Taste this!
THIS PRAWN COCKTAIL is a popular starter dish in restaurants but it is one thing I simply cannot eat! Now, I'm not a fussy eater but neither am I one of those cast-iron-stomach people who can eat anything and seafood is definitely not on my list of 'foods I like'.
Crab, lobster, shellfish or any other product of the oceans makes my stomach heave just by looking at it - I think it's the fishy, salty, seaweed odour which does it. The only seafood I like is that good old stalwart of British takeaway food FISH AND CHIPS from a traditional chippy like THIS ONE which, happily, is only a 20 minute drive from my home!
Apart from not liking seafood I am open to pretty much any kind of culinary experience. Chinese or Indian food is popular in Scotland and I like both of these as well as traditional Scottish foods like MINCE AND TATTIES but, even though I am a proud Scot, I don't really eat HAGGIS - probably because I know what goes into it - and porridge is WAY down my list of 'foods I like'!
Harking back to my childhood I remember one food which was both strange and popular, particularly with coal miners. That delicacy was a cheese and jam 'piece' (sandwich). The story is that such a 'piece', when eaten down a coal mine, tasted like prime steak! Since I have never been down a coal mine I can neither confirm nor deny that assertion.
I remember a couple of my childhood friends would eat 'pieces' filled with strange ingredients like sugar, or tomato sauce. One young lad was noted for putting a whole Scotch pie on a 'piece'!
I don't know if these strange foods are confined to Scotland or are more widespread but I am sure there are some really weird combinations of sandwich out there!
INTERESTING FACT: Did you know that if honey is stored properly it won't go bad? Edible honey was found in King Tutankhamen's tomb.
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Comments
GemOfAGirl wrote on February 17, 2015, 3:58 PM
I love seafood, but the sight of all those flowers in the middle of it make it look a bit unappetizing to me, too. I prefer mine grilled with a hint of garlic and lemon.
MegL wrote on February 17, 2015, 4:08 PM
Fish and seafood is ok but I am wary of it because it is more likely to be associated with food poisoning than other items that are cooked for longer. In Northern Ireland, an egg soda is a popular morning break sandwich especially among working men. It's a soda farl (flat bread made without yeast), split and a fried egg inside. It may also be toasted.
CoralLevang wrote on February 17, 2015, 4:14 PM
Funny that you mentioned haggis. You may have read my article on "Proper British Bacon" and know that I have a few things I have only found in the UK.
valmnz wrote on February 17, 2015, 4:52 PM
Just as well you don't live in New Zealand or Australia! I eat seafood as often as I can, especially prawns.
Kasman wrote on February 17, 2015, 5:08 PM
I did read that post and the thing that struck me was that their haggis was made with quality cuts of meat but the meat in genuine haggis is what is called sheep's 'lights' - the heart and lungs mainly. Real haggis from Scotland cannot be imported into the US because of a ban on imports of sheep lungs instituted in 1971.
OnlyErin6 wrote on February 17, 2015, 5:26 PM
I like seafood, but it's not my favorite... and I really try to avoid shellfish such as oysters and clams. Something about eating all of those squishy inside parts... ewww... and eating them raw? Forget about it. It's hard enough to eat them fried or with a mountain of toppings.
OnlyErin6 wrote on February 17, 2015, 5:27 PM
I once had the misfortune of eating haggis from a can. It tasted sort of like I would imagine dog food to taste. I'm sure it's better fresh.
CoralLevang wrote on February 17, 2015, 5:28 PM
I have eaten real haggis and liked it. I am hoping this will do it justice. I grew up eating heart, tongue, liver.
CoralLevang wrote on February 17, 2015, 5:29 PM
I brought back one in a can from Scotland with me. It was gross. I loved it fresh.
OnlyErin6 wrote on February 17, 2015, 5:35 PM
Well, any sort of canned meat is bound to be bad. I'd like to taste it fresh and make a comparison. I doubt it would go on my list of top ten favorite foods, but I like to try new things.
JeanC wrote on February 17, 2015, 5:41 PM
I love shrimp, lobster and crab, but oysters, clams and mussels are right out. My hubby thinks that sandwiches are the most perfect food on Earth, so the idea of putting a Scotch pie in one would be something he would do, if only to annoy the heck out of me (the most perfect food on Earth is my lasagna LOL!). While I have gotten a lot more adventuresome in what I will try, haggis will NEVER be on my list to try *SHUDDER!*
Kasman wrote on February 17, 2015, 6:01 PM
I am told there is a vegetarian version of haggis which, although I have never tried it, apparently tastes very nice.
bestwriter wrote on February 17, 2015, 7:22 PM
Sad for you that sea food does not agree with you. You are really missing something. And as for odd combinations. I like cheese and pineapple slices 'pieces'
BarbRad wrote on February 17, 2015, 7:54 PM
Except fr the occasional tuna in salads or sandwiches, I only eat seafood when someone else cooks it or the frozen seasoned salmon I buy at Costco. I have never mastered the art of cooking fish.
