Howdy, group(s). I was in a philipine restaurant today (Kainan Sa Kanto, Stanton, CA, USA, to be precise) and I ate some weird (but delicious) food, including:
- A dish that appeared to be a mix of some kind of sliced vegetables mixed with scrambled eggs.
- A dish that appeared to be roast chunks of beef in a savory sauce, with weird tan spheres with rubbery texture and meaty flavor.
I was very curious as to what the weird vegetable and the weird tan spheres were, so I took a sample of both home, and did some digital photography.
I sliced the tan sphere in two and photographed both the inside and outside. On close inspection, it appears to be some sort of egg, though of what type, I have no clue:
Looks a bit like eggplant, but the green ones are usually spherical.
What was the flavor like?
> I sliced the tan sphere in two and photographed both the > inside and outside. On close inspection, it appears to be > some sort of egg, though of what type, I have no clue:
The egg was boiled in water with either tea or soy sauce, then shelled and cut, and the yolk was removed and it was stuffed with what looks like bamboo shoot.
And what's with the use of "weird?" It's food, just not something you're used to. Millions of people eat foods like those regularly. Are they "weird" too?
> Looks a bit like eggplant, but the green ones are usually spherical.
This thing was pale green inside and out, with a convoluted exterior. Eggplant is dark-purple (usually almost black) and smooth on the outside, and spongy and white on the inside.
> What was the flavor like?
Bitter. Tasted sort of like rubber shoe soles and lye soap. Not exactly my favorite vegetable, whatever it is. I'd like to know what it is, so I can avoid it.
> > I sliced the tan sphere in two and photographed both the > > inside and outside. On close inspection, it appears to be > > some sort of egg, though of what type, I have no clue:
> The egg was boiled in water with either tea or soy sauce,
Ah. Yes, that would explain the weird color of the outside of the white. I suspect these eggs (there were several of them in each serving of this dish, mixed with veggies, meat chunks, and sauce) were first hard-boiled in water, then shelled, then cooked in some sauce to impart color and flavor.
> then shelled and cut,
It was shelled, but not cut. I sliced it open after I got home with the sample for the purpose of photographing both the inside and the outside.
> and the yolk was removed and it was stuffed with > what looks like bamboo shoot.
No, the yolk was intact. The yolk had a chalky texture and a sulphurous, hard-cooked-yolk flavor. The white had a typical egg-white texture with a hint of soy-sauce flavor. Quite tasty, actually.
The main thing I'm curious about is, what kind of egg might this be? Definitely not chicken, far too small for that. The size is about 1/2" by 3/4". Robin egg? Quail egg? Pheasant egg? I'm just guessing. What kind of eggs (other than chicken) are used in Phillipine cooking?
> And what's with the use of "weird?" It's food, just not > something you're used to. Millions of people eat foods > like those regularly. Are they "weird" too?
"Weird" just means "not something you're used to" as you phrase it. So yes, foods, people, music, or whatever, are "weird" to people not used-to them. It is not a disparaging word in any way. Personally I like weird things, and find them much more interesting than non-weird things. Just remember, the opposite of "weird" is "boring". I prefer weird. :-)
-- Cheers, Robbie Hatley lonewolf at well dot com www dot well dot com slant tilde lonewolf slant
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