Gary’s Q&A

Listener question & Gary’s response · Transcript passage

Brian Ross asks, “What was the most memorable food you ate on each continent?”

In no particular order:In Africa, it would be foul—a bean dish I had with shaved dried beef that I had in Cairo. I’ve never had it before or since, but it really stuck out in my mind.

In Europe, I’m going to go with Calçots. These are usually only found in Catalonia. These are large green onions that are roasted over a fire, served on a terra cotta roof tile, and they are only served at the beginning of the year.

In Asia, I’m going to go with a Japanese dinner that was served to me on the island of Yakushima. To this day, I’m not sure what I was served, but it was amazing. I think I’ve mentioned this meal before in a previous Q&A episode.

In Oceania, I’m going to go with Poisson Cru. This is the national dish of Tahiti. It is raw fish in lemon juice and coconut milk. I had it from one of the food trucks that go around the island known as La Roulottes.

In South America, I have to go with an Argentine Asado, which is their version of BBQ. Argentina has the best beef in the world, and an asado is one of the best culinary experiences you can have.

In North America, I might go with a Boucherie than I had in Lafayette, Louisiana. It is a Cajun tradition where they use all the parts of a hog in a community celebration.

…and I actually have an answer for the best thing I had in Antarctica. The answer is….ice. And no that isn’t a joke.

When we’d go out from our ship in a zodiac, we would look for bits of glacier ice that were floating in the water. However, we had to find pieces that were crystal clear and didn’t have any bubbles inside to cloud it. We would bring it back on the ship, and it would be used in the evening in the bar for drinks. We would literally be drinking part of the Antarctica ice sheet.