Sometimes, I am just all late and wrong.

Last night is the first time my girls and I (my daughter Morganna, the 19 year old line cook, and her best friend Brittney, the 18 year old line cook) could get together and get away to see Nora Ephron’s film, Julie & Julia. Which means, since it opened on August 7th, that I am sure that everyone else in the country, especially food bloggers, have already seen it. (OK, not everyone else has seen it. My dear Aunt Judy hasn’t seen it yet, either–she is going later this week.)

Late and wrong as I am, I still want to write some of my thoughts on the film, because I think that one of the best things that films do is they bring people together to talk about them. (Yeah, I have a minor in film, along with one in history, one in biology and one in women’s studies. Yes, I am a super-geek who would go to college the rest of her life if she could get away with it.)

Unsurprisingly, I really liked the movie, and I love the way that the script was structured, flipping back and forth between Julie Powell’s life as sourced from her blog and later her book, Julie & Julia, and Julia Child’s as remembered in her memoir, My Life In France.

Viewed as a purely structural device, bouncing back and forth between the two women’s lives and marking parallels between them brings a beautiful symmetry to the narrative, and builds a sense of anticipation as the stories unfold. The actors were all superb, and each of them brought an authentic sense of their characters’ humanity and reality to the screen. Even the supporting actors, particularly Linda Edmond who portrayed Simone Beck, were spot-on, their performances sparkling, fresh and genuine. They all brought a strong humanity to the characters which made them very appealing to the viewer, even when the characters’ personalities were not ones which would normally appeal to the viewer.

Here is where I tread in dangerous waters as a food blogger. It seems that any criticism of Julie Powell as a writer or as a person portrayed in this film or in her memoir, especially when written or uttered by a food blogger, is viewed as a sign of jealousy or personal attacks by herself and her fans. This is a shame, because the fact is, Julie Powell put herself out there in public view–she wrote her blog and wrote her book in a way which she can easily be viewed as narcissistic and shallow by readers–so if there are some who look at her work and declare their honest opinion of it, it doesn’t mean that they are attacking her personally. It means that they read her words and her own portrayal of herself and had an opinion about them–an opinion which may not be positive.

And that is okay. As a food blogger and a chef, I have taken plenty of flak for things I have written, and have gotten personal attacks which may or may not have been warranted. It comes with the territory of writing for the public. If you write strong opinions on issues, you are going to step on some toes, and you are going to hear about it from readers. And yeah, some of them are going to get personal, because frankly, some people take what you write personally, (even if it isn’t personal) and respond in kind.

It is just something that you should expect.

And really, if you write about yourself, as in a blog or memoir, you as the author are the one who is making it personal. And the fact is–not everyone who reads about someone is going to like them as a person. It is just how it is. Not everyone is equally loved by the rest of the world, because different people get along with different personalities, period. End of sentence, paragraph and story.

So, knowing this, I am just going to say the bad thing that food bloggers have to be very politic and not say: I did not care for either Julie Powell’s blog, nor especially, her book.

There. I said it.

And if readers want to see it as sour grapes or jealousy, so be it, but the truth is, I found Julie’s writing to be very shallow and her story to not be all that compelling. Her idea of cooking every recipe in Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking was a stroke of genius, and as a blog subject it was perfect. It still stands as one of the best thematic hooks in the history of food blogging. I bow to Powell when it comes to the narrow focus and time limitation on her blog, especially since I have never been able to narrow down what I want to write about in my own blog. (I am just too damned interested in too damned many topics to impose limitations on Tigers & Strawberries.)

It is just the execution that I found lacking–I just didn’t like her writing style.

And that is fine. I don’t have to. Lots of people love the way she writes and what she writes about and I am happy for them and for Powell.

Now that I have said the dangerous thing, I can get on with what I wanted to say about the film. Amy Adams’ portrayal and the script make Julie Powell a much more interesting and sympathetic character than Powell does herself in her own writings, and that is a good thing. However, her story is just not as compelling or interesting as the story of Julia Child in postwar Paris, and that is the film’s greatest flaw. The two tales, while superficially similar, are not that analogous, and while presenting them equally in the structure of the film provides a sense of symmetry, the overall effect is not symmetrical.

