighbors crap over making the stuff the smell is so abd and so strong. I'd suggest transporting it in a hermetically sealed lab container however unless that is you like your hair clothes and car smelling like a landfill on a 100 degree day.
Ok Lethal,
I'll bite ... what's a turduckin?
Maybe I should come up with my own recipe for stinky tofu ... the sort that doesn't stink. :p
Andrew Zimmern made the regular sort sound like flash-fried tofu stuffed with kimchi, and I like both tofu AND kimch, so ... looked pretty interesting.
However, since your description seems like it will make a massive dent in my love life, I think I'll swear off the stuff.
If I have to choose between spooning and tofu, guess which one will win?
A turducken is a dish consisting of a de-boned chicken stuffed into a de-boned duck, which itself is stuffed into a de-boned turkey. The word turducken is a portmanteau of turkey, duck, and chicken or hen.
The thoracic cavity of the chicken/game hen and the rest of the gaps are stuffed, sometimes with a highly seasoned breadcrumb mixture or sausage meat, although some versions have a different stuffing for each bird. The result is a fairly solid layered poultry dish, suitable for cooking by braising, roasting, grilling, or barbecuing.
When served they a re caved straight across the birds making for a dramatic concentric appearing presentation. Turducken is extremely rich and will generally feed an army of guests. Quite understandably they are very much in demand at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
A National Geographic article traced the American origins of the dish to "Hebert's Specialty Meats" in Maurice, Louisiana, although readers immediately noted that the concept for the dish itself is centuries old. Hebert's has been commercially producing turduckens since 1985, when an unknown local farmer brought in his own birds and asked Hebert's to prepare them in that manner. The company prepares around 5,000 turduckens per week around Thanksgiving time
Gooducken is a goose stuffed with a duck, which is in turn stuffed with a chicken. There also exists a Quaducant which is a quail duck Pheasant combo.
A 15 pound Turducken will run about $90 with anyone of 6 stuffing choices or you can get a Turduken Roll which is limited to breast meat of each bird and center stuffed only coming in at 4 pounds and running about $30.
The most reliable, traditional and easiest place to obtain one from is: http://www.cajungrocer.com/fresh-foods-holiday-dishes-turducken-c-1_15_24.html
They ship overnight your choice of UPS or FedEx in insulated coolers. I believe you can even order now and schedule your shipment ahead so its not taking up freezer space.
LOVE LIFE??!! What? WAIT! I thought you loved Impish and I pure and chaste from afar! I guess its a good thing I didn't get into this blogging thing for the groupies!
The cure to stinky tofu interfering with your spooning activities is to simply feed it to him too!
Lethal, guess what!
I KNOW of Hebert's Specialty Meats, and my step-mother and her sister shop there frequently!
In fact, they have a location in Tyler, TX, which is about a 2.45 min drive from Fort Worth, and yes, we make the drive to bring several of them home at a time in a big case, and then freeze until we use them.
But, we haven't bought turduckin there - yet. However, my step-mother's sister Beth lived for several years in Lousiana, and is a fabulous cook. So, I plan to inquire if she's heard of it and ever served it.
My cycle pack mates and I are planning to make a trip to the area before long. There's a mountain bike cycling area in the state park at Tyler with 20-plus miles of off road riding in the forest. I'd rather go in cold weather so we can have our first ride on the trails without fear of running into snakes. (My fear, not the guys. Snakes seem to not bother them.)
And, when we go, I'll make a quick stop by Hebert's shop to pack up stuffed chickens for Ma on my way back.
By the way, I was explaining turduckin to Jared, the point rider of our pack, (McGuyver's second to the eldest)and he put it together without me explaining it. He said a cousin sent him a pic of a three layered cake. Each layer had a different sort of pie baked inside. Jared said it looked very cool and that it's one of those dishes he MUST eat before he dies.
Sadly, for all the cases of 'deboning' I've done in transplant, I can take a human apart at the hinges, but I can't cut up a chicken without getting sick. Therefore, I'd have to buy it pre-deboned, or have someone else do it for me. I've got some Brazilian relatives who can do some impressive work deboning and stuffing a chicken, but for the life of me, I can't figure out how they do it without having the chicken sliced to pieces.
