At the Hungry Tiger Festival, we asked you to share your global food stories and attach them to our giant “Dish” map. And you regaled us with stories of kidnappings, fried scorpions and heaping plates of silkworms! Here is a smattering of some of our favorites.
Americas
Anchorage, Alaska: Reindeer sausage, smoked salmon caught the day before and pancakes from a 100+ year starter.
Toronto 1982. I ate shrimp sushi and my lip swelled to 4 times its normal size. Last time I ate shrimp.
My mother made Japanese Shabu Shabu for thanksgiving every year because she doesn’t like turkey. Vernon hills, Gurnee, Glenview, 1989-2011
I ate half of a cow ribs in Kansas. At a bus station. Best ribs.
Costa Rica: Miracle Fruit! Small cranberry-like fruit that makes everything (even limes) taste sweet like candy.
Ecuador: I stayed with a host family in Ecuador and I commented how cute their pet guinea pigs were… those aren’t pets! They told me. Oh, dinner! Being ready for anything, I tried some…tender.
I hadn’t eaten red meat in over 15 years when I went to Argentina and had to try the steak. I ended up eating meat every day I was there (and no, I didn’t get sick!). Mmm…steak!
Middle East & Africa
In Syria, Kidnapped during the Ramadan by my taxi driver. He brought me, my sister, brother, mom and dad to his family home to break the fast. Then he drove us home… no charge.
When I went to Tunisia, I was constantly invited into people’s homes for couscous. Each one was dependent on what was available at market that day.
In Mali, my host mother taught me to make Tiga Dégé, a peanut sauce with spinach and onions. I still make it.
Drank fermented corn beverage in Zambia – survived
In 1972, when I left Swaziland to travel back to the U.S. with s Peace Corp Volunteer. The guards at the prison where he worked slaughtered a goat for us. We spent the day eating salted and grilled BBQ goat by a waterfall.
Europe
In Iceland, I payed $15 for 1 egg and a mountain of bacon. No toast.
In Poland, I ordered tripe soup. I had eaten it before in a Columbian restaurant and it was OK. The server tried to convince me otherwise but I said it was OK. I looked down and it looked like it was moving. I couldn’t eat it – at all! The Polish people I was with just laughed.
Asia
In Korea, they have Kimchi with every meal (spicy fermented cabbage). I learned to love it and all kinds of spicy food! I ate fresh just-chopped-alive octopus. It suctioned on my tongue.
Kiyosato, Japan. I ordered a stew in the mountains of Japan. It had meat in it, it was a chewy, pungent meat. It was bear!
Beijing: Fried scorpions. So crunchy. So tasty. Makes awesome photos to send home. I’d do it again in a second.
While trying to order beef hot pot in China, we miscommunicated and got silk worms heaped on a plate instead. Yuck!
Oceania
Central Australia: Stir-fried crocodile. Like chicken, with fish essence.
In Northern (rural) Fiji, we had boiled fish every night… and then had to drink the “fish juice” —the water that it was boiled in. So smelly!
