Pu Yi Returns!

For the first time in a long time, I've bought some art. At least I think it is.

Uncurdled But Curdled - Huh?

OK, a quick entry in both the weird food and bad marketing ideas category - Uncurdled Bean Curdle Pot Stew.

What? Is is curdled? Is it uncurdled? How can a curdle be uncurdled? I'm so confused.

Does it matter? Who would want to eat either curdled bean pot stew or uncurdled curdle bean pot stew? Whatever it is, I'll take a pass.

Veggie Weird Crap #2 = Carrots as a Fruit

Yet another Korean grocery store atrocity. Carrot fruit juice? Umm. Ahh. Ohh.

Apparently, somebody wasn't paying attention in Physical Science class.

Veggie Weird Crap #1

You're either canned pork - or you're not. I've eaten this. Trust me. It ain't pork. Or "mock pork". Mock rubber, perhaps. Uggh. Inedible.

Who buys this stuff?

Catching up on the WTF posts.

Catching up series - number one. I've got several of 'em. Another weirdness tale from the Korean grocery store in Overland Park.

What. The. @#%&?

Vegetarian Soy Sauce? What? Isn't ALL soy sauce, by it's very nature, vegetarian. Normally, I'd give a sliver of possibility to this one, but - hey- my family owns a soy bean farm in Illinois. The last time I looked, none of our soybeans has hooves or, y'know, mammal-type vital organs. I'm pretty sure they were all plants.

I just don't get this.

Don't Be Bitter, or In Brine

Another one of those oddities from the local Asian food store. Call me finicky, but I'm not instantly drawn to, or get a wild case of the yummies, by something with either "bitter" or "brine" on the label. Or a picture of a fruit, if that's what it really is, that looks all shriveled and wrinkly and about 50 years old. Decidedly unappetizing.

REALLY Bad Food Ideas

Pupa? No, really. Pupa? Let's look at the definition of that tasty culinary term:

[[From Wikipedia]] A pupa (Latin pupa for doll, pl: pupae or pupas) is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation. The pupal stage is found only in holometabolous insects, those that undergo a complete metamorphosis...In the life of an insect the pupal stage follows the larval stage and precedes adulthood (imago). It is during the time of pupation that the adult structures of the insect are formed whilst the larval structures are broken down. Pupae are inactive, and usually sessile (not able to move about). They have a hard protective coating and often use camouflage to evade potential predators.

Yummm. Tasty. OK, quick admission here. I lived in South Korea for almost 6 years. And they sold these things on pretty much every street corner. Try as I might, I never quite could get used to the idea of eating insects in a transition phase. It seemed kind of personal. To the insect, at least. Kinda like walking in on them in the dressing room.

But, hey - that's just me.

Not to mention that when I get hungry, the first word that pops into my mind isn't "holometabolous". Buffalo sauce, maybe. Holometabolous, no.

That said, I can't say the brilliant "market it as pupa for overseas markets" move will garnish much more of the seriously deprived north American edible larvae market.

Unless a LOT of hot sauce is involved.