Five Things To Eat Before You Die
I’ve been tagged by Haalo over at Cook (Almost) Anything at Least Once and Ange from Vicious Ange to attempt the Five Things To Eat Before You Die meme. My apologies for the tardiness of my reply - but this is a bloody hard list to compile!! Obviously this is by no means exhaustive. And it pains me greatly to have left out so many other wonderful foods! So…here are things that have been a surprise and or delight on my food radar.
1. Black Sapote is a species of persimmon that is one of the most bizarre and unusual fruits you will ever eat. The fruit is browny black (when ripe) and looks somewhat similar to a tomato. On delving into it’s interior you would wonder at the brown pulpy mass found within. Is it rotten? Has it gone off? But then you smell. Hmm. That is somewhat bizarre. And then you taste. What the? It is chocolate pudding!
2. Smoked Meat (aka. pastrami) on Rye from Schwartz’s Charcuterie Hebraique (Montreal, Canada). Schwartz’s provided me with a real life soup nazi experience. In my case, it was a Smoked Meat Guy. By the time I made it to the front of the line (which numbered around 50 or so - no shit!), I followed suit from previous customers and held up one finger and said “one to go please”. Smoked Meat Guy smiled and handed over a brown paper bag.
What a work of art. Two round slices of thick light rye bread, smothered with mustard and then topped with about 8cm of sliced smoked meat. There is the option to have it thin, medium or fat cut. The purists always go for the fat (heh). And the smoked meat…oh my god…is still hot from the smoker, and the mustard and bread warms up, the meat falls apart in your mouth in a spicy smokey peppery bliss. Oh my bejeesus.
3. White Alba Truffles, shaved onto Vue de Monde Risotto Aux Truffes (Melbourne, Australia). Just imagine a divinely creamy puddle of truffle infused risotto in a bowl. It arrives at your table. Hmm, looks nice. But before you tuck in the waiter comes along and shaves delicate slivers of white alba truffle on top - right there in front of your eyes. You can’t help but lean over the plate as the shavings fall onto the warm rice, inhaling the delicate perfume as the aromas are released. And the taste; a mouthgasm of monumental proportions.
4. Solly’s Cinnamon Bun - Sollys, (Vancouver, Canada). Another taste sensation care of those crazy canucks! I’ve mentioned Sollys before, so I will just reiterate how freakin amazing these ooey gooey cinnamon buns are. I still dream about them.
5. Artisan Cheeses. Where does one begin (…or end for that matter?!). An artisan cheese must be one of the pinnacles of artisan food production. It takes time, dedication, patience, skill, art, innovation, imagination and persistence to produce something amazing. And thanks be to all those little cows/goats/sheep/lactating mammals that help to provide this bounty. Blessed are the cheesemakers 
Phew…that’s it from me, despite the fact there is so much more!
I now wish to tag :
Josh from The Day Of The Expanding Man
Gillian from redumbrella
Belinda from Caper Berry Gravy
Anna from All My Interests
Emzeegee from emzeegee and the hungry three
So guys…you know the drill. Only do it if you have the inclination 
Written by mellie on
September 7th, 2006 | Tags: Uncategorized | Category: Uncategorized
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September 8th, 2006 at 12:24 pm
I’ve had no.3 a few times, in fact on one occasion it was so good, we had two serves of it! So simple but so profound. A great list Mellie!
September 9th, 2006 at 7:58 am
Arg… this’ll test me. Can I include my mum’s rum-o-licious fruit cake?! hehe.
September 9th, 2006 at 11:57 pm
Mellie,
Thanks for the comment and eggplant recipe, it sounds like the stuff of a great night in!
Michael and I discovered your blog a few months ago, just before we moved to Melbourne. I’m enjoying picking through the archives.
September 10th, 2006 at 8:42 am
Wow, that risotto sounds amazing. Thanks for the tag, now I have to think!
September 10th, 2006 at 9:51 am
Hello to all!
Haalo - uh huh, I’m glad you concur with the VDM risotto. And it goes so well with your favourite kitchen gadget too
Anna - yes, you certainly can add your mum’s rum-o-licious fruit cake. But only if I get to sample it so I can accede to it’s greatness.
Cindy - glad you’re enjoying the blog! Oooh…I so have to try your Butter Pecan Turtle Bars. They look absolutly divine!
Belinda - do your best! You should be well inspired after your trip to Slow Food! Alas, I was on a churros mission and quite forgot it was on!
September 12th, 2006 at 10:16 am
Mel,
I did it!
See: http://emzeegee.blogspot.com/2006/09/foodie-meme.html
Thanks for the tag!
Michelle
September 12th, 2006 at 11:59 am
Hey Michelle!
Well done! I loved reading your list. Oooh…and you said the magic “mango” word too. I am eagerly awaiting mango season to start here. I love them!
And I am so in agreeance with your idea of travelling just for a meal. I flew to Sydney in 2003 to get a donut from the first Australian Krispy Kreme store. No shit. Am I a refined gourmand or what?
September 13th, 2006 at 1:22 am
The Sapote is my white whale! Ever since you mentioned it to me, I’ve thought about it constantly and spread the word about the magic chocolate fruit! I need to try it !
- Leila
September 13th, 2006 at 3:48 am
Heya Leila!
Uh huh, they are unfortauntely a rather rare sighting in Melbourne due to their short shelf life. I have seen them a couple of times though, so don’t despair! The season runs from October to December, so start looking at the markets around that time. Other than that, get yourself up to Far North Queensland and they are plentiful!
Along with the chocolate tasting black sapote, there is a vanilla custard tasting white sapote as well. I just wish they’d do some research into cultivating the breed to increase the shelf life. That way I could eat chocolate mousse and vanilla custard every day and not feel guilty
September 13th, 2006 at 4:55 am
The black sapote is not only delicious - it is also highly nutritious! (But it should not be eaten in large quantities)
September 13th, 2006 at 5:33 am
Hi Dr.Miller,
I read that the vitamin C content is said to be about twice that of an average orange.
But as we all know one should be moderate in their consumption of most foods. And I’m sure if eaten in excess (…and with it’s high fructose and fibre content), it may have somewhat of a laxative effect.