Sadly, most of the items on this list are either too expensive in this country, or they just don't exist yet - you see, we have a little "game" going on around here, where if we see something new that we never tried out before we get one piece of it, just to see how it is.
It's true, most of these little "adventures" end up with us throwing away the left-overs, because none of us like it, but sometimes we manage to happen across one or two ingredients that we love. And for those it's worth it.
Also, let me tell you that it's been only a couple of years ago that we started with this game - I'm guessing it's because "exotic" items are barely now making their way onto our markets, and as I said they are not exactly affordable.
But let's start!
1. Okra
Since it was in yesterday's post, I thought I should start with this one. I went ahead and did a quick research just to be able to somehow imagine what this would be like. From the look of it, it reminds me of some sort of pepper, but people from all around the world seem to say that it tastes either something like fried zucchinis (apparently simply cooking it makes it all mushy and slimy, so it's better if you fry it), or like string-beans. Neither of those things are something that I don't like, so this might work out for me. Well, I shall see if I ever happen across it.
2. Maple syrup
It might seem strange to you, but I have never even seen maple syrup yet - though my friends assure me, it DOES exist in this country, only it's really expensive. Looking at it's color, though, I always imagined that it tastes something like honey. I'm not a huge honey fan - it's OK, I guess, but only once in a while-, so I'm not sure that I would be such a huge fan of this either... And considering that I don't like peanut butter either - a favorite of so many people on the western hemisphere... well, we shall see.
3. Red velvet cake
It always looked delicious, though I have no idea where people generally get these beautiful food colorings (the ones we have in the store are usually crap). Besides that, I have no idea what it would taste like. Probably something between caramel and chocolate, I'm guessing. But feel free to tell me if I'm wrong.
4. Pecan
This thing always seems to come up in recipes over the internet nowadays, and I have no idea what the deal with it is. They almost look like walnuts, so I'm going with that flavor for it - also, apparently the best red velvet cakes are made with pecans.
5. Marmite
I think this will be the first thing I will taste when I get to England sometimes this year. I heard that it is really, really salty, and kind of tastes like veggies - so I'll go ahead and imagine this one as a weird pasty form of our Vegeta.
6. Taco, burrito, enchilada, fajita... everything that goes into this group
I call them Mexican fast-food. I would probably make a HUGE mess when eating them, so be sure to warn me beforehand to possibly wear my dirtiest, most comfortable clothes for the event. I'm pretty sure that the only thing that differs in these is the meat they use for it, but I might be hugely wrong. Feel free to correct me.
7. Shrimp
I'm not a huge fan of sea-food (only tried out one or two different kinds, but they were not to my taste), but I would really want to see what these little thingies taste like. They kind of look like the fat of an animal, so I'm not sure I would like the taste (especially if it's accompanied with that strong fish taste), but still... I don't want to miss out on anything.
8. Lobster
When I was a kid I ate some crayfish (or was it regular crab?), but I don't remember what it tastes like, sadly. The internet is of the idea that they DO taste similar - although, apparently crab is somehow tastier. Well, I'm pretty sure that if you would give me a full lobster I would have no idea how to open it up and eat it, but it you prepare it for me... well, I would absolutely try it out.
9. Porridge
All right, I tasted all kinds of grainy things in milk already, but not oats. But since I like semolina, and rice pudding, I think that this one should be about somewhere around there too. I just put some sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, or jam on it, and they are good to eat.
10. Yorkshire pudding
I was always curious about this one too (tho I admit, until today I didn't really searched it up, so I had no idea what it even looks like). Apparently, though, this one is almost like a pancake - but it's baked in the oven instead of fried in a pan.
11. Salsa/Guacamole
I'm not sure how you can use salsa as a dip, but I notice that this kind of food tends to be pretty messy - any by this type, I mean Mexican. I have to admit, I tried out avocado cream once or twice (it was good when I had it in a restaurant, but nothing to write home about, when dad made it... sorry, dad...), but I'm not sure what taste to pair up with guacamole. Help me out, maybe?
12. S'mores
I always thought about trying this one out - though the marshmallows I had until these days were never completely white, and I don't know if that's just because they used some food coloring in the original marshmallow recipe, or it's because it's not really marshmallow. Anyways, I don't think that I could eat many of these things (if the marshmallows I've had are real, they are really, really sweet), but still, I think I'll try these out.
13. Borscht
I generally like vegetable soups - especially when they are enriched with tomato, so they get a kind of sour taste from it, so I guess I would also like to try out this one. Though cooked beetroot is not my favorite, I like it in my salads, freshly cut. Also, I like that deep red color to it.
14. Poutine
Dear lord, save me from a heart-attack, but I absolutely want to eat one of these. Sometimes I do put cheese (any kind is good!) on my french fries, so I'm pretty sure this one is as good as any.
15. Onion soup
For this one, it's not like I don't have the ingredients, it's just that I'm also a little bit afraid of trying it out, because I'm not really sure that I would like it. Still, it also tempts me to try it out sometime in the future. This one is a project for when I'm alone, I guess.
Aaaand, I think that's it for now - at least, these are all the ones that came to my mind at this point. I guess that in the future I'll be adding some more to the list, because we shall never stop experimenting with food.
But until then... what do you think about these? Did you try them out? How were they? Also... do you have any other food on your bucket list?
