100 Foods To Die For (or not) Before You Die (61-80)

I took The Food List Challenge and scored 61% having tried 61 of the 100 foods (or drinks) listed.  So I’m going through each one, 20 at a time.  Here’s the 4th of 5 planned installments.

Moon Pie.  I liked them as a kid and still do eat these disks of gooey marshmallow goodness every now and then.  I’m not a huge chocolate fan, but have a soft spot for graham crackers and marshmallows.  Once upon a time, I regularly lunched on peanut butter and fluff.  And really, is there anything better than a charred marshmallow around a campfire?  Ok, so you just came up with a dozen things better.  The banana moon pie is the one for me and a RC cola of course.  Do they even bottle Royal Crown anymore? It actually wasn’t a very good cola, but was a little better than Shasta.

Morel Mushroom.  I am not a big fan of the mushroom.  There’s something about its texture that reminds me of organ meat which I’ve never been too fond of to be honest.  There’s something about fungus too that is a bit off putting.  But the morel, well, it’s a special one, to be sure, and I’m pretty sure I’ve had one.  I don’t know where I had one first or when I had one last – it’s been some time now – but it was as an appetizer, stuffed with something served at a fundraiser I once attended.

 Nettle Tea.  The only tea I drink would be iced with a lemon wedge.

Octopus.  I just don’t like it.  It’s chewy and the tentacles freak me out a little.  Like mushrooms and squid, it kind of has that organ meat texture to it and I just can’t stomach it.  I can’t.  I sampled pulpo, as it’s called in Spanish, for the first time some years ago in Chile (the country, not the pepper) and have not had any since.

Okra.  Love it fried with tomato relish.  Nothing better.  Slightly slimey, but oh soh good.  I like pickled okra too.  My granny used to pickle them and store the jars in her root cellar.  Great alternative snack.

Oxtail Soup.  Nope.

Paella.  I have the seafood variety from time to time but don’t care for it much.  The truth is, I’d rather just have rice and beans with a little hot sauce.

Paneer.  Oh yes.  I especially like Saag Paneer, a cooked spinach (saag) dish with freshly made cubed and fried Indian cheese (paneer).

Pastrami on Rye.  Sure, why not.  The best one I ever had was at Artie’s on Broadway and 82nd in NYC.  By the way, the Reuben there is to die for – a delicious artery clogger.

Pavlova.  ? The only thing close to Pavlova that rings a bell is Pavlov’s dog, who I only know classically.

Phaal.  I may have sampled a phaal dish at an Indian restaurant before, but I’m not too familiar with it.  I’m sure it was good, though.

Philly Cheese Steak.  I used to make them as a cook at Farrell’s Ice-Cream Parlour and Restaurant when I was a teenager.  I had one in Philly halfheartedly prepared that tasted flat.  I was hugely disappointed.

Pho.  Yes please.

Pineapple and Cottage Cheese.  Keep these two as far apart as possible.  They are horrible teammates and bring out the worst qualities in each other.  It’s a pity really because they are brilliant as individuals.  If only they could learn to collaborate.

Pistachio Ice-Cream.  It’s ok, but doesn’t belong on the list and knows it.  When announced it had made the food challenge list, Pistacio Ice-Cream demanded to know whether Rocky Road and Pink Bubblegum had been similarly honored.  When told no, it melted in protest.

Po Boy.  A school lunch option in grade school that always looked better than it tasted.

Pocky.  I’ll be honest – I have no idea what this is and am pretty sure I don’t want to know.

Polenta.  Put it this way, I’d rather have grits.

Prickly Pear.  No thank you.  I have my hands full with the prickly and temperamental pineapple.

Rabbit Stew.  I declined the dish in Venezuela when I had the opportunity and in the process insulted the host, which was not my intention.  I grew up with Bugs Bunny and guess I felt a certain loyalty to the Brooklyn hare.