What food have you never had but are dying to try?

Fried zucchini blossoms.

Now, they're really good. I've made them many times.

I got really close to having them one time. They were an appetizer special in a restaurant but they were out of them by the time I ordered.

Celia, here's one link for laverbread in cans, but I know you'd like it vac sealed, so used the following search terms and several came up amid a bunch of others that didn't apply, but you might like to look through them.
Here's the link to the canned ones, from a UK TV forum site
Http://uktv.co.uk/Food/thread/threadID/38490/
The search terms I used on google are:
laverbread "mail order" vacuum

Many thanks, Shel, I'll check it out.

Celia

Beyond those, all of my longings are tied to a place, an experience or even an originator--I would love to have two or three courses of foie gras at Au Pied Corchon in Montreal, a city I've never been to. I would like to have a potato gratin made by Joel Robuchon. I would love to eat at El Bulli. I want someday to have peaches straight off the tree in Georgia , and I would kill to have pizza in Naples made with tomatoes that concentrated while hanging in the sun for a few days after picking. I would love to eat anything at all on the patio of Patricia Wells' country house in Southern France or at a quiet corner table at Per Se in New York. I would love to share a truly great kosher meal with Daniel Rogov at an outdoor cave in Tel Aviv--I've never dined kosher before and what better place to do that than Israel and what better company could one have? These are but a few of the things that have eluded me.

Wonderful list, Jenise -- I'ld take that list any day as my own.

I've eaten at Per Se one time, and would suggest a table with a view of Columbus Circle and Central Park to the north and east beyond. It is one of the greatest views from a restaurant I've ever enjoyed.

Otherwise, my dreams are probably almost as intense as yours as to all your other choices. Well done.

PS: ramps are okay, but I tend to think the hoopla here in the East is more fun than actually eating the things. As to baby limas, I used to drive a truck delivering limas from the vineries to the factory -- they were much better than canned or older limas, but are easily grown in any good garden soil with six to eight hours of sunlight. Worth doing for the delicacy, which gets lost very quickly -- they age much like zucchini -- quick, quick, quick.

Jenise's list is like mine--about place and food. MMmm. Peaches off the trees....Right now here we've got mangos off the trees...incredible.

I've tried a lot of weird things (many I don't need to try again!)--but the one other thing that comes to mind is that big "thing" they make in Big Night, the movie...timbale? timpano? I don't remember what they call it..I think timpano if my quick google search is right...Would be fun just to recreate in honor of the film...

Two things come to mind straight away: guinea fowl, and grouse. I like game birds, and these are two I haven't tried.

Guinea fowl is really nice and not especially gamy. We probably cook more guinea-fowl than chicken, for which it's a very good alternative.

[edit] indeed thanks to your reminder, we picked up one at the butchers today!

Okay, almost 24 hours have passed and the list that I thought I'd come up with hasn't happened. Almost anything I was curious about I've eventually hunted down, or even procured at some expense and prepared for myself. Like Fiddlehead Ferns. Only two things came to me: ramps and fresh lima beans.

Beyond those, all of my longings are tied to a place, an experience or even an originator--I would love to have two or three courses of foie gras at Au Pied Corchon in Montreal, a city I've never been to. I would like to have a potato gratin personally made by Joel Robuchon. I would love to eat at El Bulli. I want someday to have peaches straight off the tree in Georgia , and I would kill to have pizza in Naples made with tomatoes that concentrated while hanging in the sun for a few days after picking. I would love to eat anything at all on the patio of Patricia Wells' country house in Southern France or at a quiet corner table at Per Se in New York. I would love to share a truly great kosher meal with Daniel Rogov at an outdoor cave in Tel Aviv--I've never dined kosher before and what better place to do that than Israel and what better company could one have? These are but a few of the things that have eluded me.

How great is Patricia Wells? We have been using "The Provence Cookbook" a lot lately....also loved her "Bistro Cooking"

Fried zucchini blossoms.

They are very yummy and should be at a local Farmer's Market. Ask the person who is growing the best Zucchini to bring some to you...that is what I do. Still attached blossoms to a baby zuke, sauteed in butter, is very delicate and tasty. Can be any squash as far as that goes, must be a baby one, of course.

I will do that. Thanks for the tip Karen. Do you have to do anything to prepare them before sauteeing? We have a friend in MA with an amazing garden, who grows a crazy amount of zucchini. We're going up in late July, so I will have to call dibs on some of his blossoms.

Just use the male blossoms, and leave a few to fertilize the females or you won't have any zucchini.

Well I've always wondered what long pig would taste like......

I am a fan of Patricia Wells too...how is the book that she wrote with her husband about their experiences in France? And her vegetable cookbook? I haven't seen either here and am curious, thinking about ordering them. cheers, Bonnie

Jenise's list is like mine--about place and food. MMmm. Peaches off the trees....Right now here we've got mangos off the trees...incredible.

I've tried a lot of weird things (many I don't need to try again!)--but the one other thing that comes to mind is that big "thing" they make in Big Night, the movie...timbale? timpano? I don't remember what they call it..I think timpano if my quick google search is right...Would be fun just to recreate in honor of the film...

