The Accidental Foodist

So I thought I only had one new food last week, but it turns out I unknowingly had two.

1. Culantro. Unknowingly in my Pho instead of Basil, culantro (a version of Cilantro/Coriander) tastes like a combination of Basil, Cilantro, and Lemon Grass.

2. Finland's Lappi cheese. I wish I had it in a grilled cheese sandwich. Says online it has small holes, but my small block of cheese didn't have any. A good-tasting cheese, but I've had better.

Got Tripe?

So I finally tried tripe this week. I got a flyer in the mail for this place called Pho Saigon 8 in Alexandria. I was going up to my apartment, and a woman in the elevator saw me looking at the flyer and raved about the place, so I decided to give it a try. Usually delivery Pho (Vietnamese Noodle Soup) isn't very good, but fortunately for me this wasn't the case! The ingredients are a much better quality than most Vietnamese places I've eaten at. And as for the tripe -- it's like tendon. Really CHEWY tendon. I liked it!

I also went to Zola with my friends Jen and Wes, and had this wine: a 2005 Blue Franc made by Shooting Star in Washington state. It had these Austrian grape, and no tannins. Not very good.

I just thought of a cheesy joke for my third new food this week.
Joke: What kind of citrus do Vampires eat?
Punchline: Blood Oranges!
Ok so the joke isn't that great. but the fruit is. I'm eating them right now. They're more magenta/burgundy in color, and really sweet. Yum!

More Cheese

I'm starting to learn that whenever I have a hard time thinking of something new to eat, cheese will never fail me. There are just too many yummy varieties! This week I went to Wegman's and got something called Menage cheese. It's not as dirty as it sounds -- it's actually cheese made from Sheep, Goat, and Cow's Milk. Creamy yet nutty. Pretty good!

I also got Cinnamon Rugelach, a little Jewish pastry. Yummy! Everything's better when it has butter!

Lesson Learned

Week Two
I was supposed to have two items this week, but I only ended up having one. I was going to get tripe (parts of a cow's stomach) as part of my Pho, but they didn't have it!! Fortunately, I got some Ground Veal at Balducci's. I mixed it with Ground Pork, and made an awesome Cavatappi Pasta with Tomato Sauce. Better than when I had it at Vapiano (although theirs was pretty amazing). The Veal/Pork mixture was perfect for the pasta and sauce -- better than beef, which is sometimes too...beefy. From the non-tripe experience I learned my first lesson in this journey: ALWAYS HAVE A BACKUP PLAN. Hopefully next week will be more successful!

New Year's Resolution

It's never easy to create a New Year's Resolution, let alone keep one. However, this year I think I came up with something I can actually follow. My New Year's Resolution is to...

Eat something (whether I make it or buy it somewhere) each week I have never had before.

I know it's not much, but I've been watching a lot of Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern over the holidays, and I think it's getting to me. This world is so big! And even though I might not have the travel budget, I can still experience the food of the world by being fortunate enough to live near a major city, and the Internet. This blog was inspired by my friend Lee, so to Lee and you as well...

Week One
1. I made enchiladas with Salsa Verde (green salsa). This isn't the most exotic thing to try, but it normally scares me because of it's color and heat. However, I found out that I liked the taste, it wasn't that hot, and...the color is still a little odd to me.

2. Purchased Australian Cheddar Cheese at Balducci's. Not as heavy as Cheddar Cheese from, like, Vermont. Would definitely eat again!