In my forties I have found that I have a taste for new foods. So far this has extended to elks and snoots, but today I ate me up some pig brains.
Originally, Saint Louis was the place for cow brains, since it was essentially a big slaughterhouse, and you can’t ship brains, so you scramble them with eggs. My Grandfather and Gary’s both ate brains with their eggs. Brains? 25 cents. That would have been in the forties.
Well now brains cost $5.95. And they aren’t served with eggs, they are deep fried and served on bread. They are common enough to merit their own Wikipedia entry. But yet uncommon enough for me to want to try them.
“Are you insane?” Mom said when she heard. “Over my dead body.”
See? I waited. Not that it mattered, Mom’s concern was Mad Cow, and this was a pig brain sandwich. So today we went to Schottzie’s:
And here it is:
No, that photo doesn’t do it justice. The photos I had seen of the cow brains looked like slices of brain. (When I said that originally, Mr. Biology Major sneered, “Since when do you know what a brain slice looks like?” I pointed at the bathroom.)
Here’s a cross-section:
I thought at first that was like a brain version of chicken salad, but no that’s all white matter there. Yummy yummy myelin! Just like my MS eats. It came with onions and pickles and hot mustard, but as I said to the waitress, “But then you can’t taste the brains.” I don’t like wasabi or soy sauce or ginger with my sushi either.
Speaking of sushi, on our honeymoon Gary ordered a big plate of sashimi. He put one bite in his mouth, and I remarked, “Tastes like raw fish, doesn’t it.” Then he spat it out, and shrieked, “This tastes like raw fish!”
This didn’t taste bad at all. It really didn’t taste, period. It felt. Picture a sandwich made of deep fried scrambled eggs. You just can’t deep fry something that soft and non-descript, it makes you focus too much on the texture.
So, my first bite was, chew chew chew, not bad at all, really can’t taste much brains (Gag).
My second bite was, chew chew, I can see scrambling this with eggs, that would be good, it’s really soft (Gag).
Do you ever eat bananas? If it’s not a very tasty banana you’ll chew and then be overwhelmed with the banana texture in your mouth and gag? That’s what it was like.
So, Gary said “Well, Ellen, you have to put the onions and mustard and pickles on it! It’s the German way!”
So, he ate half, just like a good German. However, the Rye bread and Deep-Fried Chewed up Banana texture did inspire me to have a Reuben Sandwich and Banana Split for dinner.
I feel a little bad that we only ended up eating half, because a brain is a terrible thing to waste.
26 responses to “You Are Not What You Eat”
I have to admit, I am not an adventurous diner. I don’t think I’ve ever willingly had an oyster, snoot, testicle, and will never ever eat brains. I’m sorry. To me, it’s just too gross for words. Gag.
You’re a braver woman than I. I had oysters — once — and that was enough slime for me.
Guinea pig, fruit bat, crocodile, emu, ostrich, camel, alpaca, termite, green ant, sheep´s liver, beef kidney – yes, yes, yes (although mostly not more than once each). But BRAIN? Deep-fried BRAIN? Ack! Ack! Ack!However, most impressed by your follow-through.
Congratulations. You’ve managed to make me throw up in my hands.
Any more of these posts and I will be afraid to visit your blog anymore.
I can’t stand cooked egg in any form that doesn’t involve either tons of cheese or much cake, so I didn’t even consider anything resembling them deep fried.I’m very picky about meat — I like it too much to be a vegetarian, but I am damned picky about it. I can’t say how many times I’ve cooked chicken or beef for dinner and been unable to eat it because the smell suddenly made me feel sick. I’m alright on most textures, but deep frying can turn my stomach, too. I can’t imagine eating organ meats.
Why?? For the love of Pete, why?
How does one know where the local brain food restaurant is located?How does one get in the mood for brain food?It would have never crossed my mind.
Whoa!!! You are a braver and more adventurous soul than I.
You wrote that whole post just for the last line, right?
The last line is hilarious!
oh.my.go…Gahhhhgggg.
