Posted by writer on May 30, 2010 under Things To Eat | 
Perry Belcher here and at last… the final installment to my three-part blog on devastatingly eerie and jaw-dropping untamed international food trip. The following are the three finalists that made it to the most coveted top three spots
#3 Monkey’s brain: China
I thought the scene of locals relishing on a live monkey’s brain in Indiana Jones: Temple of Doom was a hoax. I found out that it’s partly true.
Long before man finds this wrinkly whitish cuisine very appetizing, our dearest cousin chimps eat it as it provides them the needed fat in their diet. And when people in China and Indonesia discovered this supposed nourishing effect, monkey brain became a hit overnight, and eventually made it to the top ten lists.
Since then, monkey brain had been used as ingredients to some Chinese imperial cuisine and it’s even eaten raw in some parts of China. It was Anyang tradition that their new tribal chief must eat their hunted gorilla’s brain. Additionally, former butler of late Princess Diana attested that he’d been served with it wrapped in banana leaf and coconut palm.
On the contrary, it hasn’t been proven (yet) that eating a monkey’s brain while it still gasps for breath is real, although several movies depicted such bizarre food trip. And here’s a very graphic common description to that:
The monkey’s head was supported by its neck in a bracket, two pieces of wood with a semicircular hole on each side such that when you put them together, they form a complete circle around the animal’s neck, allowing the head to be exposed above the plank.
The hair around the head is shaven with a razor. A small chisel and hammer are used to quickly carve a circle around the crown, and the top part of the skull is removed. A teaspoon is used to scoop up the brain, which is immediately eaten. This has to be done before the monkey dies.
How’s that for a meal. But what these exotic food lovers don’t realize is that monkey brain actually triples their chances of contracting transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (brain diseases). So, maybe it’s best to just leave that feat to the chimps.
#2 Casu Marzu: Italy
Jerry the mouse so much loves cheeses. He even dares to be tortured by Tom time and time again just for a bite of mozzarella. But will he dare to dive in casu marzu?
Casu marzu is a one of a kind sheep milk cheese found only in Sardinia, Italy. In English, it is also called rotten cheese and maggot cheese. Why is that? This chunk cheese is home to live, fat, wriggly insect larvae. Actually, they are deliberately added to the cheese as fermentation emissaries. Their job is to bring the cheese into the brink of decomposition, at which point cheese fats are broken down. And such breaking down of fats makes the cheese even more delectable.
But such job description is a little messy, too. These wormy cheese workers defecate and die in their cheesy house walls for as long as they live there. That mixture of feces and decay gave casu marzu its pungent smell. And when disturbed, these teenie weenie lucent maggots can jump six inches high. But casu marzu lovers simply brush them off away before they enjoy a spoonful of this decaying cheese.
Such very insanitary preparation although it’s rooted to Italian tradition and familial history, defies the modern way of food preparation and sanitation requirements, making casu marzu an officially illegal cheese. And since it’s banned, it is hard to come by and very pricey, too.
#1 Balut: Philippines
Search the web, browse any bookstore or ask anyone. More or less, you’ll get the same answer. The most bizarre and strangest food and the all-time grossest delicacy on the face of the planet is balut. It bested out all its nine eerie “plateful” contenders in this top 10 list. Let’s see why.
Balut, which literally translates as “wrapped” is basically a boiled fertilized duck egg. In other words, it already contains a fully developed but still premature duckling inside. It is a very common street food in the Philippines and Vietnam although it was first introduced by Chinese peddlers. How is it made?
First, duck eggs are gathered from a farm and then brought to a “balutan” or balut developing yard. Hundreds of eggs are systematically stacked in temperature controlled wooden barrels then covered to permit incubation. After exactly18 weeks (notice: it has to be precisely that long), the eggs are removed from their artificial nest and then one by one checked if they are good to go.
One way of checking its doneness is through a hole with a bright light behind it. When it looks darker inside, it means a fetal duck has formed and that’s a good indication. However, if it still looks translucent through the light, no fertilization occurred yet. The “ready” eggs are then brought to a giant pan filled with steaming hot water to boil. Once cooked, these balut eggs are put inside insulated box or basket ready for peddling.
