Food and Food Culture

The funny thing is that the committee apparently wasn't even considering it.

I went to a dessert cafe that specializes in mango desserts and got mango sago and mango pancakes. I liked both but I'll have to come back when I have the money for it.

I originally wanted durian pancake but the server suggested that I sample durian because it's a polarizing fruit. I liked it. I dunno how the describe the flavor? Its custardy with this fruity fermented taste that's savory-sweet. Definitely smells like rotten fruit like everyone else says lol but it is was cold so the smell wasnt that bad. The durian pancakes were sold out before the mango ones were so they must be popular.

Finally another one who appreciates durian. I always enjoy it when I have the chance to get it.

Edited by M84 on Apr 2nd 2024 at 8:58:03 PM

I still can't get over the fact that actual strip loin, even when it’s Kosher, is sometimes less expensive than rib steak from the same supplier according to certain websites that sell it.

I'll admit that I have curiosity about what Durian tastes like, but I can't imagine I'd like it.

We had some left over ham from Easter, so I chopped it up and threw it into split pea soup. It was delicious, and perfect for the rainy weather we had yesterday.

Edited by SilentColossus on Apr 4th 2024 at 11:27:45 AM

Finally tried venison. I went to a steakhouse over the weekend, but noticed they had a venison dish on the menu for the first time. It was served in a manner akin to Beef Wellington, wrapped in puff pastry.

It was alright. Not too chewy, not too gamey. I wouldn't say it was as good as choice cut wagyu beefsteak, but it was good. Cheaper than the steak dishes too.

Edited by M84 on Apr 8th 2024 at 12:07:57 AM

I really like venison, but whereas beef is still tasty if it's well done with not a hint of pink left, venison doesn't seem to cope with that so well.

(I'll generally go for rare on both, if I'm cooking)

You get six species of deer in the UK, all of which are sold as venison - but other than the size (from 30Kg muntjacs to 120Kg native reds) I can't say I've registered a difference in the meat. Apparently it's quite noticeable if you compare them side by side. Maybe that's an excuse for a dinner party or something...

Edited by Mrph1 on Apr 8th 2024 at 9:48:50 AM

The only game meat I ever ate before that was rabbit. Even then I could count the number of times on one hand I ate rabbit. I liked it best the one time I ate it in a stew.

I also want to try pigeon (aka squab) and bear meat.

Edited by M84 on Apr 8th 2024 at 5:05:48 PM

Pigeon's good - that's another one that you don't want to overcook. I'm so used to the "always make sure the chicken is completely cooked" rules that serving game birds rare is a bit of a shift.

Rook is the other one that's supposed to be very good, and interchangeable with pigeon in most recipes, but in a weird legal state in the UK - it can be shot as a pest, and it can be eaten, but the meat can't change hands for money. So if you want to try it here, you need to make friends with a hunter / gamekeeper or get it yourself.

(I think wild geese may be in the same situation, but not 100% sure)

...rooks are also clever enough that some of the ethical questions that apply to octopus and pigs may be relevant. Although if they're being shot in large numbers to protect crops anyway, I personally think we're better eating them than burying them in landfill. YMMV.

(I've had something with bear as an ingredient, but I still couldn't tell you what bear tastes like & haven't really had the meat)

Edited by Mrph1 on Apr 8th 2024 at 10:16:16 AM

I don't understand the stigma against SPAM _{spam spam spam baked beans and spam.} It's the best kind of canned meat.

I think at least part of it is due to a reputation as a “poverty” food. Some people will mock others for things associated with poverty, so a dismissal of such foods as spam is a defense against that.

Part of the problem is people not knowing the best way to prepare it. You gotta treat it like bacon. Fry it in a pan and let the high fat content do the work.

My dad's friend sent us some ground venison after he went hunting, we used some of it to make burgers. The taste was good but it would crumble to pieces because there was basically no fat it in and tasted a bit too dry.

However, one time he sent us some ground goat meat. Those were some of the best burgers we ever had, tasted great and was leaner than beef but still had enough fat to hold together. He sent some goat meat steaks before that and it was the same deal.

I’ve ordered venison at one of those restaurants where you cook your own slices of meat on a small, hot stone slab. My sauce of choice was garlic butter because every other sauce they offered seemed like they’d overpower the flavor of the meat. And, you know, lean meat + fat = Yum.

Very tasty.

Going back to spam, I bet part of the problem is people thinking you're supposed to eat it straight out of the can. And while it's perfectly edible, that is far from the right way to prepare it.

Like all canned meats, while you can in theory eat it straight out of the can it's intended to be cooked. The people who process and prepare canned meat take this into account. That's why there is so much salt and fat — it helps keep it fresh and the fat means you can quickly fry it up without adding cooking oil.

I've never had it. Not because I avoid it - I've just never had it. If I want a cured meat (that's not bacon) that I fry in its own fat, I just have pork roll.

... Now I want pork roll on an everything bagel. With some egg and cheese.

Edited by SilentColossus on Apr 8th 2024 at 8:24:29 AM

On the topic of canned meat and venison: is there canned game meat?

Yes, there is.

So I have to ask.

What is the link betwixt sugar overconsumption and diabetes (among other nutritional maladies), and how poorly understood is it?

Advocacy group Consumer Reports claims Lunchables and other lunch and snack kits contain a concerning amount of lead and sodium, not above legal or regulatory limits, but up to 50% of the recommended intake.

I am fully in favor of legislation that treats unhealthy food (fast food, candy, etc.) exactly the same as recreational drugs, and restricting eating it to only adults. I also won't complain if it's illegal outright.

But I love cookies.

Edited by seasaltcaramelcookie on Apr 9th 2024 at 5:55:12 AM

That's not what the article is saying. It's saying that with a single Lunchables containing 74% of the allowed amount of lead, you can't eat two of them in a day. Or eat one of them and then get 37% of lead from other sources. That's not a problem with junk food as a whole, that's just a ridiculous amount of lead that needs to be toned down, and it has nothing to do with children vs adults.

That doesn't sound reasonable, practical, or effective at all. At most, a case could be made for limiting sources kids can get to when they aren't around their parents, like at school.

Not only is this not feasible, but not all candy and fast food is even created equal in terms of being bad for you.