The cost of food

These were the spuds available in the "expensive" supermarket here today. Just under £1.00/kg.

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ElizabethB said:
I need to check out the Asian and Mexican markets. There are a couple of each that I know of. That would be an adventure.

There is a butcher shop on the perimeter of a not so nice part of town. ..... They carry unusual stuff and will cut to order. They have organ meats - liver, kidney, tripe, tongue, sweet breads, chitlins. I did not look but they probably have or can get ox (bull) tail. G loves braised beef short ribs - $1.59 or $1.79 per lb. $7.49 at Costco. I get pork shank cut to order when I want to make "Poor Man's Osso Buco". Less than $2.00 per lb. Other weird stuff - pig ears, feet and tail - both fresh and pickled. Chicken feet. Turkey necks and wings. Chicken and turkey gizzards, livers and hearts. Pickled quail eggs, local honey, jams and jellies. An assortment of pickled veggies.

Never know what I will find.
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You should try ox tail. It was something I had heard about many, many times and we finally decided to try it in a ragu back in February (recipe out of 2/17 Bon Appetit) served with semolina gnocchi. OMG, that was a delicious meal. BTW, I don't know how prices are there, but for something that used to be cheap (like skirt steak), not so much anymore since ox tail became a cheffy thing.

You really should try the Oriental and Mexican markets. We've learned to get stock bones from the Oriental market because they are really, really cheap there and they happily use the band saw to cut them like you want. One day, I'm going to ask them if they will cut them horizontally and make beef marrow bones again, that was some good stuff. Plus, ingredients for Asian dishes are cheaper than the regular supermarkets, though the choices may be a bit overwhelming if it's a large market. Same for the Mexican/Cuban markets here.

The only cultural market I've ever been to where I've felt heeby jeeby was in an Arab market not far from our house. I had thought it was an Oriental market because the name was East-West Market. Nope, Arab. It wasn't because I found out it was Arab, it was because of the way the 2 men in there (empty otherwise) were looking at/watching me and 1 kept trying to engage me in conversation asking where I lived, how I found the place, did I cook a lot, what was I making, and just on and on, even asked if I lived alone. I kept giving him really brief, very generalized answers and told him I was just looking around. Maybe he was trying to be nice, but it just creeped me out. It was a hole in the wall shop, both of the guys were kind of skeevy looking, personal grooming a bit subpar, clothes a bit dirty and rumpled, not appropriate for a place where food is being sold basically. I guess I should have gone back out to the car and made Craig come in too since I did want to look around, but I ended up just cutting the visit short and getting out of there.
 
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medtran49 said:
You should try ox tail. It was something I had heard about many, many times and we finally decided to try it in a ragu back in February (recipe out of 2/17 Bon Appetit) served with semolina gnocchi. OMG, that was a delicious meal.
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Oxtail is wonderful! Despite being Cheffy its still quite good value here in the UK (well, it is in my book!) - this is from Tesco's and is £7 per kilo which roughly translates to $4.50 per pound.



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It probably is of little interest but the price of rat meat here in Thailand is now over double that of chicken.
 
In some movie, can't remember the title, people living in abandoned sub-way tunnels, referred to it as "Track Rabbit".:D
 
To clarify, we do not have sewers up here in Nakhorn Nowhere. Therefore we do not have sewer rats. The rats are rice field rats (who apparently live on rice) therefore are not considered deteremental to health.

[Not that I'd go near one with a barge pole! Dead or alive]]
 
One of our cats caught and killed a plump one this morning. I did consider taking it down the market to sell.
 
Yorky said:
To clarify, we do not have sewers up here in Nakhorn Nowhere. Therefore we do not have sewer rats. The rats are rice field rats (who apparently live on rice) therefore are not considered deteremental to health.

[Not that I'd go near one with a barge pole! Dead or alive]
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Would that be you, the barge pole or the rat?
 
Growing up and living in a region known for it's unusual food I draw the line at rat and dog. I admit to eating squirrel - a member of the rodent family and sometimes referred to as tree rat. Nor will I eat Nutria. I would have difficulty eating horse - an emotional reaction.

Realistically all animals, fowl and sea creatures are edible. What we eat or will not eat has much to do with our region.

After graduating from college and getting married Niece and her Hubbie spent a year in South Korea teaching English. Nephew is more adventurous than my Niece. The weirdest thing he ate was baby octopus that was still squirming. They had pictures - his cheeks are puckered in where the suckers of the octopus latched on. :hyper:

A few years ago Baby Sis and BIL spent a couple of weeks in Peru. They ate Guinea Pig - considered a delicacy. Sis was not impressed. She found it very oily and gamy. :sick:

With a few exceptions (rat and dog) I will at least try pretty much anything. I have tried fried rattle snake - taste like chicken and fried Mountain Oysters (bull's balls) - Crunchy on the outside, soft and creamy on the inside. Very nice.
 
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