How then are you supposed to eat balut? Well, there is a “proper” way of enjoying balut egg. For squirmy eaters and first timers, you are not supposed to see the seemingly sleeping little ducky there. That’s why you consume the whole balut in cover of darkness. That’s also one of the reasons why balut eggs are sold at nighttime.
You crack a little bit of the shell, put a pinch of salt inside that opening and then slurp its warm amniotic juice. Once all the juices are dried up, open it up more. Just leave enough shell to hold on to. Add more salt and sprinkle it with specially prepared vinegar. Brace yourself, count one, two, three, and then dunk the whole egg inside your gaping mouth.
If you are truly adventurous, you can even dissect it and greet that tiny winged feathered duck fetus. Don’t worry. Its eyes are closed so it won’t see you “eye to eye.” Regardless of what manner you eat it, take pleasure in its very strange, texture-y but surprisingly tangy taste. Wash it down with a 500ml of Coke or the locally made coconut wine tuba.
This food is number one on this list because:
- It is eaten in the simplest and most straight-to-the-tummy way no matter how disgusting it may sound or look like.
- It’s good for your health (so they say). It doesn’t give you any diseases but in fact strengthens your knees and fuels you vigor.
- It’s cheap and readily available all year round.
- And it’s undoubtedly, superbly, incredibly out-of-this-world and totally wild.
There you go. These are the most bizarre and strangest foods that the world has to offer, but of course that’s according to my westernized domesticated modern tongue. And I’ll quote what Andrew Zimmern always says at his program’s every episode finale, “If it looks good, eat it.”
Mmmm… I’ll think about it. Perry Belcher
Posted by writer on under Guacamole |
Grilling the true way is by cooking the steak above the fire with smoke rather than direct fire. The object is to catch the heat of the smoke which gives the meats those tasty flavors – cooking over mesquite and hickory wood provides the meat these preferred tastes. This can be done with a barbecue grill or pit that was made to cook like this – such as a rotisserie grill or one of the top smoker barbecue grills will give you these results. You can also obtain the similar benefits with a charcoal, gas or propane grill while using hood down so that you keep the smoke from getting out. Want to know more on how you can get those restaurant style flavours and cook like a chef?
Find Good Meat Cuts
When you skimp out on the kind of meats you should be grilling with your not gonna get good outcomes. Getting excellent meat on the barbeque grill which has a good cut and thicker is probably the most important barbecue grilling suggestions anyone can give. I always cooked with real lean meat and no wonder I always burnt it. I didn’t pick a good cut of meat which was thick, the meat has to be able to get the taste from the smoke. The most effective meat for a superb steak is New York Strip or Rib Eye, each is great selection for holding in the flavour and has an easy to cut texture. For pork, the best one is to pick tenderloin. The right seafood dish is Alaskan Salmon, these kinds of fish cook up just like a steak – Halibut and Swordfish make excellent steaks as well. Be careful with fish, they grill fast. A lot of people like to grill poultry, select skinless breasts for the health conscious, but if you grill with the skin on, it will help safeguard the chicken from any burning and allows the meat to savor the fats juices. It just taste much better. Regardless of what meats you decide on ensure they are fresh, the freshest cut meat will taste better. If you goto your local supermarket the butcher will help you out, they take pleasure in making a barbecue a very good one.
Get yourself a Smoker Grill
Grilling with a smoker barbeque grill retains the mouth watering flavours in the meat, as opposed to a propane gas grill. A smoker full of wet wood chips will give you among the best meals you’ve ever had. Fill it up with the wood chips, close the lid, turn down the temperature and allow it to cook for awhile. Place a few of your veggies, potatos or corn on the cob in aluminum foil and walk away. In case your camping, putting the meats in a rolled up aluminum foil in the shape of a teepee operates merely as good on the open flame, but you will not have the taste from the wood chips.
Home Made Barbecue Sauce
You don’t need to be a chef to create your own recipe for barbecue sauce. Very often you can look at the store bought ingredients for getting some ideas. Here is one I cooked up that has plenty of flavour and works great for many meats – beef, ribs, pork, chicken and fish. Use 1/8 cup white wine vinegar, 1/4 cup molasses, 3/4 cup tomato ketchup, 1 ½ powdered mustard, 1 tsp liquid smoke and work with other spices to flavor, like garlic, sage, onion powder, red pepper or cayenne.
