I do not have expensive tastes but I do have a lot of curiosity. I
have seen a few Iron Chef shows and here are the themes with mention
of their high cost. Since I will never be able to taste these items
would someone please describe the flavors and textures and also what
rare and expensive foods have you eaten?

Swallows Nest: this one really confuses me because would the nests
contain the birds waste products and isn't it just grass or something
of the like.
A mushroom and I can't remember the name but a lot of mention of the
aroma.
Truffles: Are they a fungus also
Shark Fin: Seems like there would be better things to eat.

"Vince Poroke" > wrote in message
om...
> I do not have expensive tastes but I do have a lot of curiosity. I
> have seen a few Iron Chef shows and here are the themes with mention
> of their high cost. Since I will never be able to taste these items
> would someone please describe the flavors and textures and also what
> rare and expensive foods have you eaten?
>
> Swallows Nest: this one really confuses me because would the nests
> contain the birds waste products and isn't it just grass or something
> of the like.

Bascially is is bird spit that is used to glue the nest together.

See below:

bird's nest soup
A classic Chinese specialty made from the nest of an Asian bird similar to
the swift. These birds attach their nests to cavern walls in Southeast Asia
by using a gelatinous spit. Because of their hazardous location, the nests
are dangerous to collect and therefore very expensive. White nests and black
nests are the two types used. The more desirable of the two are the white
nests, composed mainly of the weblike strands of saliva and containing few
foreign particles. Black nests contain feathers, twigs and insects and are
labor intensive to clean. Both types must be cleaned and soaked overnight
before using. They're available in Chinese markets.
© Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD
LOVER'S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst.


<Snip>

> Shark Fin: Seems like there would be better things to eat.

The shark fin is made from strands of cartilage. When reconstituted and
made into a soup it is like eating strands of gelatenous snot. The fin
itself has very little flavor but it adds a richness to the soup.

Dimitri

On 10 Nov 2003 14:54:53 -0800, (Vince Poroke)
wrote:

>would someone please describe the flavors and textures and also what
>rare and expensive foods have you eaten?
>
>Swallows Nest: this one really confuses me because would the nests
>contain the birds waste products and isn't it just grass or something
>of the like.
>A mushroom and I can't remember the name but a lot of mention of the
>aroma.
>Truffles: Are they a fungus also
>Shark Fin: Seems like there would be better things to eat.

Shark fin and swallows nest are prety much flavorless. It's the
texture that the chinese praise so much. They are not worth seeking
out unless you've been brought up to savor texture.

As for the funguses, it's hard to describe taste, and doing so would
do nothing to similate the real thing.

-sw

Vince Poroke wrote:

> A mushroom and I can't remember the name but a lot of mention of the
> aroma.
Matsutake. It's resisted all attempts at cultivation, and so must be plucked from the wild.

"Vince Poroke" > wrote in message
om...
> I do not have expensive tastes but I do have a lot of curiosity. I
> have seen a few Iron Chef shows and here are the themes with mention
> of their high cost. Since I will never be able to taste these items
> would someone please describe the flavors and textures and also what
> rare and expensive foods have you eaten?
>
> Swallows Nest: this one really confuses me because would the nests
> contain the birds waste products and isn't it just grass or something
> of the like.
> A mushroom and I can't remember the name but a lot of mention of the
> aroma.
> Truffles: Are they a fungus also
> Shark Fin: Seems like there would be better things to eat.

I stopped watching Iron Chef when one of them cut out a tuna eyeball and
threw it on the grill. Really, I realize that there are different cultures
and tastes in the world of cuisine, but ICK!!!!

>(Vince Poroke) wrote:


>Shark Fin: Seems like there would be better things to eat.
>
I once had shark fin soup when I was a child. It wasn't bad.
I would not purchase nor eat any shark fin product these days, however.
The harvesting of shark fins is a truly barbaric practice. Sharks are caught,
their fins are cut off, and they are tossed overboard to drown, and/or be eaten
by other predatory fish. The planet's shark population has been seriously
depleted by stupidity like this. What a waste.

