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At the Fancy Food Show in June, an enthusiastic woman approached me with what she called a “New York sandwich”—a Triscuit cracker with peanut butter and horseradish. The two condiments balanced each other out, but it wasn’t anything special. I’d rather have a real “New York sandwich,” like a luscious, mile-high corned beef from Katz’s Deli.
Still, weird food pairings often turn out tasty. Do you have a secret foodie habit or a strange concoction you want (or maybe don’t want) to share with the world? On a beautiful sunny day, we wandered around Washington Square Park and talked to some folks about interesting eating rituals they’ve encountered.
Top curiosity kindler: Soil
Sally works in a dean’s office at NYU, but she’s not a coffee-fueled New Yorker—her energy comes straight from the soil. But it’s not any old backyard soil – it’s derived from places where the dinosaurs roamed and ancient rainforests, she said. It also has tons of minerals.
The soil is ordered from Jubbs Longevity, a site owned by Sally’s friend, Dr. David Jubb. Since soil is flavorless (mmm), she spruces it up with ingredients like coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, cinnamon, cloves and raw honey. Another soil concoction calls for oil, vinegar, Celtic sea salt, cumin and powdered garlic. For a sweet ending, Sally makes an “awesome dessert” using soil, cacao nibs, coconut oil and honey. Sally said she felt different after three days of her new dirt diet, which she began June 20.
"I never wanted to eat dirt when I was a kid; I hated anything remotely dirty and used to get upset when I sweated. Now that I’m a more adventurous adult, it may be time to get back to nature"–via an online ordering system, of course. Thanks, Sally.
Conger Eel
“Six-foot long eel boiled with milk”
Method: Boil for three hours to soften the meat up.
-Ciaran Dempsey, a construction worker from Cork, Ireland
Bananas and BBQ potato chips
“It’s the weirdest thing I ever ate in my life.”
Method: Stick the banana in the bag of chips for a crunchy coating.
-Roxanne Austin, a NYC dog walker
Spaghetti with Nutella
Method: Probably cooked the spaghetti then added Nutella at the end
-Eugenio Salinas, a lawyer from Pamplona, Spain (*Note: his friend created this dish out of desperation for something to add to his pasta. Salinas would never resort to this recipe, even though he expects to be broke after his visit to the U.S., he said.)
Cream of Wheat made with coffee
Method: Cook the cream of wheat according to directions, but use a cup of freshly roasted coffee instead of water.
-Emily Jupiter, a speech pathology graduate student at NYU
Bread sprinkled with granulated sugar
Method: This intense, complex recipe involves sprinkling granulated sugar onto bread before eating it. Doyle has seen people perform the process on more than one occasion and doesn’t find it appealing in the least.
-Tanya Doyle, a filmmaker from Dublin, Ireland
Mayo, by the spoonful (I’d rather eat soil)
Method: A friend of Ruddy—probably better if the person remains anonymous—enjoys REAL mayonnaise by the spoonful. Paula Deen might approve.
-Dominique Ruddy, a freshman at NYU
Ice cream atop pizza (inspired by everyone’s favorite role models, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)
Method: Top pizza with ice cream. Eat.
-Rebecca Tam, a paralegal in New York, whose “friend’s friend” tried this treat
Roast beef sandwich with peanut butter and ketchup
Method: Slather peanut butter on one side of the bread, ketchup on the other, and place roast beef between the two for a savory, slightly sweet sandwich.
-Danielle Walsh, a student at NYU, who watches her friend eat this PB and RB combo
Cream cheese and bacon on a bagel (the anti-Jew-wich)
Method: Sprinkle bacon bits on your shmeared bagel. (Just don’t let your bubbe see.)
-Erika Wortmann, an account manager in NYC
Sugar on pizza
Method: After mistaking sugar for parmesan cheese, Scott found a delicious taste sensation. Though it was 10 years ago, Scott “would do it again” someday, she said.
-Sherry Scott, an NYU staff member
Image courtesy of www.sustainabilityninja.com
-Beth Kaiserman
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