Bizarre eating rituals around the world

The things you find on the internet are amazing. Here is an interesting read from www.wildjunket.com

 

Traveling gives you a chance to see the world, explore new cultures, and gather new experiences that will challenge your preconceptions. People from all corners of the earth have their own eating habits, beliefs and rituals, some of which are pretty weird – you have been warned!

1. Blood Drinking in Kenya

Flickr photo by Shortshot

In the West, cows are used primarily for producing either beef or milk. In Africa, cows have always provided a different kind of sustenance. Drinking the blood of cows historically helped travelers cross vast tracts of desert when water and food was in short supply. In places like Kenya, the Masai (also named Maasai) warriors still follow the ritual of blood drinking, as a delicacy mixed with milk or directly from the veins of the beasts.

20 weird and unusual restaurants

Came across this article online and thought i would share with you....very interesting the things people do. Got it from a website called www.oddstuffmagazine.com



Calico Cat Café

Calico Cat Café

The first menu you’ll see at Calico Cat Café in Tokyo has nothing to do with food: it’s the cat selection. But you won’t be dining on any of these adorable felines – they’re just there to provide some companionship while you sip a cup of tea. The watchful staff ensures that guests treat the cats respectfully, and provide complimentary bags of dried cat food that can be used to attract your desired playmate. For many Tokyo residents, owning a cat isn’t realistic, so the city’s 30-odd cat cafés give them a chance to enjoy some “commitment-free cat stroking”.

Devil Island Prison Restaurant

Devil Island Prison Restaurant

The owner of the Devil Island restaurants in China reportedly wanted to scare people away from a life of crime by showing them just how rough prison life can be – through a jail-themed restaurant where you’re led to your table in handcuffs and served fried coffin-shaped bread. Each table is surrounded by rusting prison bars, and you’re served by waiters in black-and-white striped uniforms. A similar restaurant in Beijing is misleadingly named ‘Zen Cool’.

Global Village - Dubai

Global Village is located along Emirates Road in Dubai.....there is a huge sign so you can't miss it. In my 5 years here, I have never been there and so I decided I would go and come share my experience with you guys.

The place is massive. I have never seen parking lots sooo full. By the way, you don't have to worry about parking here, it is more than enough and it is well organised, so you wont go in to a parking zone that is already full. There's even a ride from the parking to the main entrance for those of you who just can't walk for some reason.

The point of global village, which by the way is open only from October through to March, is a sort of melting pot for different cultures. You have different countries showcasing their dances and selling goods that they are known for.

 

 

 

 

There is also an amusement park which pulls in a lot of families. There are plenty of rides for both young and young at heart. My son and I enjoyed them immensely.You have to be careful with your money here though.Just to give you an idea, the entry charge into Global Village is only AED 10.....I was a bit surprised by this because I thought it was quite cheap. At the amusement park the first ride we took was the ferris wheel....1 token is AED 5.....you need 6 tokens!!the ferris wheel went round only twice....is anyone feeling this rip off.......I almost refused to get off.....This is where they make their money. Hmmmmmmm maybe this is a business I should venture into.

On the ferris wheel

 

 

Soon after, we left the amusement park and went to watch some of the showcases by different countries. My favorite was the African dance ofcourse....to be more specific, the maasai who were dancing. They just made you want to move to the beat...it was awesome.

 

 

 It was then time for some shopping. Managed to bargain for some beautiful African paintings. You better bargain if you know whats good for you. The starting price is almost always triple what you should pay. As I say, to each their hustle, and I was hustling :-)

Once we were done with that, it was time to eat. There are a lot of stalls serving different cuisines. From Iranian to Indian and then your usual KFC type places. I opted to eat at Chicken Tikka. Yup...thats what it is called,. Nothing fancy but oh boy, the chicken was really really good.

 

All in all, a good family outing. Entertainment, shopping, food...check. Definitely worth checking out when you are in Dubai.

 

Random Facts about food

Came across this article on the net and thought it was interesting so sharing it with you. It is from a website called http://www.randomhistory.com