Jim

> "Jimmy Tango" wrote:

>I stopped watching Iron Chef when one of them cut out a tuna eyeball and
>threw it on the grill. Really, I realize that there are different cultures
>and tastes in the world of cuisine, but ICK!!!!
>
I've never eaten a tuna eyeball, but I have eaten a fresh, still beating tuna
heart.
It's a tradition with the old timer fishermen around here that one must eat
the heart of the first "real" tuna one catches.
I caught a 40# yellowfin some years ago, and a deckhand cut open the fish, and
handed me the heart, warm and still beating. I thought I'd probably be spewing
over the rail after attempting to eat it, but it really wasn't too bad. I've
had sashimi that was less palatable.

Jim

Jimmy Tango > wrote:
>I stopped watching Iron Chef when one of them cut out a tuna eyeball and
>threw it on the grill. Really, I realize that there are different cultures
>and tastes in the world of cuisine, but ICK!!!!

They're popular around exam time because they're supposed
to be brain-food.

No, really. Japanese mothers serve them to their kids
to improve their scores.

--Blair
"I bet they'd puke on a McNugget."

Vince Poroke saw Sally selling seashells by the seashore and told us
all about it on 10 Nov 2003 14:54:53 -0800:

>I do not have expensive tastes but I do have a lot of curiosity. I
>have seen a few Iron Chef shows and here are the themes with mention
>of their high cost. Since I will never be able to taste these items
>would someone please describe the flavors and textures and also what
>rare and expensive foods have you eaten?
>
>Swallows Nest: this one really confuses me because would the nests
>contain the birds waste products and isn't it just grass or something
>of the like.
>A mushroom and I can't remember the name but a lot of mention of the
>aroma.
>Truffles: Are they a fungus also
>Shark Fin: Seems like there would be better things to eat.

Not ALL the theme ingredients are expensive though... they've just
started showing the Iron Chef here in Australia and one of the
episodes they just screened was the cabbage battle! It made me laugh
to see such a humble vegetable taking centrestage... but then they
combined it with fois gras and truffles and lobster etc. and managed
to STILL make it incredibly expensive! lol

btw, truffles are an exceedingly rare and expensive fungus... I've
never tasted them and they look too gross for my liking with that
marbling of black and white, but those who like them say they are
truly a gourmet experience.

Sharkfin is used for texture, not taste, and ditto for birds nests.
These products are cleaned extensively before they're used too - they
don't just grab a nest from the nearest tree, or chop a fin off the
shark! As an Asian program, they tend to use traditional Asian
ingredients like this, mixed with gourmet stuff from other countries
(eg.truffles and fois gras)

(huggles)

~Karen AKA Kajikit

Nobody outstubborns a cat...

Visit my webpage: http://www.kajikitscorner.com
Allergyfree Eating Recipe Swap: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Allergyfree_Eating
Ample Aussies Mailing List: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ampleaussies/

On Mon, 10 Nov 2003 21:29:10 -0500, Mateo > wrote:

>Vince Poroke wrote:
>
>> A mushroom and I can't remember the name but a lot of mention of the
>> aroma

>Matsutake. It's resisted all attempts at cultivation, and so must be plucked from the wild.

>>Truffles: Are they a fungus also

Yes, and like the mushrooms Mateo reported on, have resisted
cultivation, although there seems to be some success in the Pacific NW
on a couple of varieties. Truffle oil (pricey but not impossible) may
give a hint of the flavor. It's not oil pressed from truffles, but oil
flavored *with* truffles.

On Tue, 11 Nov 2003 21:46:30 +1100, Kajikit wrote:

> btw, truffles are an exceedingly rare and expensive fungus..

No they're not. You've never been to northern Italy or Slovenia have you ?
All over the place in the shops.

--
Tim.

If the human brain were simple enough that we could understand it, we would
be so simple that we couldn't.

"Jimmy Tango" > wrote in message
nk.net...
>
> "Vince Poroke" > wrote in message
> om...
> > I do not have expensive tastes but I do have a lot of curiosity. I
> > have seen a few Iron Chef shows and here are the themes with mention
> > of their high cost. Since I will never be able to taste these items
> > would someone please describe the flavors and textures and also what
> > rare and expensive foods have you eaten?
> >
> > Swallows Nest: this one really confuses me because would the nests
> > contain the birds waste products and isn't it just grass or something
> > of the like.
> > A mushroom and I can't remember the name but a lot of mention of the
> > aroma.
> > Truffles: Are they a fungus also
> > Shark Fin: Seems like there would be better things to eat.
>
> I stopped watching Iron Chef when one of them cut out a tuna eyeball and
> threw it on the grill. Really, I realize that there are different
cultures
> and tastes in the world of cuisine, but ICK!!!!
>
>

I totally agree with you. Its just to out there for me.

peace,
Barbara

> Shark Fin: Seems like there would be better things to eat.