UK_Writer wrote on February 17, 2015, 7:57 PM
I've never had a prawn cocktail - hate the thought of eating prawns. I do like fresh, crab - white meat only. We used to sometimes have a crab when I was growing up (maybe one every year or so when we were on holiday and dad'd buy one to bring home with us). The claw meat's nice.
melody23 wrote on February 17, 2015, 8:33 PM
When I was little my gran would feed us a piece with butter and sugar, I admit on occasion I have toast with butter and sugar these days when I have a notion for something sweet. Since I don't normally eat sweet things I never have them in the house so its a good option for me when I feel that way.
I also cant stand seafood - dead or alive! I come from a very small fishing village and when I worked in the pub people used to bring in all sorts of weird stuff and ask me to put it in the fridge for them while they had their beer, or for someone else to pick up later. One day one of the fishermen came in and threw a bag of prawns at someone for some weird reason, they landed on the bar and one of the creepy little buggers got out of the bag and fell onto the floor. I was convinced it was coming to get me so I jumped up on the sink unit just like the woman in the tom and jerry cartoons did on her stool, I was screaming the place down for them to get the thing away from me. In hindsight I should have just stood on it, but then I would have had to clean that up. Apparently prawns cant see out of water so it couldn't possibly be 'coming to get me' but I was convinced it was at the time. I should point out just to make myself feel slightly less stupid that these prawns are nothing like what you get in the supermarket, they are huge, the supermarkets often sell them as small variations of lobster or jumbo king prawns but they are really prawns that have reached their full maturity and they are creepy little buggers with beady little eyes and way more legs than they should have, considering they live under water.
seren3 wrote on February 17, 2015, 9:36 PM
Out of your post, "Scotch Pie" rings a bell. I am quite sure that the English principal of my school talked about this a couple of times.
Soonerdad3 wrote on February 17, 2015, 9:47 PM
The seafood I can eat these days is fish, my teeth are in poor shape and anything other than fish is just too tough to eat.
BodieMor wrote on February 17, 2015, 11:14 PM
I enjoyed your article but I really want to know how to store honey properly! (And I and the fam have trained ourselves to like an array of seafood though we avoid shellfish...)
allen0187 wrote on February 18, 2015, 12:27 AM
I am one of those with as you described 'cast-iron-stomach'. i eat almost everything from frog legs to crickets to duck embryo. One food that I do not eat is banana. Will make a post to explain why.
Hollyhocks100 wrote on February 18, 2015, 6:32 AM
You would hate the fidea my neighbor cooks them. It´s seafood paella with fidea pasta instead of rice. I love strong cheese and jam, and also Christmas cake or mince pies with a lump of cheese, it´s a Yorkshire thing but really good.
crowntower wrote on February 18, 2015, 8:00 AM
Heehehe... I don't know if you are just watching your health or you are just a choosy person when it comes to food, Lol! Anyway I love everything that was cook so good except for the exotic ewww food. Heheheh!
Kasman wrote on February 18, 2015, 5:32 PM
BodieMor - apparently, if you store honey in airtight containers it will last for ever. It may crystalise but it won't go bad. The Egyptians sealed jars of honey with beeswax.
Kasman wrote on February 18, 2015, 5:35 PM
OK I get it - you don't like prawns! I think you may be talking about langoustine (sometimes called the 'Dublin Bay prawn) which is like a big prawn about halfway between ordinary prawns and lobsters.
Kasman wrote on February 18, 2015, 5:37 PM
allen0187 - I have heard that bananas are fattening and eating too many will actually poison you! Look forward to your post.
melody23 wrote on February 19, 2015, 2:15 PM
Oh yeah they used to bring in all sorts, prawns, langoustines, squat lobsters, crabs and even the occasional fish. once a man came in with live fish in a bucket of water which was far too small to contain the fish and one of them got out and started flapping about on the floor - terrified the mainlanders that one!
FreyaYuki wrote on February 20, 2015, 10:41 AM
I do like shrimp and prawns but that cocktail in the pic doesn't look all that good with all that stuff in the middle.
nbaquero wrote on February 20, 2015, 12:57 PM
Kasman Ha Ha this is sort of self torture for you, isn't? I do like seafood, but do not eat that very often.
Mommyjen wrote on February 21, 2015, 8:50 AM
Shrimp and prawn are my favorite seafood !
GemstonePink wrote on February 28, 2015, 6:15 PM
Not a fan of any seafood. There is a strong odor to it that has a tendency to linger for days. Anything smell stays around that long is unwelcome.