Even though I liked Amy Adam’s portrayal, I found myself growing impatient during the segments that showed Powell’s struggles to complete her self-appointed mission. I wanted to go back to France, or Germany or Norway–wherever Julia and Paul had been stationed, and see what was happening there, because it was just more interesting to me. Like many reviewers, I feel that it was a shame that My Life in France wasn’t given its own film treatment, because it is just that more fascinating to the viewer.

(Let me add that one of the most interesting sociological contrasts between 2002 Queens and 1950’s Paris was the amount of cigarette smoking that was going on in the 50’s. Everyone smoked. Everywhere. In restaurants, in restrooms, at home–everywhere. And, while I am at it, I must applaud Nora Ephron’s eye for detail–the costumes, hairstyles, make-up, props, sets and street shots of Paris were period-perfect and really drew the viewer into that world.)

But, flawed as it was, in truth Julie & Julia has had one great effect on me: it made me want to crack open my ages old copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, get in my kitchen and whip up some Boeuf Bourguignon, a dish I haven’t made since culinary school.

And it seems that I am not the only one who wants to revisit the classic tome: The New York Times reports that for the first time since it first came out, Mastering is once more at the top of the best-seller list, as it rides on the coattails of the movie that it partially inspired. Nearly fifty years after its publication, it is once again flying off of the shelves (along with everything else in print by Julia Child, including her memoir, as well as Julie Powell’s book) and hopefully into kitchens across the country.

Many readers, however, seem to be stunned by the amount of fat involved in these recipes, and many are adapting them to lower the fat content, while hopefully retaining the flavor. One reader quoted in the Times article who made what she called “beef fauxguignon”–great name, by the way–admitted to using a can of cream of mushroom soup, a can of burgundy wine and a can of cream of French onion soup seems to have missed the point in lowering the calories–cream of mushroom soup is anything but low-calorie. When she said, “Yes, Julia Child rolled over in her grave when I opened the cream of mushroom soup, I’m pretty sure of that. But you know what? That’s our world.” I had to laugh. The truth is, the opening a can of this and a can of that and popping some wine in the pot isn’t just our world–it was the world of 1950’s American cooking that Julia Child set out to change in the 1960’s too.

The irony is delicious.

But, when all is said and done, I think that we cannot dismiss the fact of Julia Child’s lasting impact on the eating habits and cooking abilities of Americans, nor can we downplay the effect that this film will have upon a new generation of American cooks.

By getting people who were only tangentially aware of Julia Child as a pop-culture icon out of the theatre and into the bookstore and then, hopefully, their kitchens, we also cannot dismiss the fact that by writing her blog, and then her book, and by selling the film rights to that book, Julie Powell helped remind America of why we loved Julia Child in the first place.

What would they say?

In the article, “Going Up, Part 4,” Grist started the ball rolling by asking Michael Pollan, author of the well-received essay, The Farmer in Chief, and then moved on to a plethora of passionate authors, activists, farmers and educators, all of whom had great ideas to pitch to the incoming President.

Of course, this got me to thinking–what would I say?

I think that I might mention that while most Americans live an urban lifestyle that is far removed from the toil and work of producing food, our historical roots are sunk deep into the soil–at one time, most of us were farmers, and not that very long ago–as recent as World War II, many Americans grew some portion of our own food.

In this failing economy, with jobless rates rising higher than in previous decades, with the banking system on shaky footing and fuel prices fluctuating up and down, we may need to return to our agricultural roots, not just because it is good for the environment, but because we will need to in order to survive.

I would suggest that federal support for urban community gardens and farms could help the urban poor produce some of their own fresh food, and perhaps a program of tax credits for suburban and small town families who turn some or all of their yards to food production would encourage the middle class to not only produce some of their own food as well. Educational programs to help non-gardeners learn the skills needed to grow food, such as the current County Extension Agencies could be expanded so that there was more community outreach and involvement, as well as tying the Extension offices to public school Edible Schoolyard programs across the country.

Americans really want to roll up our sleeves and do something to help make our country great again, and these sorts of self-help programs will get people moving in a positive direction again, as well as providing good, fresh food to people who may otherwise have no access to it at all.

Now, for the record, if John McCain had won the election, I would say the same things to him–my thoughts on this issue are not partisan–I’d think like this no matter what.

So now I want to know–what would YOU say?

Kate at The Accidental Hedonist had a great post the other day on the subject of her favorite food aromas, and it got me to thinking.

