Foreign food that scares me...

[duck_duck]

Menudo scares me. I didn't like it all when I tried it. It had a weird texture to it.

[richlevy]

Chicken feet - I know that there is a dim sum restaurant here in Philly that serves them, but no.

Any food that has to be prepared with bleach or lye - Lutefisk and chitlins come to mind.

From here

When asked about potential preparation methods with the potential for preventing YE transmission, participants reached consensus on two methods: Washing chitterlings in a low concentration bleach/water mixture during cleaning

From here

Health Officials Issue Precautions for Preparing Chitterlings
by Virginia Health Department

Families across Virginia will soon be cooking holiday meals. If your meal includes chitterlings (pig intestines), the Virginia Department of Health has recommendations for preparation that will keep your family from getting sick.

"When preparing chitterlings the best way to avoid bacterial contamination and illness is to buy pre-cooked chitterlings," recommends State Health Commissioner Robert Stroube, M.D., M.P.H. "If raw chitterlings are used, they should be pre-boiled for five minutes before preparing as usual. Pre-boiling makes cleaning chitterlings easier and faster and does not change the taste."

Dr. Stroube warns that bacteria in raw chitterlings or pig intestines can cause severe diarrhea, especially in infants. Chitterlings, commonly called chitlins, may contain the Yersinia bacteria. The bacteria are spread from raw chitterlings by hands or by eating or drinking contaminated food or liquids.

"Preparing chitlins is a lengthy process. Contamination within the home is hard to avoid. Baby food or formula should not be prepared or handled while preparing chitterlings due the potential for contamination. Infant formula or food should not be placed anywhere near raw chitterlings in the refrigerator. The Yersinia bacteria are different than many bacteria, because they multiply and spread even in the cold," Dr. Stroube said.

Yersinia can cause severe diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, abdominal pain and fever. The symptoms usually begin within three to seven days after contact with the bacteria. Infants and small children who contract yersiniosis may require hospitalization, although the illness rarely causes death. Older children and adults may experience appendicitis-like stomach pain.

The Virginia Department of Health recommends the following tips when cooking chitlins:

• Wrap the container containing the raw chitlins in plastic wrap when thawing in the refrigerator.
  
• Keep children out of the kitchen until the chitlins are pre-boiled and the kitchen is thoroughly cleaned.
  
• Handle raw chitlins as little as possible until after they have been pre-boiled.
  
• Keep raw chitlins away from all baby food and formula.
  
• After touching the chitlins, wash your hands with warm water and soap, and clean under your nails.
  
• Clean sinks and all places touched by raw chitlins or their juice with hot soapy water or a chlorine bleach solution.
  
• Wrap all waste promptly and throw into an outside garbage can.
  
• Clean all pots, pans, buckets and utensils in the dishwasher or in hot soapy water.
  
• Wash dishcloths, towels or sponges used in cleanup in hot water.

[bluecuracao]

Originally Posted by richlevy

Chicken feet - I know that there is a dim sum restaurant here in Philly that serves them, but no.

There's a great Malaysian restaurant in Philly that serves them too. Under the menu listing, it says, "Please ask for advice when ordering." LOL

[Beestie]

I thought this thread was about ferin food. Chitlins aren't ferin they's from the South. Put some South in yo Mouth.

I've had chitlins before - they are ok. And the precautions are not that different from cooking chicken - you have to be careful but not insane careful.

And how is it that we've gotten this deep into this thread and no one has brought up the poster boy for scary foreign food:

Haggis

[wolf]

Originally Posted by Beestie

I thought this thread was about ferin food. Chitlins aren't ferin they's from the South. Put some South in yo Mouth.

We're North of the Mason-Dixon, boy. The South is ferrin.

[zippyt]

Haggis is innerds , I don't do innerds

[Kitsune]

Originally Posted by zippyt

Haggis is innerds , I don't do innerds

No link sausage, then...?

[jinx]

I'm with zippy on this... no guts.

[Urbane Guerrilla]

I've had haggis.

The sensation is more than a little difficult to describe. It's darkish, and moistish, very faintly liverish but mostly rather grainy like a pilaf. Somehow hearty, rather bland underneath the generous seasoning of black pepper.

Since it's essentially a sausage of sheep lungs, liver, and scraps, thoroughly cut with pinhead oatmeal, seasoned with the spices of the hills like wild thyme, and stewed with the sheep's stomach for a sausage casing, well, it's filling, for sure -- and more than a little darkly mysterious. It is a pretty fair way to make innards taste worth while, though.

The Scots of America tend to approach haggis mainly on Burns Night dinners, when they've already been tippling at the malt Scotch for a while, which tends to make their recollections of haggis even vaguer, and reduces them to mumbling trying to describe it to someone who was otherwise engaged on Burns Night.

In Scottish butcher shops, you'll see premade haggises in the display cases, looking just like the pic, all plump and stubby. About the only way to make 'em more ethnic would be tying tartan ribbons around each end.

[richlevy]

Originally Posted by Urbane Guerrilla

The Scots of America tend to approach haggis mainly on Burns Night dinners,

You know, I've considered going to a Burns Night dinner except for the fact that I don't drink and don't want to eat haggis.

Fine poet, though.

[zippyt]

No body knows whats in sausage , brats , kelbasa , or hot dogs , lots of speculation , lips , ears , cocks , etc,,,,,
If you don't know and it tastes good then I will at least try it ,

Now a big ol slab of liver , well you can tell what it is , the first bite tastes good , then my mind says ( Self , this is a filter that you are eating !!!) and the second bite ( and every one after that ) tastes like MUD !!

[Kitsune]

Originally Posted by zippyt

No body knows whats in sausage

You're right, but I'm talking about what holds the sausage together: sweet, delicious intestine! Mmm-mmm!

[Undertoad]

Ain't they all innards? I would hate to eat outards.

[Cloud]

oooh! I love to eat outards.

er . . . wait. Where's the sex thread?

[zippyt]

sweet, delicious intestine

Not so much any more , the actual caseing is a paper product that has a burst rateing ( for commercial sausage that is )