Barb
If you ever go to Italy, the charming town of Ferrara has a restaurant named 'Big Night' after the movie. Might be the place to have it!
regards
Ian

Well I've always wondered what long pig would taste like......

Hmmm... I might decline your offer of overnight lodging the next time it's offered after this revelation, Bill.

Mark Lipton

Well I've always wondered what long pig would taste like......

Hmmm... I might decline your offer of overnight lodging the next time it's offered after this revelation, Bill.

Mark Lipton

Awww.....

Jenise's list is like mine--about place and food. MMmm. Peaches off the trees....Right now here we've got mangos off the trees...incredible.

I've tried a lot of weird things (many I don't need to try again!)--but the one other thing that comes to mind is that big "thing" they make in Big Night, the movie...timbale? timpano? I don't remember what they call it..I think timpano if my quick google search is right...Would be fun just to recreate in honor of the film...

Barb
If you ever go to Italy, the charming town of Ferrara has a restaurant named 'Big Night' after the movie. Might be the place to have it!
regards
Ian

My neighbor made it -- and it was surprisingly boring. It tasted like "comfort food", lots of pasta and tomato in a very special looking shape. Of course for filming the movie they made 3 completely different Timpani, and you could see a variety of meats displayed on the surface of the dish before it was cut. It was good but a long way from "Caille en Sarcophage..."

Jenise's list is like mine--about place and food. MMmm. Peaches off the trees....Right now here we've got mangos off the trees...incredible.

I've tried a lot of weird things (many I don't need to try again!)--but the one other thing that comes to mind is that big "thing" they make in Big Night, the movie...timbale? timpano? I don't remember what they call it..I think timpano if my quick google search is right...Would be fun just to recreate in honor of the film...

We did it once as something different to do at home for our 'anni' dinner, and honestly the result wasn't worth all the effort we put into it.

Well I've always wondered what long pig would taste like......

Like chicken of course LOL!

Fried zucchini blossoms are a great summertime treat. I make them every year. Nothing says summer like going out on a hot summer morning to harvest the open zucchini blossoms.

[Jenise]

How great is Patricia Wells? We have been using "The Provence Cookbook" a lot lately....also loved her "Bistro Cooking"

Both books are great, glad you have them. I have a third one...ah, Simply French--I think that's the one she authored but the recipes are Joel Robuchon's. I could live on her food, honestly.

Jenise, I thought and thought, and then the Congo came to mind. I know I posted a while back the fact that I purchased CDs with all of Mohammad Ali’s fights and all of George Foreman’s fights. I love to watch them for hours on weekends at the lake after Lynn goes to bed. I watch them downstairs, which is also my wine cellar. There are about ninety fights; in only one case do the sets overlap.

Almost better than the fights themselves is the commentary, often grossly understated. In his youth, Foreman would sometimes hit fighters so hard that they would go into catatonic spasms on the canvas. Some announcer would say, “I don’t think he will beat the count.”

Ali was being interviewed after Foreman destroyed Norton in the second round, opening the door to the famous Zaire match between Ali and Foreman. A commentator asked Ali, “What do you think about finally having the opportunity to fight in your homeland.” Ali snapped back to the white man, accusingly, “Why do you call Africa my homeland?” The man retorted, “Why, Champ, you’ve been telling me that for ten years!” That’s right,” Ali said, “and if you come over there talking like that we're gonna to cook you.”

Moose - I want to eat moose! Preferably one that I harvested myself, of course.

Moose - I want to eat moose! Preferably one that I harvested myself, of course.

I've had moose....tasty. The menu at a nice restaurant in Green Bay had a sort of north woods mixed grill that included moose. I believe the other meats were deer and lamb.

At one time I worked in Chicago for a guy who spent a small fortune to go moose hunting in Montana....complete with guide. Spent a week there, did not even see one moose. He did take a shot at a jack rabbit with a revolver. The recoil of the hammer caught him on the thumb, laid it wide open. Golf trips sound like a much better and less dangerous consumer of cash.

Well I've always wondered what long pig would taste like......

Hmmm... I might decline your offer of overnight lodging the next time it's offered after this revelation, Bill.

Mark Lipton

Oh come on, Mark. What's wrong with having a friend over for supper?

I presume you heard of the cannibal who passed his brother in the jungle...

An airplane full of a shipment of Pepsi flying over Africa had a malfunction, and went down. A few weeks later, the Pepsi Company sent a rescue plane. They searched the area and found a tribe of cannibals.

They walked up to the Chief of the tribe and asked him if he knew anything about the crash.

The Chief said, "You betcha!"

When asked where the crew was, the Chief replied, "We ate the crew, and we drank the Pepsi."

The Rescue crew were shocked. One man asked, "Did you eat their legs?"

The chief replied, "We ate their legs, and we drank the Pepsi."

Another rescuer asked, "Did you eat their arms?"

The Chief replied, "We ate their arms, and we drank the Pepsi."

After looking totally perplexed for a minute, a third asked, "Did you...you know...eat, their...'things'?"

The chief says, "No."

"No?" asked the rescuer.

"No," replied the Chief, "THINGS go better with Coke."