nosh nook #198 - wednesday, december 16, 2009

silkworms meghalaya’s snack of the season (link)
12.16.09 - the times of india - by manosh das

one of my early childhood memories is of my mother singing the song "nobody likes me (guess i'll go eat worms)" with me for what reasons i'm not remembering at this moment. we were all "nobody likes me, everybody hates me, i think i'll go eat worms! big fat juicy ones, eensie weensy squeensy ones, see how they wiggle and squirm!" now that i'm adult & actually thinking about the lyrics more than i am about singing a duet with my mother, that shit's depressing. nobody likes you? that sucks...is eating big, fat, juicy worms really necessary? i mean, really? worms? do you really think that's the solution? i mean, who are you? olivia dunham?

i guess i shouldn't hate that bad on worm munching. according to the times of india, folks in meghalaya (an area in eastern india) love snacking on worms & silkworms in particular. [CUE PUKE NOISE]. there's probably going to be a shortage of smooth, shiny valentines day boxers come next year because they're eating the source of those boxers, but they don't care. the folks in that region of india go nuts for silkworms, or as the times describes them--"shiny, yellow and green, wriggly nuggets." they're so popular that in some areas of the region, one kg of silkworms goes for 100-160 rupees. none of those units of measurement calculate to anything i've learned in school, so i can't tell you how much that is, but i'm pretty sure that you could get something tastier & non-worm related for that price.

maybe you're intrigued by the idea of eating silkworms & want to make some of your own at home. maybe your silkworm colony has already produced enough kimonos for you & you're ready to move on. if that's the case, what you're going to want to do is take those silkworms & deep fry or boil them with some salt. once you've cooked them to a point where you think it's acceptable to eat a thick worm capable of producing sexy panties, you, according to a silkworm "connoisseur," dig in & "forget that you’re actually eating caterpillars to enjoy the yummy stuff." good luck with that. i've eaten snails & frogs & unless i survive a plane crash on an island & i need to eat worms to survive, win a million dollars & get a recording contract, that's as far as i'm going.

nosh nook #49 - thursday, may 21, 2009

in mumbai, it’s mango season (link)
05.20.09 - the ny times - by kavitha rao

after the recent success of the oscar-winning film slumdog millionaire, the indian city of mumbai, with its copious slums, has become sort of a household name. since folks just love seeing the places where their favorite films are shot, mumbai's guided "slum tours" have experienced increased interest. unless you're on some sort of humanitarian mission, there's something very unsettling about taking a trip through a city's slums to gawk at the horrid conditions. if you're going to mumbai, it should be for the tasty mangoes...not for the slums.

ny times correspondent kavitha rao knows a thing or two about mumbai's mangoes. according to her "globespotters" report, it's currently mango season in mumbai (til the end of june) & while you could go pick up some mangoes, bring them home & make something delicious out of them (i suggest mango sushi), it's much cooler if you have somebody else make them into something awesome for you. there are the standard mango drinks--the familiar lassi (a milkshake of sorts), the green mango-based aam panna--but you can also find a wide variety of yummy desserts in mumbai.

since i'm not that big of a fan of pudding, i'd probably pass on the mango shrikhand. of all the treats rao describes, i'd probably have to go with the kulfi (a milkier ice cream) topped with mango slices.  it's not that i wouldn't enjoy mango & chocolate donuts or a big ol slice of mango cheesecake (from a place that madonna likes!).  it's more that you can get the kulfi with mango slices delivered.  i'm amazed that it's even possible to deliver ice cream (even slow-melting kulfi) in mumbai's scorching temperatures & there's something pretty awesome about the idea of hearing a knock at your front door & when you open said door...BAM!  ice cream.  i can only imagine the utter joy that such a delivery service must bring to the people of mumbai.