I've looked through my little black book, and sadly, I can't come up with a single one of my dates who would be willing to let me feed them stinky tofu. (Sigh)
And, I'm not inclined to cancel a date because I want to eat something weird with a stink that will cling to body, clothes and car for a month.
I do sooooo love you and Impish, and I do, on rare occasions, head out unescorted. However, it's much easier to go with a date. I get in lots less trouble that way.
I understand the practicality side of having an escort stepping out on the town. I made a nice bit of change my 3rd and 4th years at the Academy doing just that. There were about a dozen of us that qualified to be official escorts for unattached ladies both in and out of uniform. You had to have good academic standing, present well and have reasonably decent manners. I got to attend many cultural events and embassy parties that I would never have been able to otherwise.
Not only was it interesting but the exposure and experiences served me well later as I rose in rank, particularly the 3 times I was stationed in D.C. and at the 2 Embassies I did time at.
I had a thought about another location for biking. We don't bike it but Molly's family gathers annually in New Braunfels for a River Tubing weekend and I have seen signs for Bike Trails there as well as numerous cars with mountain bikes on roofs or hanging from tailgates. I remember the name of one of the trails is the Dry Comal Trail. I'm also pretty sure there is one that starts and ends in New Braunfels with Canyon Lake being the mid point destination.
If you DO make it to New Braunfels I strongly suggest stopping at the New Braunfels Smokehouse both before your ride (jerky has to be one of the best trail foods ever invented) and after to stock up on good things to take home.
Lethal,
I'm impressed that you were a paid escort, lol!!!!
However, I have never, ever paid for an escort, and don't plan to start any time soon. ;)
I thank you for the heads up on the trails at New Braunfels! I've never been there, but dad and stepmother love the place, and my sister and her son have tubed the river there. Way nice to know they have mountain bike trails!
Does the stock-up shack have turkey-jerky? And, do you know if the lake allows for swimming?
I found a write up on some trails near San Antonio that has a swim spot along the trail. The writer said it was a great spot to stop pedalling for a splash-about when the weather is hot.
Jerky comes in Beef Pork and Turkey varieties. (I suggest at least a 1/4 of Pork jerky be purchased to threaten any belligerent Muslims with.) Here is the URL for the smokehouse: http://www.nbsmokehouse.com/
I HIGHLY recommend getting their catalog both for your own consumption and because their products make great holiday gifts.
Pay particular attention to the section of the website labeled 'extras' when it comes to gifts and giving
I believe the lake does allow for swimming in some spots though technically I believe its a dam and I know they do not allow swimming near the gates. Also exactly what and where you can do things changes with the water level and outflow speed so you may want to check closer to when you go for exactly what is being allowed where. I'd suggest a week long trip to combine camping along one of the rivers, tubing and biking.
Lethal,
It's been a good while since I've had a week's vacation and not used it to go "home" with.
However, I might be able to cram in a three day weekend for a camping trip, in cold weather, when the snakes are sure to be sleeping.
Thank you for the link! I'm looking forward to having a browse-through! And, I'm thinking I should consider writing a suggestion letter requesting pork jerky pressed into small discs, with the words "Piggy Disc" stamped onto them.
Then I can just FLING them if I happen to come across rude Muslim's on the bike trail.
So far, I haven't seen any, but ...never know. Maybe they have a religios restriction to cycling in the woods ... where there might be pigs crossing their paths. :p
Seems like a criminal waste of perfectly good jerky to me.
Why not just buy the smoked pig ears they sell for dogs and throw those at Muslims. Muslims don't like dogs either so in theory if you fling a pork product at him made for dogs he should be doubly insulted and cursed right?
You beat me Lethal - hands down.
Flinging pigs' ears is a much, much better idea!
I like tofu hotdogs , but not stinky ones .
I'm rather fond of tofu hot dogs myself!