I'd boycot shark fin because of the fishing practice.

I saw a t.v. show actually filming Japanese fishermen hauling in
sharks, cutting off only the shark's fins and tossing the rest of the
fish back. Very, very wasteful. I guess the fishermen don't want to
take up their storage space with bulk shark; leaving more room for the
more profitable fins.

"Blair P. Houghton" > wrote in message
...
> Jimmy Tango > wrote:
> >I stopped watching Iron Chef when one of them cut out a tuna eyeball and
> >threw it on the grill. Really, I realize that there are different
cultures
> >and tastes in the world of cuisine, but ICK!!!!
>
> They're popular around exam time because they're supposed
> to be brain-food.
>
> No, really. Japanese mothers serve them to their kids
> to improve their scores.

Oh, that made me go slightly faint. I remember being a picky eater as a
child, I don't think I would have made it in Japan <g>

On Tue, 11 Nov 2003 09:34:54 GMT, Blair P. Houghton > wrote:

>No, really. Japanese mothers serve them to their kids
>to improve their scores.

As a kid, I never had any trouble scoring.

-sw

Kajikit wrote:
> Vince Poroke saw Sally selling seashells by the seashore and told us
> all about it on 10 Nov 2003 14:54:53 -0800:
>
>
>>I do not have expensive tastes but I do have a lot of curiosity. I
>>have seen a few Iron Chef shows and here are the themes with mention
>>of their high cost. Since I will never be able to taste these items
>>would someone please describe the flavors and textures and also what
>>rare and expensive foods have you eaten?
>>
>>Swallows Nest: this one really confuses me because would the nests
>>contain the birds waste products and isn't it just grass or something
>>of the like.
>>A mushroom and I can't remember the name but a lot of mention of the
>>aroma.
>>Truffles: Are they a fungus also
>>Shark Fin: Seems like there would be better things to eat.
>
>
> Not ALL the theme ingredients are expensive though... they've just
> started showing the Iron Chef here in Australia and one of the
> episodes they just screened was the cabbage battle! It made me laugh
> to see such a humble vegetable taking centrestage... but then they
> combined it with fois gras and truffles and lobster etc. and managed
> to STILL make it incredibly expensive! lol

And who could forget the ..MILK battle!
>
> btw, truffles are an exceedingly rare and expensive fungus... I've
> never tasted them and they look too gross for my liking with that
> marbling of black and white, but those who like them say they are
> truly a gourmet experience.
>
> Sharkfin is used for texture, not taste, and ditto for birds nests.
> These products are cleaned extensively before they're used too - they
> don't just grab a nest from the nearest tree, or chop a fin off the
> shark! As an Asian program, they tend to use traditional Asian
> ingredients like this, mixed with gourmet stuff from other countries
> (eg.truffles and fois gras)
>
> (huggles)
>
> ~Karen AKA Kajikit
>
> Nobody outstubborns a cat...
>
> Visit my webpage: http://www.kajikitscorner.com
> Allergyfree Eating Recipe Swap: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Allergyfree_Eating
> Ample Aussies Mailing List: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ampleaussies/

In article >,
(Vince Poroke) wrote:

> Shark Fin: Seems like there would be better things to eat.

There are. A co-worker let me taste some of the shark's fin soup he
ordered at a work dinner. It's gelatinous and tastes of very little.

I don't think I'll bother in future.

Miche

--
If you want to end war and stuff you got to sing loud.
-- Arlo Guthrie, "Alice's Restaurant"

In article > ,
(Joan) wrote:

> > Shark Fin: Seems like there would be better things to eat.
>
> I'd boycot shark fin because of the fishing practice.

That too.

Miche

--
If you want to end war and stuff you got to sing loud.
-- Arlo Guthrie, "Alice's Restaurant"

In article >,
Kajikit > wrote:

> Sharkfin is used for texture, not taste, and ditto for birds nests.
> These products are cleaned extensively before they're used too - they
> don't just grab a nest from the nearest tree, or chop a fin off the
> shark! As an Asian program, they tend to use traditional Asian
> ingredients like this, mixed with gourmet stuff from other countries
> (eg.truffles and fois gras)

The nests used for Bird's Nest Soup are made from the spittle of a
particular species of swallow. So it's actually Swallow Spit Soup.

