I'm sitting here watching No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain on the Travel Channel right now. He is in China and eating some Peking duck and it just reminds me how much I miss going to China Town in New York City. There is nothing like seeing those golden brown lacquered ducks hanging in the window in the temperature danger zone, sometimes you just have to say screw the rules and go for the good stuff. For any of my students who may be reading this, you will be tested on my lectures and the text not my personal food rants.
I have had the opportunity to eat a number of "odd" foods in my lifetime, Turkey Fries (fried turkey testicles) when I cooked out in Yosemite, along with alligator meat for the same event. I've also cooked Kangaroo, Elk, Bison, Reindeer, Wild Boar, Bear, Ostrich, Wild Duck, Rabbit, Hare, Suckling Pig, Rattlesnake and I'm sure some others I can't recall right now. I will say I am glad I have never had to cook any insects, but I have had the chance to eat some.
There is a couple shops in Chinatown in NYC that sell candies made from insects. My first introduction to this odd sort of candy was from baby candied crabs which wasn't too odd (when I had ingested large amounts of alcohol) but became odd to me the next day ironically. Imagine stopping into one of the less "western" shops in NYC and seeing fried worms, maggots and other insect things. You thought these things only showed up on Andrew Zimmerman's show, but you can find them in NYC as well. I however have forgotten the shops these "foods" were contained in.
Lucky for all of you that ummmm care to try bugs, I am going to New York City on Friday in an effort to find this shop. To balance out this trip I also happen to be going to Bar Boulud for lunch to research some modern charcuterie and then I am going to WD-50 for dinner so that I can eat some fun new-styled food by chef Wylie Dufresne, that funky chef judge guy on Top Chef last week.
So I hope to have some picture for you guys after this weekend of some creepy crawly foods. For those of you for a different adventure I will make sure to take my camera into WD-50 and Bar Boulud. I wish I had more time actually to stop into Dim Sum Go-Go but that might have to wait until next time.
I spoke to Christopher (via e-mail) and got his blessing to post my company information here. We're an online specialty food company that delivers many unique products to individual consumers and home chefs. Our sister company distributes to high end restaurants, so we have access to amazing products, including Nuovo Ravioli, and are always happy to do our best to source special requests.
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Marx Foods
www.marxfoods.com
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