Quite a few of the foods she listed as having her favorite aromas seemed pretty universal to me–freshly baked bread being one and coffee being another. I think that everyone loves those two scents–in fact, I think that if someone wanted to market a scent that would make Americans think of Mama and the comforts of home, it would combine freshly baked bread with coffee and perhaps vanilla.

I suspect that for Americans, sage has got to be a nearly universal favorite food smell because it is the scent that embodies one of our favorite food holidays: Thanksgiving.

Other aromas that she lists as favorites are less typically American and more personal to Kate. One is freshly popped kettle corn, which though I am sure many people love, is not necessarily a scent that everyone I know would recognize, and the other is fresh whiskey straight from the still–not nearly as many people I know have had the opportunities to smell that as Kate has. (Being as she is the author of a book on the subject of whiskey, and I know she traveled to many distilleries doing research, I suspect she is probably an expert on the olfactory experience of the water of life.)

Garlic and onions, which she lists together, have scents that I know for a fact polarizes people’s opinions, sometimes even within the same household. While I side with Kate and simply love walking into a home that is fragrant with the essence of what I consider to be good cooking, which is to say browned onions and golden garlic, many other people I know are quite simply offended at having such odors permeating a living space.

I remember the Pakistani-Bangladeshi Muslim couple I used to cook for were divided on the issue of cooking smells. The husband hated having his home smelling of the kitchen, while the wife felt that the scent of cooking made a house a home. So, she would ask me to use the vent hood when I browned onions and cooked garlic, but was less stringent in her request when I cooked fresh ginger and spices, since these odors did not bother her husband.

Many other people I know also operate their vent hoods or open windows before, during and after cooking onions and garlic, and while I realized that this desire for a home unscented with cooking alliums is a personal choice and thus I respect it, I cannot help but note that it makes me sad, because to me, the scent of onions and garlic IS home to me.

Any reader of this blog has to know that nearly everything I cook other than desserts, is liberally laced with large amounts of garlic, onions and ginger, so it is inevitable that my kitchen, and in fact, the entire lower floor of my house, smells of them. In fact, when I am stir-frying and thus using the vent hood to get the smoke and the heat out of the kitchen, not only do I spread allium smell all over my house, the odor is swept outside into our driveway and sometimes goes as far as the street. Many of my friends have joked that they need only stand downwind of my house and sniff the air to know what I am cooking for dinner.

Imagine a tall, slender red-haired man stepping out onto the deck of his log cabin three doors down the hill from my house. He raises his head and sniffs the air, his nostrils twitching as they catch the scent of browned onions, garlic and ginger mixed with….chilies, there they are, cumin, cardamom, coriander, cinnamon and–ah–there it is–lamb. He smiles and starts walking up the hill because he knows that his sister is cooking lamb curry for dinner and the door is always open to him. That would be Dan, who has literally said that he has smelled my cooking at least one house down the road from mine, so it is a slight exaggeration to have him smelling it from his porch, but not by much.

When I come downstairs in the morning after I have cooked a traditional Chinese or Indian meal, I love being able to smell the lingering odors from dinner. I have found that in addition to the holy trinity of my kitchen of garlic, onions and ginger, some odors linger lovingly longer than others. One is the comforting, woodsy scent of toasted sesame oil, and another is the nutty, creamy aroma of Shao Hsing rice wine. Cumin, cardamom and cloves linger lovingly in the air after I make curry, and the tang of fish sauce and lime juice blended with chilies tells me that the spirit of the Thai food I cooked the night before is still wafting through my home.

And the truth is I know that I would rather my kitchen and home smell like good, well-seasoned food than any cleaning potion ever invented by man–even Pine Sol. (That is a big admission because I adore the smell of Pine Sol–it reminds me of my childhood in a good way.) Whether the scent of my kitchen involves alliums, rising dough, freshly baked bread, pie straight from the oven, fish sauce in a hot wok or kimchi bubbling on my counter in its initial fermentation, (yes, Kate, I disagree with you on the kimchi–to me, fermenting cabbage smells good) it always smells deliciously of home to me, and brings myself and many other great joy.

A long-time reader here at Tigers & Strawberries, upon reading my participatory post for Dave of Very Good Taste’s list of one hundred comestibles that every omnivore should try at least once, entitled The Omnivore’s Hundred, said that someone should make a list of one hundred foods that vegetarians should eat at least once.