30 Random Facts About . . .

Food

Several ancient cultures viewed the apple as a feminine symbol and found a resemblance between the two halves of a vertically cut apple to the female genital system. Alternatively, an apple cut horizontally resembled a pentagram, which was considered key in revealing knowledge of good and evil.g The banana tree is not a true fruit at all but a giant herb and the banana is actually its berry. A banana plant produces only one bunch or “hand” in its life, but that bunch may have between 100 to 400 bananas. Despite its phallic shape, the banana is sterile and no fertilization takes place in the banana flowers. A banana plant grows when one of its shoots is planted.g Onion is Latin for “large pearl.” A basket of onions was considered a respectable funeral offering in ancient Egypt, second only to a basket of bread. Onions, with their circular layers, represented eternity and were found in the eyes of King Ramses IV who died in 1160 B.C.a Kissing may have originated when mothers orally passed chewed solid food to their infants during weaning.d The earliest form of eating processed food occurred in early hunting cultures when the men who made a kill would be rewarded with a meal of the partially digested contents of the stomach of their prey.b The largest item found on any menu is roasted camel which is still served at some Bedouin weddings and was offered by royalty in Morocco several hundred years ago. The camel is cleaned and then stuffed with one whole lamb, 20 chickens, 60 eggs, and 110 gallons of water, among other ingredients.h Oysters have often been considered aphrodisiacs Food and sex have been linked throughout history. Some foods are thought to have sexual powers because they resemble human genitals. Casanova was said to offer oysters to his potential partners to whet their sexual appetite.a At Delphi, the spiritual center of Greece, many cooks were needed to organize and direct sacrifices to the gods.a Drinking fresh milk in the classical world was considered a luxury because milk was so difficult to preserve.g The Arabs invented caramel, which served as a depilatory (hair removal) for women in a harem.g Worcestershire sauce is made from dissolved anchovies (including the bones) that have been soaked in vinegar.g The first soup was made from hippopotamus and dates back to 6000 B.C.g Perhaps as a relic of an ancient Roman custom of planting parsley on graves, a sprig of parsley was either associated with the devil or as an antidote for poison. Adding a sprig to a plate of food may have originated as a gesture of good faith and as way to safeguard the meal from evil.d At both Ephesus and Eleusis in Greece the priestess were known as “bees” because bees and the way honey was gathered and eaten had religious connotations. Honey, considered miraculously made by bees, often signified truth because honey needs no treatment after it has been collected and it does not deteriorate.g Beans have historically been a symbol of the embryo and of growth in most societies. The ancient Egyptians called the place in which the Ka, the souls of the dead awaited reincarnation “the bean field.”g The tomato is technically a fruit, not a vegetable. It was also the first genetically engineered whole product and went on the market in 1994. Since then, more than 50 other genetically engineered foods have been deemed safe by the FDA.e Lemon juice was thought to dissolve ingested fish bones During the Middle Ages, a lemon slice was served with fish because it was thought the juice would dissolve any bones that were accidentally swallowed.a Chili peppers are hot because they contain a substance called alkaloid capsaicin and four other related chemicals. It is also the primary ingredient in pepper spray.g The warriors of Attila, king of the Huns, (A.D. 450) preserved their meat by placing fresh meat under their saddles. All the bouncing squeezed fluids from the meat, and the horse’s sweat salted the meat and removed more moisture. When the warrior stopped to eat, they had a dried and salted meal.c People were using garlic to repel vampires long before Bram Stoker’s Dracula was published. Folklorists suggest it is because vampires have a heightened sense of smell and the garlic’s strong smell was overpowering. Garlic is proven to be effective against two other bloodsuckers: mosquitoes and ticks.g Bread has become the prime symbol of nourishment and sharing bread is often a symbolic gesture. The word “companion” is derived from Latin com, ‘together,’ and panis, ‘bread.’g Odor is by far the most important contributor to the flavor of food. The contributions of taste, texture, and appearance are insignificant by comparison. Humans can distinguish an estimated 20,000 different odor qualities.f Cooking food is one of the great revolutionary innovations of history because it not only transformed the way we prepare food, but because it also became a center of cultural communion and organized society.b Ancient Egyptian priests would eat figs at the moment of their consecration ceremonies. The Indians consecrated the fig tree to Vishnu, and the fig free sheltered Romulus and Remus (the traditional founders of Rome) at their birth.g The fig is also a fertility symbol and the Arab association with male genitals is so strong that the original word “fig” is considered improper.i Corn always has even number of rows A row of corn always has an even number.g An American will typically eat the equivalent of 28 pigs in his or her lifetime.a Nearly 27 million Americans eat at McDonald's—per day.d Hippocrates notes that dogs were somewhat indigestible while boiled puppy was an appropriate food for invalids. Galen later notes that the meat of a young castrated dog is the best.a In the Philippines, it is considered good luck if a coconut is cleanly split open without jagged edges.d Eating eggs is taboo in some areas of Africa because eggs are thought to make childbirth more difficult and to excite children.d

Home cooked meals ;-)

Going to a restaurant and being served a delicious meal is always a lot of fun, but, once in a while......a home cooked meal is just all you need. So make some time this holiday to have a home cooked meal with the ones you love.

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. One that you will enjoy...yes I choose to be happy for all of you even if I will be working. So may the real meaning of Christmas not be lost. Remember to celebrate the birth of our Jesus and in essence celebrate LOVE. Did I mention I will be working.....sigh!!I hope to atleast make someones Christmas tomorrow. So Cheers to a wonderful wonderful day.

