Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Feeling Smarter Already

It may have required a pre-departure glass of wine (or two), but last night jon and i embarked upon a quest of culinary oddities.  It began in the central souks, where overzealous waiters tried to hustle us into their outdoor restaurants.  We were not to be distracted though, and did not sidle onto a barstool until we were certain the establishment had what we were looking for.   Looking for indeed, as bellying up to the bar entailed our food to be looking back at us as well, at least as much as dismembered  goat (sheep?) heads can look back with their char-grilled eyes and their teeth hanging out of their mouths. 

No, it was not for those with weak stomachs, and a quick peek around showed no other foreigners present.  We ordered up the house specialty: a mixed plate of brains, tongue, and something unidentifiable.  First glance proved the brains to be soft and kind of smushy, while the tongue had a sinewy quality. 

To my surprise, nothing tasted quite as horrible as i expected, although it was different to separate mind from matter with the cook extracting choice cuts of other patrons right in front of us.  The brains were slimy and almost nutty, while the tongue tasted more clearly of meat.

We followed this up with a trip to a snail stand and got served a heaping bowl of snails to share.  Unlike my last snail experience, these snails had little faces.  They almost looked like cartoon characters, and so it was eerie to put them into my mouth.  I did though, and was pleased with the way they were spiced with nutmeg.

In the end nobody even got sick. 

I've got plenty of pictures to post, both from this and other adventures.  I'll do that soon.

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