Li-hing pineapple. Love. The polarizing food discussion was so intense that it continued through a few more rounds of dinner, several episodes of Law and Order and via Skype. We take our food seriously in this Ohana. So here is our Part 2 list.
Li-hing powder and li-hing mui. Unanimous and vociferous ONO.
Li-hing is a food-equivalent to Windex from My Big Fat Greek Wedding (i.e., a darn-good solution for making anything better). Head cold or sore throat? Drop a li-hing mui into hot water and drink it up. Transform an ordinary bag of Trader Joe's Kettle Corn into a party of ono with a little li-hing powder. Add a little li-hing powder to sprite or gin and tonic--yum. And let's not forget li-hing apples and pineapples, or Baldwin's li-hing shave ice.
Bittermelon. Unanimous Ew.
Bitter and melon in a single food item. Need we say more? It is duly noted that taste-deaf-yet-ridiculously-vocal relatives, the ones that eat natto and squid luau, loudly protest this categorization. They can write their own list.
Durian. Unanimous Ew.
Fruit should not smell like rotten flesh. This is a simple life-skills rule. As if you needed any more proof, Shimazu's, one of the best shave ice places on O'ahu, offers a durian flavor. However, they make you eat it someplace else and throw the rubbish Somewhere Else That Is Very Far Away And Has A Lid On It.
Assorted friends say Ono. A friend of mine routinely orders durian smoothies anytime he can, even though the vendors keep asking him if he's sure he really wants one. And many more pay cold hard cash to buy the stuff.
Li-hing powder and li-hing mui. Unanimous and vociferous ONO.
Li-hing is a food-equivalent to Windex from My Big Fat Greek Wedding (i.e., a darn-good solution for making anything better). Head cold or sore throat? Drop a li-hing mui into hot water and drink it up. Transform an ordinary bag of Trader Joe's Kettle Corn into a party of ono with a little li-hing powder. Add a little li-hing powder to sprite or gin and tonic--yum. And let's not forget li-hing apples and pineapples, or Baldwin's li-hing shave ice.
Bittermelon. Unanimous Ew.
Bitter and melon in a single food item. Need we say more? It is duly noted that taste-deaf-yet-ridiculously-vocal relatives, the ones that eat natto and squid luau, loudly protest this categorization. They can write their own list.
Durian. Unanimous Ew.
Fruit should not smell like rotten flesh. This is a simple life-skills rule. As if you needed any more proof, Shimazu's, one of the best shave ice places on O'ahu, offers a durian flavor. However, they make you eat it someplace else and throw the rubbish Somewhere Else That Is Very Far Away And Has A Lid On It.
Assorted friends say Ono. A friend of mine routinely orders durian smoothies anytime he can, even though the vendors keep asking him if he's sure he really wants one. And many more pay cold hard cash to buy the stuff.
Spam I Am. Spam. Unanimous Ono.
We do so love hot rice and Spam. We just adore it, Spam-I-Am. Until I went to college on the mainland, I had no idea that many, many people don't eat Spam. Hey, I grew up on an island!
But give us our Spam musubi, Spam fried rice, Spam and String Beans any day.
Our one caveat is that several friends have made the mistake of eating Spam without cooking it. This would be a Unanimous Ew. Spam must be pan-fried, even if the can says it's fully cooked. Eating it out of the can like ice cream is EW to us too!
Tilapia. Unanimous Ew.
I grew up with the perception that tilapia is a 'ditch fish' that you would never eat because it thrives in filth.
However, fast forward to its transformation as a sustainable fish choice. Sold in fancy restaurants, packaged beautifully at Costco, even Alan Wong has served it--therefore a growing uptick of ONO. I still can't believe I'm defending tilapia. Blech.
Uni. Unanimous Ew.
You're eating gonads. Of a sea urchin. Yes, it's a delicacy, supposed aphrodisiac, and touted as the 'new foie gras.' None of us can get over the texture and well, you're eating the poor creature's 'alahs.' (Thank you Rap Reiplinger).
We had a few more, but the most passionate discussions all revolved around the items in these two posts. In case you missed Part I, click here. What say you, Ohana?
We do so love hot rice and Spam. We just adore it, Spam-I-Am. Until I went to college on the mainland, I had no idea that many, many people don't eat Spam. Hey, I grew up on an island!
But give us our Spam musubi, Spam fried rice, Spam and String Beans any day.
Our one caveat is that several friends have made the mistake of eating Spam without cooking it. This would be a Unanimous Ew. Spam must be pan-fried, even if the can says it's fully cooked. Eating it out of the can like ice cream is EW to us too!
Tilapia. Unanimous Ew.
I grew up with the perception that tilapia is a 'ditch fish' that you would never eat because it thrives in filth.
However, fast forward to its transformation as a sustainable fish choice. Sold in fancy restaurants, packaged beautifully at Costco, even Alan Wong has served it--therefore a growing uptick of ONO. I still can't believe I'm defending tilapia. Blech.
Uni. Unanimous Ew.
You're eating gonads. Of a sea urchin. Yes, it's a delicacy, supposed aphrodisiac, and touted as the 'new foie gras.' None of us can get over the texture and well, you're eating the poor creature's 'alahs.' (Thank you Rap Reiplinger).
We had a few more, but the most passionate discussions all revolved around the items in these two posts. In case you missed Part I, click here. What say you, Ohana?
