Monsteria is *great*. They grow around here... so do those finger bananas. They come from people's backyards, not from stores.
I had some sort of seaweed in China recently -- about 1cm thick, cut into a 10 x 8 cm square, in a hot pot restaurant. That was odd. (I didn't go for the buffalo penis... there are limits.) I don't know what the Chinese name is, or what the whole plant/algae bloom looks like.
Century eggs are pretty strange -- salted & aged, the consistency of butter or schmaltz. I'm not a fan of them. The eggwhites are black, and I find that combined with that smeary texture (no difference between yolk and white) disturbing. They stick 'em in the pre-packaged ramen noodle pots in China, in their own little plastic bags.
I love kimchi, which other people find off-putting or "weird," but since Korean joints started popping up around here, just seems like standard fare. (It's a spicy fermented cabbage pickle, if you're unfamiliar with it. Very pungent, distinctive smell -- like the Platonic form of sauerkraut odor or something.)
Miracle fruit are "weird" but in a whole other way -- they taste innocuous enough on their own, but make sour things taste sweet for about an hour afterwards. Good for breaks in gardening, sucking on key limes (which are very refreshing when not tongue-burningly sour). |