Because flavor is the main factor all of us eat barbecued food, it’s best grilled using indirect heat or smoke rather than on the open flame. Though it might take more time, 6 to 8 hours for barbecued ribs, if you do not have time, a person can nevertheless make use of some of the best barbecue grills that use gas or electricity which will allow you experience excellent barbecue flavors. Using these three basic barbecue cooking ideas, it is possible to enjoy authentic smoky flavors when your guests will have believed you put in hours cooking on the barbecue charcoal grill. I won’t tell them, if you don’t tell.
Posted by writer on May 29, 2010 under Guacamole |
Many organic restaurants are available in local farms as part of the touristic circuit. For a holiday maker who prefers the retreat of the countryside, having fine green meals sounds like an opportunity. If you are an adapt of green food, then, you should do a bit of research when planning your vacation, so that you can spot environmentally friendly restaurants on your way to destination and once you’re there.
You can evaluate your options based on the information available with national and international databases. The Eat Well Guide, for example, provides information on more than 9,000 stores, restaurants, farms, bed and breakfasts and all sorts of other facilities that offer green products in Canada and the USA. As part of this guide, all the online searches are conducted based on the zip code. What could be more simple than that?
In terms of expenses, rural vacations will always be cheaper. If in urban areas, organic restaurants tend to be more expensive because of the higher costs of organic products, in the countryside, lots of farms are sustainable. All the supplies used for cooking local dishes come from the same facilities, which allows costs to remain at a convenient level for everyone who chooses to visit such areas. For a vacationer trying to get away from busy city areas, a countryside escape offers the perfect atmosphere.
Europe also has an incredibly large number of traditional organic restaurants. Great Britain, Germany, France and Italy are the greatest consumers and providers of organic food. The North European countries also hold organic food in high esteem. If you can’t find enough information on organic restaurants online, you can talk to the travel agent who sells you the vacation package and ask him/her to suggestion options. Some people prefer to go to locations where they have both accommodation and direct access to organic restaurants.
Guides for local food and green restaurants are available through most travel agencies, particularly now that people are so much more interested in the health impact of organic food. One other reason why organic food is better when you’re on vacation is the possibility to enjoy local flavors and culinary traditions that are not impaired by altered food quality. It’s like experiencing the real flavor of the ‘countryside’ in its purest form.
Posted by writer on May 26, 2010 under Guacamole |
Astrological Art Makes the Perfect Gift
When you are looking for the perfect gift, you want to give something truly special and memorable. Astrological art makes a wonderful gift for your friends, family and business associates. They would all love to receive astrological art. Astrological art is unique and expressive – it is something different, just for them!
One of the best things about astrological art is that it says something personal about the recipient. If you get a painting entitled “Cancer” for someone whose sun sign is Cancer, then this painting was made to express their sun sign. This painting says something special about them. Giving them this painting is a special gift that they’ll be sure to appreciate. While it may not have been made with them specifically in mind, it was made with their sun sign specifically in mind. This means that their personality, temperament and personal tastes were considered when creating this painting. You can easily see just how someone with the Cancer Sun sign would love that painting.
Wearable astrological art is also an ideal gift for so many people. T-shirts, sweatshirts and jewelry that speaks about your astrological sign is a fun gift to give so many. You can give someone a beautiful pin to add to their outfit that talks about their astrological sign. A very unique pin or necklace pendant that I have seen that you can have created actually shows the person’s specific natal chart – created in precious metals with tiny gemstones representing each planet! It is a beautiful pin or pendant and it is something totally unique for each recipient. You can easily see just how any recipient would love and appreciate astrological wearable art.
Many love astrological art so much as it gives them the opportunity to talk about their love of astrology. When people enter their home, they compliment them on the beautiful painting, print or poster. This leads to a conversation about astrology. You can learn so many fascinating things about yourself and other people when the topic of conversation leads to astrology! If you are wearing an astrological jewelry pin, others will compliment this pin as you wear it. This is a great way to express your love of astrology in daily life. Wear it in professional and personal situations. You may be surprised by just how many people you run across that love astrology as much as you do!
