Rhys’ New Foods List – January/February

Yeah, this is way, WAY overdue…I apologize.  This will be my last entry in this series for now, unless something MAJOR happens.

1/3 – Roast Pork Neck:  If they hadn’t told me it was neck, I wouldn’t have known really.  Quite hammy.
1/6 – Pork Knuckle:  This was AWESOME.  Think of the most succulent and tender babyback ribs you’ve eaten and multiply that a few times.  Very tasty and a Prague specialty.
1/10 – Horseradish: A bit too spicy in a different way.  It was freshly made, too, not that packaged Arby’s stuff.  Tolerable, though.
1/12 – Czech Hot Dog:  Interesting.  A sausage a little larger than a frankfurter placed inside a hollowed-out baguette, surrounded by mustard and ketchup.  Brilliant!
1/16 – Battered Sausages:  Not the corn dog I was looking for.  Just can’t do much greasy sausage.  The spices don’t do well in my insides.
1/17 – Paprika Carrots, Polenta:  Paprika is a good spice in moderation, and it made the carrots eatable…but just barely.  The consistency of cooked carrots always gives me pause.  Polenta is an Italian dish of cornmeal, bolognese sauce, and some other seasoned ingredients that wasn’t my cup of tea, but Indi ate it up…literally.
1/18 – Weetabix, Orange Marmalade, Guinness:  Weetabix are more horrible than Oatmeal Squares, and that’s saying something.  I was very happy to finally try one of Paddington Bear’s favorite foods, but the marmalade was a bit to saccharine sweet; I prefer a fresh orange.  Guinness is now my favorite drink.
1/23 – English Fruit Cake:  Soaked in rum, the English version of the perennial Christmas treat is much different than the American hot-potato do-not-want brick.  It’s not bad, and the piece I had was homemade.  And rummy.
1/25 – Steak and Ale Pie:  Quite similar to the meat pies of New Zealand, but with the added flavors of a local ale.  Made in many pubs with individual recipes, it became an instant favorite.
1/28 – Worcester Crisps:  Just like it says.  Potato Chips flavored with worcester sauce.  WAY TOO STRONG!
1/29 – Steak and Ale Crisps:  Of course these were amazing!
2/6 – Hot Box Noodle, Japanese Rice Ball:  Hot Box is the local term for an extremely spicy (to me) dish in Cardiff and it made my nose run.  Not big into that much spice.  The Japanese Rice Ball was totally not what I was expecting, as it was battered as well.  Too heavy…which was sad.
2/9 – Yogurt & Muesli, Damsens, Steamed Cabbage:  Can’t say I’m a big yogurt or muesli fan, but the Damsens were great!  Small reddish fruits with pits that were slightly bitter.  Steamed Cabbage, well, once was enough for now.
2/10 – Jaffa Cakes, Bakewell Tart:  Extremely successful day.  Who doesn’t like Jaffa Cakes, with their chocolate-covered biscuit with orangey center?  The tart was raspberry flavored and may have awakened my desire to try pie.
2/12 – Stew:  I have a hard time with hot, salty soups and stews.  Reminds me of salt water when I’m sick.  I enjoyed the flavor, but had a hard time getting past my mental association.
2/13 – Lamb Shoulder w/mint sauce:  I love lamb.  The mint sauce was a nice addition.
2/19 – Spinach & Artichoke Dip:  Totally love it.  Spinach is one of my biggest success stories, as I like it quite a bit now.

So, that’s that.  The challenge now is to seek out the foods I like and not just fall back into the old eating habits I had before I left.