50 Foods from the BBC

Apparently the Beeb Beeb Ceeb has assembled a list of 50 foods to try before you die. bohemiancoast isn't much impressed with the authentic try-before-you-die-ishness of the list. No, nor am I, I have to admit. But then, the list was compiled by polling. Proll polling gets you results like the OC Weekly poll that rated Olive Garden as the best Italian restaurant in Orange County, and Arnold Schwarzenegger as Governor of California.

There are a number of oddnesses about the list. It's a bunch of Brits, so some of what qualifies as exotic enough to be a do-or-die item will seem very ordinary to Americans. And as Ms. Coast notes, several items seem to be only notable for being hard to get outside of Australia. Moreton Bay Bugs seem to be a crustacean local to Moreton Bay, but not otherwise extraordinary. There's not much on the list I haven't tried yet: the aforementioned Moreton Bay Bugs, alligator, guinea pig, barramundi, Australian meat pie, and durian fruit. And of the items on the list, there are several which aren't necessarily a particular food (tapas for example, and to some extent, sushi) or which encompass huge possibilities of regional variation (Mexican food, Chinese food, pizza) which make them almost meaningless.

But in an attempt to make lemonade out of the list, I think I'll attempt my own list, of stuff I'm glad I've tried, which might seem a bit unfamiliar to some. But for politeness' sake, I think I'll stick it behind a nice, discreet ( cut-a-roonie )

Gifts for Goths

Speaking of oddball taxidermy, as of course we were, I find (via boingboing) the site of cool and quirky taxidermist Sarina Brewer who injects a dark and twisty sense of humor into much of her work. If someone you know needs a winged kitten or a black griffin, this will be the place to go. Lots of her stuff seems reasonably priced, and for myself I'm particularly intrigued by the offerings in the junkyard where she sells off such piquant studio leftovers as cleaned skulls and leftover bird wings.

Warning for the Queasy: If mumified animal remains will bother you, be careful what you click through to.

Update: All the links appear to be down at www.customcreaturetaxidermy.com... I'm guessing the traffic from boingboing crashed them. Well, that, or it was my prodigious readership that did the deed. The five of you are very naughty.

12/28 Update: The links are back. Boy, that winged kitten sure is cute.