Becs – I think I’d draw the line at testicles. Unless someone dared me.Kathy – I’ve had oysters once too. You mean raw oysters, right? I like Oysters rockefeller.Big Dot – I can’t wait to try guinea pig! But insect – no.3 – Gross!Zayrina – Well, I’ve decided that if it wasn’t previously employed as a muscle then I’m not eating it.Sherri – My sister-in-law is like that. Are you able to carve the turkey at Thanksgiving? Because it has to be pre-carved for her; it looks to much like an animal.Shania – And why? Like Mt. Everest, because it’s there..75 – I found it in Sauce magazine. Lisa Emrich – No, an adventurer would have found the cow brains.Magpie – No, I swear I didn’t. It just occurred to me when I got to the end. I was going to say something about the S_____s not wasting food.Mrs. Hall – (Hi, Mrs. Hall!) I always have trouble with last lines, and it was such a groaner I considered not putting it in. Jenny – You just had a banana, I bet.
I guess sauce magazine has already featured everything else possible? I guess they’ll be reviewing McDonald’s next?
I’m pretty impressed you didn’t gag as soon as the brain entered your mouth…kudos to you.
Okay, I used to love fried brain sandwiches. As a kid, my aunt made them all the time (yes, we’re German.) and they were sliced about the thickness of a burger and then deep fried. We did NOT do them with scrambled eggs. She said that’s how country folks ate them. I loved them until sometime in gradeschool I helped her prepare it. She was taking it out of the boiling seasoned water and I watched her peel the membrane off. I was so grossed out and said I couldn’t believe anyone ate that. As we waited for it to cool a bit, she calmly told me that I loved them and ate them all the time. I then helped her slice it up and bread it for frying.I haven’t had one since. (But I hear pig brains are more bitter anyway.)
Guinea pig apparently tastes like goose, according to Chuck-from-Saint-Louis (I thought it tasted just like guinea pig). How about tongue – have you eaten tongue? That´s more accessible and almost as revolting an idea as brain. Or tripe? Cow´s stomach lining, evidently best braised in milk with onions.
I should have had a delayed hurl in your cube today.
You have disgusted me, and that is a feat indeed, my friend. Please excuse me whilst I purge.
.75 – No, it was a feature on St. Louis specialities in Sauce magazine. Autumn – I would have in my youth.Amy in StL – I LOVE this! Even though you called us “Country folks” – of course we are, it’s just we call ourselves “landed gentry.” Big Dot – Tripe? That’s completely disgusting.3 – I should have had brains slathered in non-kosher cheese.Dee Dee and Irma – Hah HAH! I dance and splash victoriously in your vomit.
First of all, I almost missed this one. Thankfully, my belly was empty when I ran across it. Next, love Gary’s t-shirt. Thirdly, Rocky Mountain Oysters? Don’t miss them if you get a chance. You’ll wish you’d looked up “testicles” before brains, I’ll bet.
Ewwwwwwwwww!My had to eat brains at her grandma’s house once because “that’s what grandma made for lunch.” Yikes.
There used to be a butcher near my grandmother’s house in Illinois that sold game and “exotic meats.” They even made the Ripley’s Believe it or Not TV show. They had all manner of jerkies, so a few years ago I stopped in and got deer jerky, buffalo jerky, bear jerky and LION jerky. They were very expensive, and all tasted pretty much like teriyaki sauce.
Judith – Did you eat testicles at the Testicle Festival?ajooja -The worst my grandma ever made me eat was squirrel casserole.TasterSpoon – Okay, out to the internet to find lion jerky!
No, I must have missed that festival. I’m from Colorado and that is where the name comes from,”Rocky Mountain Oysters”. However, I must confess, not ever chef is a natural with this dish. So,you may have to try them more than once. You can get them at fine restaurants all over Denver. Good Huntin”! Maybe Sarah Palin has hunted them before? She’s just such a natural with a gun and a knife!
Judith – My husband and brother are having a really hostile reaction to Sarah P. It’s almost scary.