Monday, January 30, 2012

Brits Eat Some Weird Stuff

So, visited Tommy the Tenured Brit. Ate kidneys, venison, baked-tomatoes-for-breakfast, and had a whole lot of pints of room temperature flat beer in little places the getting to which involved driving like hell in the dark on roads just wide enough for oxcarts, on the wrong side of the freakin' road.

But the oddest thing? The oddest thing was clearly the zombie shrimp dish at the Horse and Groom.

Okay, technically that's a zombie langostino, rising from beneath the pie crust to langost the whole earth. And, they didn't call it "zombie shrimp." They called it "Rabbit and Langostino pie." But wouldn't that shrimp give most little kids nightmares?

I liked it, a lot, however. Rabbit was pretty darned tasty, too.

8 comments:

Pelsmin said...

Not true that you can eat well in England only if you have breakfast three times a day. But the "gastropubs" have some weird freakin' meals.
I ate at one last year that had something on the menu with the intriguing name "Potted Pig's Head." I asked the waitress what it was and she said, "Well...we take a pig's head..." and you know where it went from there.
After that, I was afraid to order the Spotted Dick.

Anonymous said...

I took mungowitz to taste the cock, but he wasn't really in the mood for some spotted dick either.

Tommy the Brit

Anonymous said...

You really think that's weird? Head cheese is eaten all throughout Europe, especially in France.

To me, it's the US that's weird, especially nowadays - why would you only eat some parts of the animal but not others, especially the less flavorful parts to boot?

Most of the world is very much into nose to tail eating (China, Mexico, France, UK, you name it). Don't see anything weird in that. You have to be American to find that weird.

Enjoy your chicken breast though.

Pelsmin said...

The reason so many places are into nose-to-tail eating is because they have to be. Can't eat filet mignon when you can't afford it. China ain't eating chicken feet because it's a delicious and nutritious delicacy. And keep in mind what part of the beast comes just before that delicious Ox Tail...

I WILL enjoy my chicken breast, thank you very much. As long as it is battered in 11 herbs and spices and deep-fried to "extra crispy" standards.

Yours unapologetically,

John Covil said...

I take it anonyman is not from Eastern NC.

Anonymous said...

Filet mignon - the most boring and least flavorful among all cuts. Or - the chicken breast of beef. Enjoy nonetheless!

Mungowitz said...

I have to admit, I do like the odd bits. I have some pig tails a-stewin' in the pot right now.

And the kidney pie was darned good, at the Horse and Groom.

John Covil said...

I tried souse recently. I quite liked it. I think it has heart in it, which really isn't that strange anyway (just a muscle). I also had scrapple in PA about a year-and-a-half ago. It was ok. Can't remember the parts that go into it. Point is, these are classic items of American cuisine.