I got teased at a dinner party at Pirhanas' Sushi Bar a couple of years ago. I was one of about three Anglo-Tribal guests, and the rest of the party were Asian.
One of the guys cracked up because I loved the appetizer I ordered. It was triangled tofu, with a light-crispy coating, and a big bowl of light chicken-vegetable broth to dip in it. I thought the stuff was great. The Asian friend laughed and said, "White people are just way too easy to please. This one's grinning over tofu and broth."
It was true. I was.
I've had a couple creamy tofu desserts that were not to bad. Hotdogs should be made out of meat, and preferably in the Kosher manner no meat byproducts, not fillers, just meat and spices, preferably in a natural casing.
Sushi! YUM-O! Take me next time please... Love eating most of it (not all that overly fond of raw octopus) but I hate paying for it.
I don't do octopus. I like them, like as in, they think they're adoreable. And, did you know they're very intelligent? They even bond with their keepers! (I'm referring to the ones that are in zoos.) They play with baby toys, and are affectionate, and I get tears in my eyes when I see little ones being served up for dinner.
Squid on the other hand, I dislike the taste and texture of it, but, the info I was given is that squid might be intelligent, but they're mean little buggers, and so, I don't have any issues with folks cooking them.
And, finally ... a male who appreciates tofu who isn't a yuppy!
I said I had had had a couple soft tofu based deserts which were not bad, that not the same thing as appreciating it. Most of the time I was in Japan I did my best to dodge eating it unless it was concealed in the pastries or onigiri (savory filled rice balls) from the bakery I lived over.
Whenever Momma-san thought I was not eating right a new and different pastry would inevitably appear on my breakfast tray along with my customary bowl on Congee (rice porridge)with poached egg atop and a pot of tea. Somehow figured in the pastry would be tofu of one form or another and Momma-san would always hang around to make sure I ate the whole bloody thing.
Squid- YES! bring on the calamari! While I have had squid in sushi and several Japanese soups and stews (one memorable one had a bout a dozen 1 to 2" baby ones floating in a clear miso & bonito flakes broth with shaved veggies & kombu kelp shredds.
I like the small ones fried whole, the medium ones done as rings & tenticles deep fried to be dipped in a nice spicy marinara, a good fruti del mare fra diavolo red sauce over linguini with squid as part of the fruti del mare or used in sushi.
The larger ones I like stuffed and baked so grilled in either the Italian or Japanese manner.
Lethal,
I'm pretty fond of calimari myself. I haven't had the larger squid stuffed and grilled, or baked, but I've had them in some sort of sauce with mixed veggies and lots of mushrooms. It was ok, and I liked it, but can't say I loved it. I might like your version with the stuffing and grilling better.
Ohhhh! Speaking of ... !!! There's a restaurant in Corpus that has THE BEST calimari I've ever eaten stateside, and I WISH I could think of the name of it, but I'm at a loss. It's BIG, and it's near a big hotel, across the street from the beach. It's the only place that ever served crayfish (crawdads) that I not only liked, but I thought they were reallllly good!!
If you stand at the front door of the place, directly in front of you would be the street, and then the beach. To your left, across the street is the big hotel, Raddison, Marriott, Sheraton - one of those.
Maybe you'll know which one I'm talking about.
Uhh it doesn't ring any bells with me but I've only been to Corpus twice and once I flew in and was picked up and whisked off for a funeral so I'm not all that great with it.
However Molly or one of her family is likely to know, I can ask and see should you like.
OK (putting away my Deerstalker Cap and pipe) after a little investigative sleuthing based on your description and list of probably hotel names, I have deduced that the hotel you speak of is most likely the Radisson Hotel Corpus Christi Beach 3200 Surfside Boulevard, Corpus Christi. Ergo the restaurant in question must be Blackbeard's Restaurant Beachside @ 3117 E Surfside Blvd
Corpus Christi. Despite the slight difference in addresses they seem to be on top of each other on the map. Mapquest also shows them to be in close proximity and their menu shows Calamari on the menu but of course crayfish are seasonal.