I thought Alexis had a great idea, so here is my version: The Vegetarian’s Hundred. Included in this list are both vegan dishes and vegetarian dishes which include the use of dairy products and eggs. I chose to not go strictly vegan in my list because while I have been eating more and more vegetarian meals this past few years, I am by no means a vegan, so I just don’t feel qualified to really choose the 100 vegan dishes that everyone needs to try.

Why am I doing this?

Well, mostly for fun, but also to see where the idea goes. If you want to play along, here’s how you do it: copy the list, including my instructions, and bold any items you have eaten and strike out any you would never eat, and then post it to your blog. If you want, you can leave a comment here, linking to your results, or you can link back to this post so I can try and keep tabs on what folks have eaten and not eaten. Finally, if you think something else should be on the list–feel free to add that to your post, and add any comments you like to your own posting of the list. I am just as curious to see what people have to say about food as whether or not they have eaten them.

Before I start, I want to let you know how I chose the foods, which are in no particular order of importance, they are just in the order in which I thought of them. Basically, these are the foods that I think that these are the vegetarian foods that -everyone- should try, not just vegetarians, because they are amazingly good. Each of these foods puts the lie to the still-prevalent idea that vegetarian and especially vegan food, is either boring, hard to make or just plain bad. These are flavors that I think are not only amazingly good, but they are also ones that I think are pretty accessible to everyone.

You will notice a preponderance of non-Western dishes. (But there are still a lot of European and American classics represented, have no fear.) There is a reason for that–around the world, there are many cultures where vegetarian dishes are important parts of the diets of large numbers of people. Any time you have that many people eating a food, you can be pretty certain that it is going to taste good, because frankly, it has to be. This isn’t always the case of course, but staple foods tend to be tasty ones. You will also note that I have a bias towards freshly made items, because I believe that fresh is better. (Unless we are talking about fermented foods–then, fermented is better!)

I think that lists like this very definitely show the biases of the list maker. I am certain that many things about my personality, cooking style and food biases can be inferred from this list.

As for a vegan list–I will leave that project in the capable hands of one of the many vegan food bloggers out there in the blogosphere.

The Vegetarian Hundred

1. Real macaroni and cheese, made from scratch and baked
2. Tabouleh
3. Freshly baked bread, straight from the oven (preferably with homemade strawberry jam)
4. Fresh figs
5. Fresh pomegranate
6. Indian dal of any sort
7. Imam bayildi
8. Pressed spiced Chinese tofu
9. Freshly made hummus
10. Tahini
11. Kimchi
12. Miso
13. Falafel
14. Potato and pea filled samosas
15. Homemade yogurt
16. Muhammara
17. Brie en croute
18. Spanikopita
19. Fresh, vine-ripened heirloom tomatoes
20. Insalata caprese
21. Stir-fried greens (gai lan, bok choi, pea shoots, kale, chard or collards)
22. Freshly made salsa
23. Freshly made guacamole
24. Creme brulee
25. Fava beans
26. Chinese cold sesame peanut noodles
27. Fattoush
28. New potatoes
29. Coleslaw
30. Ratatouille
31. Baba ganoush
32. Winter squash
33. Roasted beets
34. Baked sweet potatoes
35. Plantains
36. Chocolate truffles
37. Garlic mashed potatoes
38. Fresh water chestnuts
39. Steel cut oats
40. Quinoa
41. Grilled portabello mushrooms
42. Chipotle en adobo
43. Stone ground whole grain cornmeal
44. Freshly made corn or wheat tortillas
45. Frittata
46. Basil pesto
47. Roasted garlic
48. Raita of any type
49. Mango lassi
50. Jasmine rice (white or brown)
51. Thai vegetarian coconut milk curry
52. Pumpkin in any form other than pie
53. Fresh apple pear or plum gallette
54. Quince in any form
55. Escarole, endive or arugula
56. Sprouts other than mung bean
57. Naturally brewed soy sauce
58. Dried shiitake mushrooms
59. Unusually colored vegetables (purple cauliflower, blue potatoes, chocolate bell peppers…)
60. Fresh peach ice cream
61. Chevre
62. Medjool dates
63. Kheer
64. Flourless chocolate cake
65. Grilled corn on the cob
66. Black bean (or any other bean) vegetarian chili
67. Tempeh
68. Seitan or wheat gluten
69. Gorgonzola or any other blue veined cheese
70. Sweet potato fries
71. Homemade au gratin potatoes
72. Cream of asparagus soup
73. Artichoke-Parmesan dip
74. Mushroom risotto
75. Fermented black beans
76. Garlic scapes
77. Fresh new baby peas
78. Kalamata olives
79. Preserved lemons
80. Fried green tomatoes
81. Chinese scallion pancakes
82. Cheese souffle
83. Fried apples
84. Homemade frijoles refritos
85. Pasta fagiole
86. Macadamia nuts in any form
87. Paw paw in any form
88. Grilled cheese sandwich of any kind
89. Paneer cheese
90. Ma Po Tofu (vegetarian style–no pork!)
91. Fresh pasta in any form
92. Grilled leeks, scallions or ramps
93. Green papaya salad
94. Baked grain and vegetable stuffed tomatoes
95. Pickled ginger
96. Methi greens
97. Aloo paratha
98. Kedgeree (the original Indian version without the smoked fish, not the British version with fish)
99. Okra
100. Roasted brussels sprouts

