The Food Thing Essay, Research Paper

Imagine a colossal steaming platter? of Fried Giant Silkworm Pupae. Your mom settles it in front of you, you sniff delicately at the aroma like the fine connoisseur that you are, put on your bib and it?s chow down time.

Food is a commonly taken for granted edible substance necessary in a normal person?s life. Anorexics don?t count. Different cultures have different food-of course due to their geographical positions and the way they were brought up.

Some religions abstain from eating certain meats. For instance, Hindu?s are not supposed to eat beef or even harm a cow for that matter because cows are scared animals to them. Muslim?s are not allowed to eat any part of a pig or any amphibians which is a great pity because frog legs in black sauce happen to be scrumptious.

Frog legs are just one in a million of the delightful delectables to be found around the world. I for one believe that all cultures invent a food that is both bizarre and disgusting which the kids start out hating but as they say it?s a fine line between love and hate. At some point, they cross over and force it if necessary on the next generation. Then they nudge each other and giggle when foreigners gasp. I have been a witness to this at many a dinner party when inevitable the conversation turns to food. My mom tries to shock the guests by telling tales of the disgusting food that Chinese happen to eat. Coincidentally, a French will shout out ?HEY! We eat that too!?

I think that between a French and a Chinese, anything can be and will be eaten. For example, escargots, tripe, caviar, bird?s nest- which is actually a swift?s spit and tastes very very good, intestines, duck lips, chicken feet, and Grilled Rats Bordeaux style. Of course this was popular amongst the poorer folk but I imagine the rich got bigger fatter rats. Rats by the way are a major item of diet in West Africa. So much so that it actually composes of 50% of the locally produced meat eaten in some parts of Ghana.

Amongst a few of the weird things eaten by other people around the globe are guinea pigs called Cui in Venezuela, Jellied Moose Nose, Yorkshire Terrier pudding, Bull and Tiger testicles, haggis, snails which if eaten with a garlic butter sauces is actually not that bad. A hint? Drown it in the sauce so that even the slightest hint of snail is gone. The list goes on forever which can include absolutely any part of the animal. Intestines, stomach, heart, coagulated blood, brains, testicles, liver, nose, head, eyes, ears and hoofs even.

I have never actually tasted all of these ?specialties? because seriously? The thought of blood in my perfectly tasty curry soup disgusts me. But enough about the parts of animals that people eat. In the next few examples, perfectly normal everyday food will be turned into weird concoctions. Mix up Spam, anchovies, beer, tomato juice, and mustard in a mixing bowl. Next put mix into a blender and blend until smooth and VOILA! You have yourself a Spam shake. Oh! And if you ever find yourself with nothing else but potato chips, bread, miracle whip and pepper, you might think of making a sandwich with those sandwiches.

The art of food, gastronomy, has been a fine art since the beginning of time, starting with Adam and Eve consequently consuming an apple. An example of a gourmet was Apicius who originated from Rome and is the inventor of the pate de foie gras ? which is not a French creation contrary to popular belief. He offered his guests only the finest foods and prepared exquisitely but eventually the tremendous expenses involved caught up with him and since lowering his standard was unthinkable he did what he considered to be the honorable alternative for a true gourmet- he committed suicide. Another enthusiast was Pierette, Brillat-Savarin?s sister. One evening, just two months before her hundredth birthday, she was having dinner in her bed because she was weak and failing fast. As she finished her main course, she realized that death was just moments away. She gasped out to her servant ? QUICK! BRING ME THE DESSERT!? Alas, she died before dessert could arrive.

Food is so essential to us that there are almost 200 days a year where different foods are celebrated. The national caviar day, donut day- 1st weekend in June, garlic day, and national maple syrup day- 3rd Saturday in March are amongst a few of them.

A word of caution before I end. I do not know how many deaths have been caused from eating the food items I have named. No doubt too many to count so eat at your own risk. A word of advice? Do not eat what you do not comprehend and remember food is an important part of a balanced diet.