It’s Not Horrifying If You Can Eat It

by Abha Malpani on

Ever since I ate fried cockroaches in Thailand and rotten kangaroo tail in Australia, I love bringing up the ‘what’s the weirdest, most disgusting thing you’ve eaten’ topic; I normally beat everyone. It’s funny though how I can eat cockroaches, but I think caviar is disgusting.

The grossest thing I’ve eaten is eel. UGH. It was in a Korean restaurant in Wollongong (Australia) where we went with Korean classmates and (over) confidently asked them to order. UGGGHHH.

The most stomach-churning Spanish food which I haven’t had the courage to try yet is bull testicles.

Anyway, after looking at this recently published list of World’s Most Terrifying Food, bull testicles seem as good as eating grapes. Among the more, um, unusual foods are:

  • Escamoles (Mexico): Eggs of a giant ant that have the texture of cottage cheese.
  • Cazu Marzu (Sardinia, Italy): Sheep cheese infested with ‘cheese fly,’ in an advance stage of decomposition. It’s even illegal in Sardinia!
  • Lutefish (Norway): It’s a fish marinated in lye — a strong industrial chemical used to clean drains and kill plants; and apparently when the fish is drenched long enough in this lye thing, it can dissolve silver cutlery.
  • Baby mice wine (Korea): Beats the eel on a scale of grossness 100:1. This is a health tonic where baby mice are stuffed into a bottle of wine while alive! (I think I am going to throw up).
  • Pacha (Iraq): Boiled goat head. Well, in the Arab world fried goat brains and tongue is not uncommon, so this one didn’t gross me out.
  • Balut (Philippines): Duck eggs incubated until the fetus is almost a duck, but not quite; it’s then boiled alive and served out of buckets of warm sand.

Now let’s try and keep in focus that this is daily food of people around the world, and is not gross to them, let alone terrifying. I wonder if it’s unthinkable for people in Korea and China that in India some eat only vegetables grown above the ground — i.e. their food cannot have potato, onion or garlic. What must the rat-cat-eyeball eating people think of vegans?

The world is filled with unusual foods. What’s the strangest thing you have eaten on the road?

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Brussels: A City Without a Soul?

by Iva Skoch on

I just spent a few days in Brussels. It’s been a long time since I visited the capital of Belgium, well before it became the EU-conglomerate that it is now. Back then, the only thing I remembered about Brussels is that I didn’t really remember anything. Not because I was intoxicated, mind you. The city just didn’t make a huge impression on me.

Still, I wanted to keep an open mind about Brussels. Although I went there for a journalism conference hosted by the EU, not for pleasure, I liked it. The old town is picturesque and diverse, both architecturally and culturally. I had a couple of good Belgian beers, overdosed on pralines and even had a decent falafal.

On the plane back I was thinking about Brussels. I liked it but it didn’t really make an impression on me. I didn’t love it. I didn’t even hate it. I think I figured it out. Brussels is a city you visit for its particularly good elements (chocolate, beer, buildings…) not for the city’s soul.

(Thanks to Melanie & John for the picture of Brussels.)

India’s Sticks and Dance Festival in Modern Times

by Abha Malpani on

In India, the concept of BYOB (bring-your-own-beer) is unheard of, but BYO Sticks is commonplace. I can’t believe I’ve called one of India’s most fun and celebrated festivals one of ‘Sticks and Dance,’ but truth be told, that’s exactly what it is.

During these nine-nights of Navratri (this year 12-20 October — depending in the moon), huge tents are set up throughout the country and people get together to dance ‘dandiya’ (dance with sticks). If you have watched any Bollywood films and wondered if we dance like that in India, the answer is yes — in weddings and in this festival.

As with most Hindu festivals, hundreds and thousands of people go to pray on the occasions; stampedes happen and people die, (in a country of over a billion, these things are unfortunately commonplace) but in general they are happy celebrations. People get together in traditional outfits or fused-modern ones, and as long as you have two foot-size wooden sticks and are willing to hit other peoples foot-size wooden sticks to the beat of drums, you are more than welcome.

This festival is probably India’s most joyous; attendance levels at work and educational institutions are low and political campaigns take a step back as they know people are too busy hitting each others sticks till the wee hours of the morning; except in Mumbai perhaps where open air fiesta has to shut at midnight. I laughed out loud when I read that in Mumbai, dancing is only permitted until midnight because of the noise levels, but dandiya venues managed to overcome that problem by offering guests headphones to wear while they dance!

Great time to visit India if you want enjoy rocking to Indian music and want to experience the cultural partying scene of the Indian youth.

Journey Girl and Melburnalia: Theatrics on Flinders Lane

by Kelly Amabile on

Ahhh, the stories I have to share about my recent two-month stay in Melbourne. It’s such a fantastic place. But until I get my arse in gear and bring those tales your way, let me at least suggest one spot you should check out if you’re headed to the Victorian capital in the near future:

fortyfivedownstairs is an art space located on fabulous Flinders Lane in Melbourne’s central business district. The venue features a constant lineup of cool exhibits and theatrical performances. Two of their upcoming productions are travel related, so I felt obliged to let ya know about them straight away:

Beginning October 24, the theater will showcase a one-woman Australian musical called The Journey Girl. Emma Caldwell plays Annie, “an adventurous young Aussie woman attempting to conquer the world with nothing more than a backpack and a map.” Next up is Melburnalia, which debuts on November 1. The play weaves together five short works (by local writers) into a single journey through the diverse suburbs of the city.

I’d sooooo love to see both these theatrical explorations, and after living in Melbourne for awhile, the second one sounds especially interesting. If you live there, or will be traveling through town, be sure to check out the lineup at fortyfivedownstairs, and tell us what you think.

One Man, One Motorcycle and 1000 Stories

by Kelly Amabile on

Here’s a cool travel vlog to check out when you’ve got some spare daydreaming moments: 1000Stories is currently being updated daily with video dispatches from Florian Thalhofer, a German filmmaker and artist who is riding cross-country on a shiny motorcycle, courtesy of his pals at BMW. Thalhofer has embarked on a “social experiment” in which he seeks to learn firsthand about the United States. In his own words:

American culture can be found everywhere in the world. But the U.S. is still a mystery to me, always a little incomprehensible. That feeling of having grown up with American culture but never really understanding what America is all about has become stronger after September 11.

So Thalhofer decided to head off the beaten path on his bike, visiting small towns and talking to people about their lives and life in these United States. His route will be determined by Americans who want to meet with him, so sign up if you’d like a chance to chat with Florian. He’s in Iowa now, and headed west. He’ll be on the road through November 15.