There it is–my list of 100 vegetarian foods that everyone–not just vegetarians–should eat at least once. rest assured that I have eaten all of these at least once, and the truth is, I like nearly all of these foods a great deal. There are a couple of exceptions, and they are related to each other. While I love blue-veined cheeses, I am sensitive to blue-green molds, which is probably related to my penicillin allergy. So, I -can- eat the cheeses, but I generally get very ill after I do so, so I try to avoid them. In fact, just about any cheese with bloom or mold on it I tend to avoid, or in the case of brie and similar cheese, I cut the rind away.

Similarly, I do not much care for tempeh–it is inoculated with a mold in order to produce it, and because of that, I tend to leave it alone. The flavor is okay, but my stomach gets queasy just smelling it, so I leave it be.

Everything else on this list is okay by me. I addition to putting together a fun game to play, I have also maybe given readers new ideas in vegetarian foods to try sometime.

So, in honor of Labor Day which supposedly celebrates the Labor Movement in the US, but usually is celebrated by a last bit of summer fun before all the work of autumn commences, I decided to play along.

In addition to following Andrew’s instructions, I figured it would be more interesting if I not only boldfaced the items I had consumed, but made note of where I first did so, and perhaps, boldfaced and changed the color of items which I cook and eat on a regular basis. (If I cook the dish, it will be green and bold.) Not only that, but at the end of the post, I am going to add my own list of dishes, foods and drinks I think that everyone should taste at least once.