Be blessed.

Red Wine the enemy??

my babies;-)

So I am sure for those that read my blog, y'all know how much I love my wine. I am definitely no expert....but I have been learning a lot about them. Now of late I have been on a serious (well maybe not so serious) endeavour to lose weight. A colleague of mine told me to cut out my red wine for just a week and see if I noticed any difference.

Sadly, I have to say I did. I dont know if it was just the wine or the fact that I have been making healthier choices with my food but there was a difference in the way my clothes fit. Oh boy!! what does this mean?? can I really cut out my wines. It is going to be a challenge, let me see how long I can last.

Cheesecake Factory Dubai

So I have been quite eager to try this place out.it is located in the Dubai mall. I have been hearing so much about it and was really glad when an opprtunity came to go. Now the one thing that put me off and which is a huge reason that I hadnt gone before, is the waiting times. You cant make a reservation on the phone it seems. You have to book a table in person and it is clearly a waiting game. Luckily (as I am told), we only had to wait 40 minutes. So with buzzer in hand we went around the mall trying to fill up the time.

40 minutes later.......we were shown to our table. People, the place is a buzz  with activity. It seemed more like a market place. It is noisy, waiters running around all over trying to get the orders to the table....tables quite close together to maximise the space. I guess business is business, to each their hustle. So we were seated at our table and our waiter introduced himself, gave us our menus and gave us some time to look through them.

For drinks, I had to settle for a strawberry daquiri and my friend had the pina colada. Alcoholic drinks are not served here, so no wine for me:-(....anyway I digress. The drinks were actually quite good. I enjoyed mine, but its quite filling and one was enough for the evening.

We then had our starters. I am not adventerous at all and so I quickly went for the safe choice of buffalo wings, my friend had the crab meat wontons. The portions are massive. It is a meal all in itself. I loved the crab meat wontons and proceeded to eat all my friend's wontons(I think thats their name;-) ). They were so tasty and crispy, not too heavy for a starter especially if you're sharing. My buffalo wings were tasty as well. Seasoned well and left you licking your lips for more. Unfortunately after all the wontons I was unable to have more than two wings. I wanted to give the main course a chance.

For the main, we opted for the pasta. Ofcourse there are other options available. I had the, let me see if I can remember this; shrimp and chicken jambalaya pasta(I hope that's what it is called) and my friend had the seafood pasta. My pasta was nice and spicy but once again the portions are too big. I think one has to share all meals, there is just no way anyone can finish a whole plate on their own.

Finally we had the dessert. I am embarassed to say that I was always too scared to try cheesecake. Why? because I have never understood how it was possible to combine cheese and cake. Seriously, I didn't understand how it worked. I have never been a fan of cheese on anything other than pizzas, and don't even get me started on McDonalds who keep putting cheese on my burgers despite my strict instructions not to....vent!!! But seeing as I was at the cheesecake factory and tired of my sister making fun of me....well....you catch my drift. My friend ordered the red velvet cheesecake. At first taste, I found it to be very very creamy but I am a red velvet fan so I had another bite. It is okay, my friend loved it. I can't say it was as magical as people make it seem. To each his own.

All in all, it was an okay evening. The waiters are friendly, some of them bordering on the "over friendly let me join your conversation" side. The only thing I really didnt like was the waiting for a table. I think the best thing is to book your table first and then do your shopping or whatever else you have to do in the mall.

 

The Meat Co. - Joburg

 

THE MEAT CO.

Its the Christmas season in South Africa. Christmas trees and lit up streets gave it that holiday feel.

South Africa is known for its succulent steaks and selection of some of the finest wines. So on my next visit there I decided to take a few pictures for you and give you my experience at The Meat Company in Melrose Arch, Johannesburg.

We were welcomed into the restaurant by one of the friendly waitresses. We chose to sit outside, even if it was a bit chilly, as they have warmer lights  and blankets for those who get really cold.

We got right down to it and ordered our steaks and wine immediately. I had my steak medium rare....cooked and juicy, just how I like it. For wine, we chose to have one of the South African blends.

While we waited for the steaks, they brought us some bread.  This had to be some of the best bread I have ever tasted. It was a mix of sweet, salty and spicy. You just couldn't put your finger on what the supposed secret ingredient was. It was delicious. Couldnt help but ask the waitress to give us some more. Absolutely scrumptuous.

Well, hot on the heels of that delicious bread was our main course. My beef fillet was ready. It looked perfect. Absolutely eatable and even after eating all that bread I was still up for this.
It did not disappoint. It was tender and just melts in your mouth. Perfect. Together with mash potato, spinach and some good wine, it was definitely a good night.

So next time you are in Joburg, pop in and have some steak. It is well worth it.