I have to admit that their menu holds several things that caught my eye such as: Bayou Sampler: 2 frog legs, 4 oz gator bites, 4 hot ‘n dirty u-peel shrimp &
4 hushpuppies, served with Blackbeard’s Secret Swamp Sauce, Shrimp-stuffed Jalapenos and Pirate Stew: sausage, crab & shrimp with pico & rice in tortilla soup were three that stood out.
Place seems a bit pricey at nearly $12 for the first, $10 for the second and $7 for a bowl of the third being that those are "Starters".
Lethal,
You have a deerstalker hat?? I'm so jealous!!! But, it's ok, I won't ask to wear it. It'd give me "hat hair."
I'm pretty sure that's exactly the place I was thinking of. And, I DO remember it being pricey, but I also remember the food being fantastic and the interior was pretty cool too.
Plus it's right across the street from the beach. So, a great meal with cool deco and the surf keeping tempo outside ... it's worth it. :)
Got the Deerstalker when I was in the UK and Ireland many years ago when well with my oil skin drovers coat and kept me from needing an umbrella all the time. Picked up a couple really cool pipe there too.
The Drovers coat and the Deerstalker see very little action living in Texas unfortunately, it rarely rains enoguh to warrent ether and except for one or 2 days never seems to get cold enough.
One of the benefits to 'high & tights' as well as shaven heads is no 'hat hair' ever.
I don't necessarily mind an occasional pricy meal....provided all aspects of the dining experience are worth the price.
Now it'll both Nee and I who're jealous over the drover's coat, lol!
Alicia (Nee)has been looking for one because it gets quite cold back home working the horses, and if you wear the puffy-thermal gear, it spooks them when it makes noise.
I'd love to have one myself, but like you, living in Texas, I'd not have much opportunity to wear it and I don't spend any time here working with horses.
You can keep the hate, the pipe AND the high and tight!
I love the scent of pipe tobacco, as long as it's someone else who smokes it.
Here is a REALLY good place to get them and very reasonable too. If it get cold where Nee is I suggest popping the extra dollars for the one with the zip in zip out fleece lining. Mine has one that while blanket wool not fleece used to be very welcome when I zipped it in.
A little care and occasional rewaxing/sealing it will last practically for ever.
Lethal,
Where's the link for it?
Grrr1 I hate it when that happens!
I know I put the link in the comment!
Here it is again:
http://www.downunderweb.com/store/Clothing_OilskinandCanvasCoats.html
SEE! Grr! AGAIN! I put me bloody name in! Sodden blgpage hates me!
Calm down Lethal, before your BP goes through the roof.
I got the link and it works fine. I've saved it to pass to Nee. :)
Eels are easiest taken off hook with a handkerchief, they are slippery suckers. Lost a many in the Wabash. Dad ate them, I ate them once and that was enough. My saddle came from Down Under , I still have the book to order from somewere around here. I want one of those coats and the hat. Got my hubby a hat , it works great for him.
Yup - I was impressed. I want a coat. A hat. Some boots, and a horse to match the set. :)
Consider getting one of these for a hat: http://www.rei.com/product/238313/outdoor-research-seattle-sombrero
They work great rain or shine and if the forecast says freezing rain/sleet you just pop ear muffs or a knit watch cap under it and cinch it up tight.
I like it because unless its like gale force winds it keeps 90% of the rain off my glasses
I'll check out the hat. Hopefully, it won't make hat-hair. I don't have a high & tight.
I looked at the Down Under site yesterday while on the phone w/ Nee, and I was sooooo impressed with their PRICES!!! I've worn one of their drover's coats before, when it was raining ice in Virginia, and I was working outside with horses, and no kidding, I didn't get the slightest bit cold. But, the coat was too big (I'd borrowed it from my boss), so it was heavy to work in, but, had it fit me better, it would have been perfect.
An, it looked very cool too, lol.
I'll go have a look at the hats now. Thanks much Lethal! You're like an encyclopedia for weblinks, lol.
Nee we just used to take extra hooks w/ short leaders attached and leave the hook in their mouth using the leader to attach them to the stringer. WAY easier to get the hook out of a dead eel nailed to the cleaning boards than a live slimey wiggling one!