Here are Andrew’s instructions, if any of my food blogging buddies want to play along:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Steak tartare Zak introduced me to this classic. I now only make it myself from beef tenderloin from a local producer I trust.
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. PB&J sandwich I guess that this would be unusual for a foodie anywhere else but the US.
14. Aloo gobi I make this all the time.
15. Hot dog from a street cart From New York, no less.
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle And white truffle, while we are at it. I ate the former in culinary school, and the latter in risotto at Biba.
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes Elderberry wine, from Shade Winery here in Athens County.
19. Steamed pork buns I cannot count how many times I have eaten and made these.
20. Pistachio ice cream Pistachio gelato is even better.
21. Heirloom tomatoes I grow them, so of course, I eat them. I also make salsa, salads, sauces and all sorts of other stuff from them.
22. Fresh wild berries I grew up eating wild blackberries and continue the tradition to this day.
23. Foie gras Seared foie gras over a rare bison tenderloin at Handke’s in Columbus about five years ago. Amazingly tasty.
24. Rice and beans Every week, in a myriad of forms, I cook and/or eat beans and rice.
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper Yep. Been there, done that.
27. Dulce de leche Oh, my, yes. Every time I visit the in-laws in Miami, I must eat dulce de leche at least once.
28. Oysters I’ve had them, but don’t like them. They taste fine, but the texture–ick. It gets me every time.
29. Baklava We have it at work. ‘Nuff said.
30. Bagna cauda We made this in culinary school, and I nearly made myself sick on it. Other kids got sick on sweets, I gorged on this.
31. Wasabi peas A favorite snack.
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl I love the chowder, hate the bowl. Soggy bread. Ugh.
33. Salted lassi A fine and delicious drink.
34. Sauerkraut On the farm, we made huge crocks of this every year. This fall, the tradition continues.
35. Root beer float If there was no root beer in it, I’d like it.
36. Cognacwith a fat cigar–Love the cognac, though I can no longer drink. But the cigar–euww, no. Allergic to tobacco.
37. Clotted cream tea One of the best culinary traditions in Britain.
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo I like it best with crab, crayfish, shrimp and duck.
40. Oxtail I love it in lentil soup.
41. Curried goat I make it Pakistani, not Jamaican style.
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk I like it in all forms, but especially cheese.
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more I wish I could still drink, dammit.
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala I make this all the time for work. We sell out every time, too.
48. Eel Not bad, but not a favorite.
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut Oh, yeah.
50. Sea urchin Even though the texture is squiggly, when it is good, it tastes so good, I don’t care.
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi Tasty and pretty stuff.
53. Abalone
54. Paneer I cook this all the time at home and at work, and have made it from scratch. Great.
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal To my sorrow, I have eaten this. However, recently, I have found my stomach rejects McDonald’s food violently.
56. Spaetzle Pretty good stuff.
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV Yeah, that was good stuff. Alas, I can no longer imbibe.
59. Poutine No, but I want to!
60. Carob chips I don’t like them, but I have eaten them. Give me chocolate, dammit, not that fake-assed “healthy” shit.
61. S’mores I was a Girl Scout, for God’s sake. I couldn’t have avoided s’mores if I wanted to.
62. Sweetbreads Oh, yes. Very tasty.
63. Kaolin In the form of kaopectate, though I suspect that is too much information and not what Andrew was talking about.
64. Currywurst No, but I want to. Must go to Berlin….
65. Durian No, but I want to. Anything described by a friend as “its like eating raspberries in a latrine” has to be experienced.
66. Frogs’ legs I like them salt-and-pepper fried Chinese style.
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake It is fried dough. What is not to love?
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain I have in laws in Miami who introduced me to Cuban food. I love the plantain.
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette No, but I have cleaned them. It is a long story, fit for a post on its own.
71. Gazpacho I’ve made several versions of this every summer for years.
72. Caviar and blini In culinary school. I wasn’t quite certain what all the fuss was about. It was sorta salty and that is all. I like salmon roe better.
73. Louche absinthe Absinthe rules. It loosens up my vocal chords and makes singing like breathing. Beautiful stuff.
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie Cherry was my favorite as a kid.
78. Snail Garlic butter makes everything good.
79. Lapsang souchong This is my second favorite tea, next to pu er.
80. Bellini I used to make these all the time when I was a bartender. They are right tasty, but I like mojitos better. And did I mention I cannot drink anymore? And that it sucks?
81. Tom yum I like tom kha gai better, though.
82. Eggs Benedict Rich, but amazingly good.
83. Pocky Love at first crunch.
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef Good, but not all that. No, really.
86. Hare Lagomorphs are lovely.
87. Goulash My Grandma made this every Thanksgiving along with about thirty other dishes. No, I am not kidding. We aren’t Hungarian, either.
88. Flowers I love flowers. Roses are a favorite, and I will incorporate them into whatever I can.
89. Horse I have not ever had the opportunity, but I would eat it.
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam I grew up in Appalachia. What do you think?
92. Soft shell crab Crab is one of the reasons I miss living in Maryland. I love me some crab.
93. Rose harissa Is rose harisssa different than regular harissa? Anyway, I cook with and eat regular harissa every week at work.
94. Catfish Fried Japanese style, catfish is divine. Just plain fried hillbilly style is pretty good, too.
95. Mole poblano I had this first in Miami at a wonderful regional Mexican restaurant. So delicious.
96. Bagel and lox My husband is one of the few Jews who doesn’t like lox, so this shiksa eats his portion. I have to fight with him over the bagels, though.
97. Lobster Thermidor Rich enough to strike you dead, but delicious.
98. Polenta Who can resist polenta?
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee I like Kenyan better, but this is nothing to turn your nose up at.
100. Snake I haven’t gotten around to it is all.

I suspect that my Omnivore’s Hundred would be different. Okay, I know it would be.

Here is a taste of some of the foods/dishes I would put in my own version:

Imam bayildi (Look for a recipe in tomorrow’s post)
Muhammara
She-crab soup
Scallion pancakes
Ma po tofu
Shajahani biryani
Kashmiri dhingri chole
King Crab Rolls (From Sushi King in Columbia, Maryland)
really good sparkling mead or metheglyn (drink some for me, okay?)
Puttanesca