Name some foods you've never tried, but would like to.

[Denninmi]

A couple of things I would like to try before I kick -- I guess this is a culinary "bucket list":

Abalone
Durian
Dried Jellyfish

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Rattlesnake.

But it has to be cooked just right.

[Warpy]

2. It's not bad, actually

but there's a not a lot of meat on 'em. Mostly, you're eating breading and trying to avoid skin and bone.

I guess fried witchety grub sounds good to me. They're supposed to be delicious.

[Callalily]

3. I'm hoping to try

iguana during my next vacation.

[HopeHoops]

4. I think I've had everything I'm interested in trying. We have a diverse menu.

[cbayer]

5. Although I have had both, I want to have Pad Thai in Thailand and Pho in Viet Nam.

[Sentath]

6. Salt grilled sweetfish (endangered)

Bluefin Tuna sashimi (endangered, mercury)

Argentinian grass fed beef

fresh acai berries

fresh 'tree' ripened banana

fresh, not canned, well prepared Huitlacoche

while I'd love to taste the endangered items, I won't ( ;

[Denninmi]

7. Huitlacoche is FABULOUS.

Love it, love it, love it.

I usually put in somewhere between 600 and 1000 row feet of corn each year, so I have generally an ample supply of it, unless its an exceedingly droughty year.

I got brave enough to cook some up after I saw it for sale at the gourmet produce market for $20 a lb one August. So, I went home, picked some, and cooked it. It is wonderful - if you want to closely approximate the flavor, saute some white mushrooms or crimini mushrooms with some really nice, fresh sweet corn cut from the cob. That's what it tastes like -- mushrooms and sweet corn.

It just doesn't LOOK too appetizing to many people.

[yellerpup]

8. I'll try almost anything.

What I haven't had so far is:

Fresh huitlacoche
Fresh truffles

One neighbor brought back a bag of small, dried fish (like goldfish) from her trip to visit relatives in China. She said they were her favorite snack and that she eats them just like potato chips. I tried one but couldn't choke it down. Also, when she made soy milk from scratch, it smelled exactly like hot garbage. I thought they'd left town and not taken the kitchen trash out, but then she popped over, knocked on my door and offered me a jug. I took some of it, but couldn't get past the smell.

[GoCubsGo]

9. Abalone.

Kobe beef just to see what all the hype is about.

Dom Perignon

French bread, croissants and Brie cheese in France. Brie is the only cheese I don't like. I am told that the Brie one gets in France puts what we get here to shame.

Absinthe

Huitlacoche

Durian

Good quality, well-aged balsamic vinegar.

Haggis

[shanti]

10. truffles

not the chocolate kind , and poutin.

[Jazzgirl]

12. Mmmmmm....love some truffles!

Really, they are so good and you don't need much.

[cbayer]

16. Truffle oil or truffle butter is a relatively inexpensive way to try truffles.

A little bit goes a very long way and it tastes like nothing else I can think of.

Love it.

[DrDan]

17. stumbled across poutin on a trip to Canada several years ago - just could

not go beyond a couple of bites.

My wife took a bite - and it is now one of her favorite splurges.

[surrealAmerican]

11. mangosteens

They're said to be quite tasty.

[Syrinx]

13. Believe it or not, I had never had lobster until a few weeks ago

And it was at Red Lobster, so I'm not sure it counts. But it seemed like particularly rubbery shrimp.

[Denninmi]

14. If it was rubbery, it was old or overcooked.

I wouldn't judge all lobster by what would come out of a chain restaurant kitchen.

[Gormy Cuss]

15. I agree.

Lobsters, scallops, squid, octopus, clams, and mussels are all seafood that gets rubbery when overcooked. Nearly all also get off flavors and textures if they are too old or freezer burned.