Miche

--
If you want to end war and stuff you got to sing loud.
-- Arlo Guthrie, "Alice's Restaurant"

In article >,
"Z GIRL" > wrote:

> "Jimmy Tango" > wrote in message
> nk.net...

> > I stopped watching Iron Chef when one of them cut out a tuna eyeball and
> > threw it on the grill. Really, I realize that there are different
> cultures
> > and tastes in the world of cuisine, but ICK!!!!
> >
> >
>
> I totally agree with you. Its just to out there for me.

I don't recommend that either of you watch "A Cook's Tour".



Miche

--
If you want to end war and stuff you got to sing loud.
-- Arlo Guthrie, "Alice's Restaurant"

On Tue, 11 Nov 2003 12:21:10 GMT, Tim Challenger
<"timothy(dot)challenger(at)apk(dot)at"> wrote:

>On Tue, 11 Nov 2003 21:46:30 +1100, Kajikit wrote:
>
>> btw, truffles are an exceedingly rare and expensive fungus..
>
>No they're not. You've never been to northern Italy or Slovenia have you ?
>All over the place in the shops.

The price of various truffles fluctuates a lot from year to year
depending on abundance. At their best, they have an extraordinary
effect, but sometimes they fail to fulfill the promise, in my
experience.



Rodney Myrvaagnes NYC J36 Gjo/a


"Curse thee, thou quadrant. No longer will I guide my earthly way by thee." Capt. Ahab

Miche > writes:

>Kajikit > wrote:
>
>> for birds nests.
>> These products are cleaned extensively before they're used too - they
>> don't just grab a nest from the nearest tree
>
>The nests used for Bird's Nest Soup are made from the spittle of a
>particular species of swallow. So it's actually Swallow Spit Soup.

And those nests are not found in trees, were they their cost would be mere
chump change.


---= BOYCOTT FRENCH--GERMAN (belgium) =---
---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
Sheldon
````````````
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."

<micheinnz> writes:

>vinceporoke wrote:
>
>> Shark Fin: Seems like there would be better things to eat.
>
>There are. A co-worker let me taste some of the shark's fin soup he
>ordered at a work dinner. It's gelatinous and tastes of very little.
>I don't think I'll bother in future.

Many cuisines are more about esthetics and texture than about flavor... perhaps
you've become acclimated to another cuisine... after so many years of your
consuming little more than burnt boogers and tube steak.



---= BOYCOTT FRENCH--GERMAN (belgium) =---
---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
Sheldon
````````````
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."

Miche wrote:

> In article >,
> (Vince Poroke) wrote:
>
>
>>Shark Fin: Seems like there would be better things to eat.
>
>
> There are. A co-worker let me taste some of the shark's fin soup he
> ordered at a work dinner. It's gelatinous and tastes of very little.
>
> I don't think I'll bother in future.
>
> Miche
>
And I think the sharks will also appreciate your effort. The prime
reason for the depletion of sharks is the taking of them for the fins.
--
Alan

"If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion, and
avoid the people, you might better stay home."
--James Michener

On 10/11/03 23:54, in article
, "Vince Poroke"
> wrote:

> Truffles: Are they a fungus also


Yes, but they haven't always be considered so. In the 19th century they were
thought to be mineral, then vegetable, then someone classified them amongst
animals. Late 19th c. someone corrected as "an animalized vegetable". Now
they're just a fungus, which I've heard is no longer really a vegetable, but
I don't know more about this.

Sophie > wrote in message news:<BC05E4EC.24D7F%coyotitaMORESPAM.PLEASE@free. fr>...
> On 10/11/03 23:54, in article
> , "Vince Poroke"
> > wrote:
>
> > Truffles: Are they a fungus also
>
>
> Yes, but they haven't always be considered so. In the 19th century they were
> thought to be mineral, then vegetable, then someone classified them amongst
> animals. Late 19th c. someone corrected as "an animalized vegetable". Now
> they're just a fungus, which I've heard is no longer really a vegetable, but
> I don't know more about this.

Different Kingdom. Veggies are from Kingdom Plantae, fungi are from
the, well, Kingdom Fungi - as different from plants as animals are
from plants.

-L.