I remember the first time I tried escargot.* I was at my aunt and uncle’s house and feeling a little daring. They are amazing cooks (owned an award-winning restaurant in Hershey, PA for a few years), so I trusted that whatever came out of that little shell would surely be delicious.
And then .07 seconds into popping that sucker into my mouth I had a full-on freak out about the fact that I was eating a snail and spit it directly out into a napkin, telling my war story for weeks to surprisingly unimpressed audiences all over town.
Flash forward about 15 years later. This weekend said aunt and uncle paid a little visit from sunny FL, along with another pair of relatives from NY. And as much as I love spending time with the fam, one of the best parts about them visiting is I know for a fact that I am going to eat like a queen. Also, I know i will gain at least 5 lbs in no more than 3 days. So true to form, my uncle Chris brought a slew of delicious meats and cheeses from NY and we feasted. Among those treats was something I’ve heard of before, but never actually seen, and that is sweetbreads. I recall hearing someone on Top Chef make mention of sweetbreads at one time or another but had no idea what they actually were.
Source. (I know I suck and forgot to take a picture. Bad blogger.)
So as they slid that grilled piece of tender meat onto my plate, and I sank my teeth into the most delicious bite of grilled food that has ever graced my lips, they spilled the beans.
Apparently it’s some sort of gland, which isn’t the most appetizing word. However, unlike my previous encounter with adventurous food, I did not spit my bite out this time. And then I ate another. Turns out glands are delightful.
So I realize that in the grand scheme of things, this isn’t the craziest thing that anyone has ever consumed, but for me it was pretty adventurous. It really shows that I’m much more open to new things in my old age of 29 and I can get past my squeamish nature. I also ate some duck liver, which was good, but not my favorite.
Speaking of trying new things, as it turns out, pad thai is also delicious.
I realize that was totally out of left field, but I felt it was worth mentioning.
*I did try escargot again on our honeymoon in Jamaica, and actually loved it.
**Thanks to Mary, Chris, Tom and Gerry for a great visit! Love you guys!
What’s the most adventurous food you’ve ever tried?
June 12, 2012 at 9:35 am
Pad Thai is the best – so glad you tried it!
I’ve tried gator tail and cactus – those were my two craziest. I’d probably try anything once though!
June 12, 2012 at 9:42 am
I like pad thai, but not the peanuts that are always on top, haha. I will never eat escargot or glands. nope.
June 12, 2012 at 9:59 am
I was putting my last bite of toast into my mouth when I read “gland”. I’m choking a bit right now
I tried snails once and really didn’t like them – they were gritty/sandy. And at a lobster party last year one of the lobsters was preggers–it was so gross. At this year’s lobster party, I’ll be there for the party and not the lobster.
June 12, 2012 at 10:12 am
I would say the suckling pig’s head would be my most adventurous. Funny though, Tom had sweetbreads on his dinner Friday night and I wouldn’t try them, even though I’ve eaten brains. I find that odd. I kind of like duck liver in the right dish, but I can’t recall if I’ve ever actually tried escargot. We used to go to a place back home that was famous for it, but my cousin would usually eat it all so maybe I was just never fast enough?
June 13, 2012 at 4:34 pm
You totally beat me with the pig head. I can’t even picture it.
June 12, 2012 at 10:13 am
Oh, and pad thai is like one of my fave foods of all time. Yummmm.
June 12, 2012 at 10:46 am
Sweetbreads are delicious. I had no idea what they were the first time I ate them either. I didn’t much care what they were, they tasted good
June 12, 2012 at 10:58 am
I’ve heard of sweetbreads… and have totally said NO WAY. I just can’t.
But yet I’ve tried bone marrow. It had the consistency of fat/jello. I can say I tried it now. But never again…
June 12, 2012 at 11:56 am
Oh, I don’t know if I could be that brave, even if it did taste delicious. Good going!
I did manage to eat jellyfish at my cousin’s wedding reception – that was a pretty big deal for me considering the fact that I am not a fan of seafood.
June 12, 2012 at 12:00 pm
Not gonna lie.. Eating a gland kinda freaks me out. I think someone would have to lie to me & tell me afterward what it really was.
June 12, 2012 at 12:49 pm
No no no on the sweet breads for me. I’ll try pad thai though!
June 12, 2012 at 1:02 pm
I agree…pad thai rocks! If it weren’t for you and Lindsey, I would never had tried sushi or thai food. Thanks for that!
June 13, 2012 at 4:35 pm
it’s my extreme pleasure to be your stewardess into the land of delicious ethnic foods
June 12, 2012 at 1:55 pm
I have a hard time getting over eating organs. I think that’s my major hang-up. I’ve eaten alligator, no problem. Rabbit, sure. But tell me I’m eating an organ or gland and I still get a little squeamish.
June 12, 2012 at 2:02 pm
Wow. I thought sweetbreads were actual bread (since they are sort of fluffy like bread)…the Hubby and I ate some at a wine dinner we went to. That’s really gross now that I think of that…I will be sure to let him know b/c he had no idea what it was either.
Prior to that, I’ve eaten a lot of balls from various animals…I will try anything once (especially after you’ve given me some booze- I’m a floozy like that).
June 13, 2012 at 4:36 pm
Oh I totally had like 3 glasses of wine prior. Liquid courage at it’s finest.
June 12, 2012 at 9:27 pm
Mmmm love me some escargot! Can’t believe you ate sweetbreads – you are a braver lass than I
June 13, 2012 at 11:03 am
Until I saw Top Chef I thought that sweet breads were sweet breads. Funny. Good for you for being an adventurous eater!!
I ate at a “B” rated restaurant once and thus risked food poisoning. That’s about as daring as I get.
June 13, 2012 at 3:59 pm
I don’t know if I could handle sweet breads, but I’ve managed escargot, squid soup, and stewed goat, among various other things. Yeah… kind of a hodgepodge I guess.
June 14, 2012 at 2:31 pm
Why do some, um, rare delicacies have such deceptive names? How does “sweetbreads” translate into glands? In any event, I sadly am not very adventurous when it comes to eating anything overly exotic. Pad thai I can handle though.
June 14, 2012 at 6:33 pm
I get so stuck in my head when trying new foods. Sweetbreads sounded like something I was totally behind…until I realized it wasn’t a carb at all. You are braver than me!