gross foods

The Famous Suicide Stack at Heart & Soul Cafe in Cave Creek, AZ
Poll

Would You Attempt Eating a "Suicide Stack"?

While in Arizona for the weekend, our pal Justin Esch (the brainchild behind BaconSalt and Baconnaise) stopped into Cave Creek's Heart & Soul Café and did the unthinkable.
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The Suicide StackWhile in Arizona for the weekend, our pal Justin Esch (the brainchild behind BaconSalt and Baconnaise) stopped into Cave Creek's Heart & Soul Café and did the unthinkable. He ordered The Famous Suicide Stack.

What's that, you ask? It's a $49, 25-pound behemoth with 13 layers of biscuit, chicken fried steak, green pork chili, scrambled eggs with cheese, chicken fried ham steak, gravy with pinto beans, hash browns, jalapeño cheese sauce, more scrambled eggs with cheese, buttermilk fried chicken, country pork gravy, another layer of biscuits, and deep-fried stuffed jalapeño peppers as a topping. "My son, who weighs 20 pounds, was with us, and the stack weighed more than him," Justin declared.

Looks like something straight out of This Is Why You're Fat. Would you eat it, or are you over this kind of stuff?

Photo courtesy Justin Esch

What Foods Are the Smelliest?
Smell

Let's Dish: What Food Smells Do You Find Repulsive?

Yesterday in the office kitchen, TrèsSugar, Fab, and I got into a discussion about durian, the controversial-smelling Southeast Asian fruit.
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Yesterday in the office kitchen, TrèsSugar, Fab, and I got into a discussion about durian, the controversial-smelling Southeast Asian fruit. Très loves it, but Fab said she simply can't get over the smell. The whole discussion got me thinking about olfactory offenses in the kitchen. Personally, I can't stand the sulfurous smell of eggs. What odors can't you handle?

Will You Give Certain Ingredients a Second Chance?
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Will You Give Certain Ingredients a Second Chance?

Today over on the Atlantic's food blog, there's an interesting article about giving anchovies a second chance.
by partysugar

Today over on the Atlantic's food blog, there's an interesting article about giving anchovies a second chance. In it, Ari Weinzweig points out that "so many people's first experience with these little fish was by being offered outstandingly bad versions of them that they form their entire opinion from that understandably negative impression." I agree with his point of view and feel that certain polarizing ingredients should be given a second chance. For example, my father hates asparagus, but I'm certain it's because when he was younger he was served a gross preparation of asparagus. I've been begging him to give it another try, but he won't budge. How about you?

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Let's Dish: What's the Grossest Thing You've Found in Food?
disgusting

Let's Dish: What's the Grossest Thing You've Found in Food?

Last Friday, YumSugar discovered a random strand of blue thread in her salad.
by partysugar

Last Friday, YumSugar discovered a random strand of blue thread in her salad. It was disgustingly attached to a piece of feta cheese. We got to talking about gross things we've come across in restaurant food. Whether it's as simple as a piece of hair or as gag inducing as a rat, we've all had bad experiences with finding things in our food. It's time for you to spill the beans: what's the grossest thing you've come across?

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Let's Dish: What's Your Favorite Weird Food Combination?
weird

Let's Dish: What's Your Favorite Weird Food Combination?

At a recent restaurant outing, a friend and I ordered an appetizer that was an unusual (but not unheard of) combination of flavors: gruyère cheese and Fuji apples.
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At a recent restaurant outing, a friend and I ordered an appetizer that was an unusual (but not unheard of) combination of flavors: gruyère cheese and Fuji apples.

The combination of melted cheese and apples has always been a favorite of mine, and it made me ponder the other unusual pairings that I've loved in my lifetime. As a 5-year-old, I wrapped Kraft singles around my bananas. In college, my roommate got me hooked on canned tuna with cottage cheese. And these days, I enjoy chips in my sandwich.

I'd love to hear your confessions: What are the unusual (or even gross sounding) food combinations that appeal to you?

Would You Eat This Soup?
Poll

Would You Eat This Soup?

Perhaps, if I didn't tell you what was in this soup, you would gladly gobble it up.
by partysugar


Perhaps, if I didn't tell you what was in this soup, you would gladly gobble it up. It looks appetizing and fragrant and was one of the best dishes Chubby Hubby ate on a recent trip to Bhutan.

However, when you find out the main ingredient is fried hornets, you might be a little disgusted. The hornets are stir fried with garlic, ginger, and shallots.

I would take a bite, but it would be pretty hard to swallow knowing I was eating fried bugs. How about you? Would you eat this hornet soup?

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Would You Eat This Bloody Mary?
Poll

Would You Eat This Bloody Mary?

Welcome to our new recurring feature, would you eat this?
by partysugar

Welcome to our new recurring feature, would you eat this? With so many interesting dishes and exotic ingredients out there, I'm dying to know your culinary limitations! I like to believe my adventurous tastebuds will allow me to try anything, but I gag just thinking about digesting bugs or balut.

To get things started I've selected a dish not too high on the gag-o-meter. Stephan of Hands on Gourmet recommends drinking a Bloody Mary the Friday after Thanksgiving in order to cure hangovers and food comas. Not your average Bloody Mary, his is filled with leftover veggies like green beans and cooked carrots. It's garnished with a celery stick and a thick slice of bacon. I think it sounds interesting but might be too much, especially when hung over. I would probably be able to eat one. How about you? Would you eat/drink this Bloody Mary?

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