I'm not sure who gets top rank in the "GROSS FACTOR" throughout the comments on this blog.
So far, Lethal and Nee are neck and neck in the top slot.
I never cleaned one , don't remember watching dad clean one either. I just remember them cooking them on a grill. We did nail the catfish to a tree and clean them. I still see it from time to time down in the bottoms, nasty !
I helped dad clean a snapping turtle with a water hose one time , that was almost scary. He was told how by some one at work. And it worked to our amazement.
Nee,
Between reminding me of the fish heads on pikes in the Wabash bottoms, and the "how to clean a turtle with a water hose" ... you just upped yourself two more points.
Eels are disgusting but fairly easy you nail them through the head cut them around behind the gills and make a slice all the way down the spine thru the skin peel it back grab it with pliers and pull like hell. pulls the entire skin off with guts attached and all jut like doing a snake.
My grandmother used to flour them and pan fry in bacon fat. I have to admit those eel parts wiggling and thrashing in the pan used to creep me out when I was young.
Can't say I ever remember cleaning a turtle or seeing it done with a hose, now intestines prior to making sausage or stuffing with other organs heck yeah best way to flush them out just like politicians. Them (politicians) take way longer though for obvious reasons.
Ohhhhhh ...... GROSSSS!!!!!
Lethal - if your gran could cook things in her skillet that were STILL MOVING ... I'd never, ever wanna set foot in her kitchen, BUT ... I'd have to admire her for even being able to DO that!!
YES! Significant gross out points scored!
Well in Gran's defense they HAD been out of the water for about 2 or 3 hours by that time had been eviscerated, beheaded and chopped into 6 inch pieces. You have GOT to figure something like that for dead and safe to cook.
I know snake can do it also. She was always proud when they did that hitting the hot grease, she said that showed how fresh they were.
Me I just prayed they didn't decide to do that once they hit my plate or stomach
Lethal,
I've turned an impressive shade of green while I read your last two comments.
You've just passed Nee up by a good many points.
I would have told your gran I was so impressed with the effort, but could I please just order the soup.
The vegetable soup with no eel parts.
P.S. - Did the Dragon say on the other blog page that we need to get a life?
Sure he jests!
It takes a great deal of work coming up with rebuttals and all the twists and turns of foody-talk.
He's nearly hurt my feelings. :p
Dragons really only pretend to understand humans and their emotions
to the frequently put one very large foot atop feelings and the other in their maw. Plus they are not the most literary of creatures so they frequently chose they're words poorly and require the service of someone like me to explain their words and limit the depth of the hole they are digging themselves.
Lastly he thinks that anyone that has time enough to sully his name (notice I never said GOOD name) has too much time on their hands and therefor needs to get a life.
I rest my case.
And, adding to it ... The Dragon likely needs to start adding entries into HIS OWN rebuttal journal, because the Leprechaun has a whole lot of headway already.
He may never catch up but an effort is at least commendable, lol.
LOL if he was even witty enough and organized enough to HAVE such a journal he'd have little use for me as his partner. Confusion isn't a stat of mind for Impish it's a lifestyle.
ROFL it occurs to me a couple more Impish comments and you going to have to make your OWN "Thrown under the bus" graphic for him!
SURE! The DRAGON posts a SINGLE comment and all goes dark and quiet around here!
Maybe he's updating his book in private ... pondering ... preparing ....
By the way, guess what's in the freezer?
Gator boudin compliments of Dr. Darla!
The Dragon is sequestered (OK, so actually its more like quarantined and his security pass card to the DragonLaffs Corporate Offices temporarily inactivated) with the rest of his sick diseased family and is the latest victim of what ever it is his daughter decided to bring home from school and share.
Pretty sure I'm not going to complain about his keeping it to himself however as I'm given to understand projectile vomiting was involved.
Awwww!!!! Poor Impish and Impish Juniorette!!!
Maybe I should mail him pre-natal vitamins? I take them every day, and I almost never get sick.
Works for me .... ;)
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