Astrological art is a unique gift that people are certain to remember. When you give astrological art, people know this is a personalized gift just for them. They know that you thought of their needs and likes and dislikes immediately when you chose it for them. It is simply impossible to purchase an astrological art piece without thinking deeply about the recipient.
To learn more about just how much astrology matters, read Astrological Latte by Roberta Chapin. Chapin’s book tells you all about not just your sun sign, but every planet and how it affects you. You’ll truly understand just why astrological art has deeper significance when you purchase it by reading this book!
http://www.spurbay.com
Posted by writer on under Guacamole |
The dress codes have changed significantly over the past years and this is especially the case with nightclubs. Just in the mid 80’s clubs required men to be dressed down even with suits and ties in some cases. That has changed, most places now have a more relaxed dress code. Nevertheless, you still want to dress to impress. It’s best to mix things up a bit, wear what suits your personal style and wear men’s shirts that others don’t have. The best way to find this is with custom dress shirts or slim fit dress shirts.
The Fit
We can’t say it enough, the fit of your men’s shirts is a really important part of your look. We highly recommend going for a slim fit shirt if you have an athletic body, these aren’t super tight, but do follow the contours of your body.
The Striped Dress Shirt
Often at nightclubs you spot a frenzy of striped dress shirts. There are great patterns out there and lots to choose from. If you wear a striped shirt, but sure to consider your physique. For example striped dress shirts make shorter men look taller and tall men look even taller. If you have no intention or desire to look taller skip the striped dress shirts.
Also try to avoid striped shirts, or any dress shirt for that matter that has more than two colors, at most three colors on it. A flurry of color usually gives the rainbow effect rather than anything that will impress at a nightclub.
Be aware though the slightly bold striped dress shirts or any patterned dress shirts, even if they are great looking is that they will stand out and people notice it more than a dress shirt suited for the office. That means if you wear that great looking but slightly bold dress shirt regularly it will get noticed and people will think you are wearing it all the time even if in reality you only wear it three times a week.
Another idea is to stay away from striped blazers if you’re already wearing a striped dress shirt. Wearing ties to nightclubs is a gamble either you’ll have enough style to pull it off or you’ll look out of place. If you must wear a tie, try a slim tie which will give you a modern look without looking too formal.
Solid Dress Shirt Colors
You can never go wrong with the solid black dress shirt. It looks good with any color pants and if those pants are black you’ll be looking even taller than you actually are. That actually counts for any color if you wear it on your upper body and lower body.
Equally classic and useful is the white dress shirt with pink quickly becoming more popular for men.
All in all, follow your style and don’t be dictated by the raving fashion people out there. What ever makes you more comfortable makes you more confident.
Posted by writer on under Guacamole |
TinTin comics are very popular in many countries in the world. But they’ve not yet caught on the USA. Belgian artist Hergé wrote and produced the art for these brilliant stories of a young reporter who travels to distant lands on amazing adventures.
However TinTin is about to be introduced to America in 2011, through Steven Spielberg’s movie, named The Secret of the Unicorn. You and your family can get a jumpstart on TinTin and his lovable crew of characters and their adventures in this timely article.
About The Adventures of TinTin
The Adventures of TinTin is a comic strip series by Belgian artist, Hergé. With over 200 million copies sold in over 50 countries, TinTin comics are among the most popular in the world.
TinTin comics are set in the 20th century. Each comic is an adventure that takes TinTin to far-off lands. The plots weave in elements of fantasy, mystery, thrillers, and science fiction. There is a strong undercurrent of slapstick humor in these stories as well.
However, it is Hergé’s drawings that set these comics apart.
The Characters
Lovable, and memorable characters are a core appeal in TinTin comics:
- TinTin, the main character of these stories is a young Belgian reporter. His brave and heroic actions save the day in each story.
- Snowy, a fox terrier, is TinTin’s companion. TinTin and Snowy end up saving each other’s lives often in these adventures.
- Captain Haddock, a sea captain is TinTin’s best friend. His colorful insults and curses, like “billions of blue blistering barnacles”, “troglodyte”, “freshwater swabs” etc. are delightful, but don’t cross over into being swear words.
