And no mention of the tastiest cut of all: Why, the tax cut of course. Good on you Eno!

There was a rather lengthy "discussion" recently on the FARK comment section regarding what food a person would or would not eat. Some were rather benign: tomatoes [texture issue], olive loaf [not a problem with processed meat, but the olive/meat combo], and cottage cheese [texture and appearance]. Once you get rid of these idiosyncratic issues, you're left with the more challenging tastes: sushi [only a problem for those who haven't actually eaten it - once you do, it's crack-like], vegemite [peculiar to those Down Under - I've tried it and found it hard to stomach, but not repulsive], tripe [you really have to cook the shit out of it (literally and metaphorically) and even then, it can be tough and spongey], testicles [a natural aversion is understandable], and then "exotic" animals/game like dog, snake, Iguana and monkey. [I tried dog once - chewy, but otherwise unremarkable.]

Clearly Batali et al. are doing it for the marketing effect -- shock value of telling the story you "like, ate sauteed brain!". Granted, there was a total of 1 oz. of it mixed in with a pound of vegetables, cheese and spices. It's a shame because things like veal cheeks (tete de veaux), snails, and sweetbreads are really great tasting and are certainly much better for you when compared to the processed chicken parts you get in any fast-food nugget.

One must eat for taste, and if you didn't name the part you were dishing out, people would probably eat a lot more of the animal than they do, but you'd lose the bobo effect of having them shriek about it the next day.

However, there are two items that even I, a person pretty fearless when it comes to trying food, am not certain I would eat: natto and balut. Natto, the concept, does not offend, but apparently the smell when combined with the mucus-like texture is simply beyond the pale. I like my soy beans boiled and salted thank you. As for balut, I just don't think I need to explain.