Post #7 – Bizarre Foods – LA

Beef
Chicken
Pork
Fish
Take your pick.

Here in the developed world, there’s usually not much else to choose from. Occasionally, lamb is on the menu, and we eat turkey twice a year. For the more adventuresome, there’s this other stuff called “seafood”… oooh

I’m bored of it.

Don’t get me wrong… Beef still has a special place in my heart. I’m just looking for something different.

So I set off to find something different.

Okay, so when we eat chicken, we’re limited to either breast or leg. But, believe it or not, there are other parts to a chicken which are indeed edible. There’s a type of Japanese dish called Yakitori. Literally Yakitori translates to “skewered chicken.”

A favorite of mine, Honda-Ya restaurant on the third floor of Mistsuwa Market in Little Tokyo, is known for its selection of skewered chicken. A paper menu (like a sushi menu) is left on the table with a list of orders they serve. The menus are not exclusively limited to chicken-skewers; there are skewered vegetables, mushrooms, and even lamb chops to choose from. I start off with a couple of these mushroom and asparagus skewers in some sort of marinade.

The most basic type of yakitori is labeled simply as “white meat” on the menu.
I thought, “White meat? boring…..”
surprisingly though, these were much tastier than i thought.
The x-factor is a tiny amount of wasabi that they spread over the chicken. Who knew? Chicken + Wasabi

Next up, chicken liver—a poor man’s foie gras. Two livers are brought on a skewer. The taste is somewhat more gamey, but good nonetheless.
How about some chicken heart? Chicken gizzard? And last but not least, crunchy chicken skin…

One interesting thing about Japanese cuisine (and true about most other cultures as well) is that they don’t like to waste food. Internal organs are very much an integral part of their diet. Good stuff.

Moving on…
Squab is a common dish at Chinese restaurants. What the hell is squab?

At Hop-Li Chinese restaurant in Chinatown on Alpine street, there is a dish known as “squab” on the menu.

Inquiring from our friendly waiter, we realized that squab is the name of the meat of Pigeons… yeah… those same fucking birds that crap all over the place and fiend for your sandwich crumbs…. Yes, pigeons are used in Chinese cuisine.
I wasn’t able to order that, but I’m probably going to go back sometime this or next week to try it. I hear it tastes like chicken (not surprising…)

However, there was one thing on the menu that I was able to try—jellyfish. Funny how it tastes like neither jelly nor fish. If anything it tastes more like nothing with the texture of cabbage. These little critters were brought out on a plate, mixed with a plethora of different vegetables, and topped with an overpowering sesame-based sauce. If you don’t mind the crunchy texture, it’s definitely something to try.
I would go into detail about the other dishes at this restaurant, but they’re not bizarre enough….

On a side note, this Hop-Li restaurant has a B rating. For those of you who freak out when you see a restaurant with something other than an A, here’s a little rating scale I’ve heard regarding Chinese restaurants.

-A stands for “Americans Only” ….. The food is generally mediocre, and less authentic. It attracts a mainstream crowd. It’s chinese food for people who don’t like chinese food. Prime example: Panda Express (which i loathe)
-B stands for “Best” …. These are the real Chinese restaurants to be eating at, because they do maintain a level of sanitation, as well as stick to authenticity. Rule of thumb: if there is food stuck to your fork, simple ask for a new one.
-C stands for “Chinese Only” …. If you’re chinese and living in chinatown, this is a place for you. Othwise, it’s better to avoid these places and allow its local clientele to eat there. The food might be phenomenal, but may lead you to end the night with your head in the toilet.

I’m getting tired of writing this thing, so i’m going to write about one more bizarre food….

In Louisiana, the Cajun culture has a very distinct type of cuisine. The usual meat sources may be hard to come by by the Bayou, so the locals feed on animals we’d otherwise consider strange.

Of all places, the Grove on Fairfax is next to a farmer’s market consisting of a section of tiny clustered restaurants. One particular restaurant there is the Cajun restaurant (I don’t remember the name of it) . It’s towards the covered area with the seating area and the bar. At this place, they serve fried gator….. Fried Alligator, that is. How intimidating it must seem.

At a glance, these fried bits of alligator meat are indistinguishable from pop-corn chicken at KFC. The white meat is little firmer, but it tastes just like chicken (no shit), with a hint of some other strange flavor. The meat is a little tougher to chew though but tastes good.

Here are the places again if you wish to check it out
Honda-Ya Yakitori: on the corner of 3rd and Alameda in Little Tokyo, on the 3rd floor of the market
Hop-Li Chinese: on alpine street in Chinatown, a few blocks west of Broadway
the Cajun place at the farmer’s market: at the grove on the corner of 3rd/Fairfax…

Bon Appétit