- Professor Calculus, a half-deaf, absent-minded genius is a strong supporting character in many adventures.
- Thomson and Thompson are bumbling detective twins who supply the comic relief in these stories.
- Bianca Castafiore, an opera singer, is a talkative yet comical character who mixes up names, calling Captain Haddock such names as “Paddock”, “Hammock”, Padlock” etc., much to his annoyance.
- A cast of villains flit through various comics, notably Rastapopoulous, a criminal mastermind who is up to no good.
The Locations
Hergé has used a number of fictitious places like Syldavia, Borduria, San Theodoros, San Paolo, Gaipajama, and Khemed. Another thing that makes the stories fascinating is the use of actual nations and locations such as Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States, Soviet Union, Congo, Peru, India, Egypt, Sahara Desert, Indonesia, Nepal, Tibet, China, and Japan.
Beyond this, two of TinTin’s adventures are set on the Moon – at a time when human space travel wasn’t a reality yet.
Hergé invested a lot into research for his stories, something he has been since known for. This kind research resulted in very believable settings and more realistic adventures. For example, Hergé was able to come up with a design for the human space suit to be used to travel to the moon, which turned out be very close to what actually used years later in human space exploration.
The complete list of TinTin comics
Here’s a complete list of TinTin comics in chronological order of their publication :
1. Tintin in the Land of the Soviets (1929–1930)
2. Tintin in the Congo (1930–1931; 1946, 1975)
3. Tintin in America (1931–1932; 1945)
4. Cigars of the Pharaoh (1932–1934; 1955)
5. The Blue Lotus (1934–1935; 1946)
6. The Broken Ear (1935–1937; 1943)
7. The Black Island (1937–1938; 1943, 1966)
8. King Ottokar’s Sceptre (1938–1939; 1947)
9. The Crab with the Golden Claws (1940–1941; 1943)
10. The Shooting Star (1941; 1942)
11. The Secret of the Unicorn (1942–1943)
12. Red Rackham’s Treasure (1943–1944)
13. The Seven Crystal Balls (1943–1948)
14. Prisoners of the Sun (1946–1949)
15. Land of Black Gold (1948–1950; 1972)
16. Destination Moon (1950–1953)
17. Explorers on the Moon (1950–1954)
18. The Calculus Affair (1954–1956)
19. The Red Sea Sharks (1958)
20. Tintin in Tibet (1960)
21. The Castafiore Emerald (1963)
22. Flight 714 (1968)
23. Tintin and the Picaros (1976)
24. Tintin and Alph-Art (1986, 2004)
TinTin’s Adventures in Asia and Australia
Asia and Australia were the location for some of TinTin’s adventures:
- Tintin in the Land of the Soviets
- The Blue Lotus
- Land of Black Gold
- The Red Sea Sharks
- Tintin in Tibet
- Flight 714
TinTin’s Adventures in Africa
Here are TinTin’s Adventures in Africa:
- Tintin in the Congo
- Cigars of the Pharoah
- The Crab with the Golden Claws
TinTin’s Adventures in the Americas
TinTin had a set of adventures in both North and South America:
- Tintin in America
- The Broken Ear
- The Seven Crystal Balls
- Prisoners of the Sun
- Tintin and the Picaros
TinTin Adventures in Europe
Not surprisingly, many of TinTin’s adventures were in Europe:
- The Black Island
- King Ottokar’s Sceptre
- The Shooting Star
- The Secret of the Unicorn
- Red Rackham’s Treasure
- The Calculus Affair
- The Castafiore Emerald
TinTin’s Adventures on The Moon
Two great science fiction adventures of TinTin were on the Moon:
- Destination Moon
- Explorers on the Moon
Other TinTin Comics
One notable TinTin comic is a must-have for TinTin lovers. Tintin and Alph-Art, which was published posthumously, is the final TinTin comic which plays out in the world of modern art.
Where can you buy TinTin comics
TinTin comics are available from many online stores, including Amazon.com.
Now that you know more about TinTin, go forth and enjoy TinTin’s adventures. You and your family won’t regret it.