Topic: Grossest foods...

[Pugnate]

http://travel.sympatico.msn.ca/RobinEsrock/Articles/worlds_grossest_food

[WindAndConfusion]

Emperor moth larvae (AKA mopani worms) are a delicacy in parts of Africa. You can even buy them canned in tomato sauce, like sardines.

In China, they go a step further and eat the bodies of caterpillars that have been parasitized by cordyceps fungus. Some are even reputed to have medicinal properties.

And do you know what Bird's Nest Soup is made out of? Hint: it's grosser than bird nests.

Edit: here's a better article. (warning: pictures)

[Xessive]

The Cordyceps Fungus is incredible!

[beo]

any of the live foods from the orient, such as "drunk shrimp", is about as bad as it gets in my book.

[iPPi]

Bird's Nest and Caterpillar Fungus are very expensive delicacies in Chinese Herb shops.  We're talking like $200+  per oz. depending on quality.

[DrSbaitso]

I actually tried balut (duck egg with duck fetus inside) a few weeks ago - my Filipino friend brought some back with him.

The taste itself wasn't so bad. It had a pretty mild flavour - vaguely chicken-like - and the eggy bits tasted like, well, egg. And eating the bones and beak was OK too. I can handle crunchy things.

What got me was the feathers. The feathers were the nastiest shit I've ever had. Eating the feathers was like eating a piece of wet felt.

Picture 1: what it looked like after opening it up
Picture 2: this is about as far as I got

[Cobra951]

Hey!  The doctor's in the house. 

[wizall]

I watch a fair amount of Bizarre Foods on the Travel Channel. It seems that some of the truly grossest things on that show (and by "gross" I mean flavor/texture) are certain fruits and veggies. At least according to Andrew Zimmern. That said, the thought of hákarl (putrefied shark) makes me sick.

[Quemaqua]

My wife and I love that show.  Most of what he eats doesn't strike me as super gross, but I guess a lot of food doesn't scare me.  I'd be probably not too keen on eating anything alive, eating some of the stranger seafood, and some of the fermented stuff like the shark, some of the fermented beef preserved in fat, or that horrible looking fermented tofu.

[sirean_syan]

I watch that show whenever I catch it too. One of the craziest ones I ever saw had him eating these tube worm caterpillar things probably about an inch in diameter straight out of the tree with the popping sounds and everything. I've eaten bugs and stuff, but nothing like a living bag of goo.

I'm surprised durians aren't listed on the actual list (I did see it in the comments though). That stuff is just all sorts of wrong, but it's strangely popular even though most people who actually eat it say it's messed up too.

In Thailand I also saw a couple foods that were even hard to be in proximity to. The first is this half rotten fish soup/stew/bowl of mush that women eat. Really. Only the women would touch the stuff and they ate it daily. In one of the markets they also had this fish tank where they would just throw in meat, bones, and blood left over from butchering jobs and let it sit and stew for god knows how long. People would ladle portions out and then go off with it... for god knows what.

[Raisa]

Balut made it 2nd. hahaha