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Sep 28
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Nothing went to waste, that is for sure. My German ancestors ate boiled chicken feet and head cheese that had no cheese in it, but often still had a few pig bristles in it. Ick.

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Gourmand’s delight. Italian milk snails were a staple of Roman soldiers. Protein, minerals, speared and roasted in shells over a fire. I am surprised no sardines in Sardinia.

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I will pass on the snails. I ate them once in Paris. Once is enough.

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Sharron, hehe, It can be daunting sometimes. I definitely would have ordered the Lumache, Polpo con patate and Sanguaccio. Were the Lumache prepared anything like the French version, Escargot? Also, blood sausage has an unfortunate name, haha. It's actually very good depending on how it's made and prepared. Although, I'm biased as I am a lover of all kinds of sausage. Enjoyed this very much, thanks for sharing. - Jim

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The lumache happily turned out to be PASTA shaped like snail shells. Perfect!

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Would have ordered the blood sausage.. and the veg. My Gram used to buy containers of duck blood for making gravy. Very nice.... like serious pan drippings. That was almost 80 years ago. Stores don't sell it anymore. Scarey menu though.

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Eeeuuw. And she no doubt cooked with lard or bacon grease. My mom did.

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Well of course. Gram cooked with both. Mom cooked with both. I've made pie crust with lard (better than butter for that) and bacon grease for everything else when there is bacon. YUMMMM. Fry the eggs in bacon grease when the bacon is done and gone. Almost as good. Bacon grease sits in can on the back of the stove over the pilot to be ready at any moment. Doesn't last very long.... snifff snifff pout. Gram cooked bacon often enough to have half a soupcan of grease ready. Her kitchen smelled like Heaven.

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Ah those were such innocent days. Before anyone knew about the effects of saturated fats, nitrates and high sodium! It is not for EVERY morning, but it is still there as a treat once in a while. Sort of like ice cream. I mean, who wants to live to be 100 if it means leaving out the ice cream?

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Ahhh splendid, Sharron, and I would have been equally challenged to choose, well except for the blood sausage maybe (if it’s anything close to the Bavarian dish).

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I recoil at the sight of blood sausage on a plate! In France, the boudin noir looked like a side order of dog poop. I'm not kidding. Might have been delicious, but I will never know. ha ha ha

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.. ‘speaking Truth to Poop ! Haha !

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Amen

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The tourists were likely not looking for this type of local restaurant. I would have picked the uni and escargot.

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In this case the "escargot" or lumache, was actually pasta shells! Whew!

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Aaaccckkkk! That menu is frightening!

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Yeah. Fortunately they served me the pasta...

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Phew!!

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I know, right?

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So glad they weren’t the garden variety snails.

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Yes, me too. I would have had to push them around on the plate and hide some under my napkin...

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.. expert level re making forkfuls ‘disappear.. sleight of hand - a dog under certain tables is most useful too ..

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I have a terrible set of taste buds when it comes to eating foreign foods. I don't know if it is the taste, texture, or the way it looks. If I can get used to seeing the dishes, I can sometimes warm up to them. Really skeptical about seafoods. Cow stomach's, sheep intestines? It would take along time. Enjoyed "seeing" Sardinia, Sharron!

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Thank, James , for coming along. I hope it didn't creep you out too much.

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This was funny and reminded me of some of the crazy things I've eaten. In Santa Cruz, calamari. That little tentacle thingie on top was inspiring to say the least. Head cheese at my Danish friends' house. It's exactly what you think it is, including some gelatinous goo to hold it together. Blood sausage? Can't have a self-respecting Basque banquet without that. Truly a once-in-a-long-while treat. Escargot? Yup. Which proves anything tastes good with enough butter and garlic. A platter of French cheeses, complete with mold, at a friend's coming-home-from-France party. O...kay? I've even picked, saute'd and eaten the mushrooms from my own backyard. sigh. You know something, Sharron, despite all this culinary exploration, it's tofu that is the most disgusting and dangerous of them all.

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You are a bit more adventurous than I am, but the only thing I ever found truly revolting was boiled eel. The smell, the texture. I just couldn't do it.

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That photo of the squid cooked in its own ink was revolting enough for me. I don't care how artfully the chef presents it. YAK!

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Agreed. Just place a bowl of braised cabbage and potatoes in front of me and I will be a happy girl. You know, something I can recognize.

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LOL! Something that looks like food, not aquarium merch.

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EEEuuu right! But yes, pasta in the shape of snail shells. ooo the vagaries of travel and just-off translations!

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As Forrest Gump said, " Life is like a box of chocolates -- you never know what you are going to get. " Sometimes you get sheep intestines...

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well, I've never yet tasted a chocolate-covered sheep intestine!

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Oh, ick.

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Oh Sharron, this menu gives me the heaves. Thank God for the snail pasta.

Hey, am I the only one to notice the original artwork? Was that done by the Professoressa herself? Very nice!

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Thanks for picking up on that. I fool around with cartooning and line drawings sometimes. I may use some of my art one of these days to prompt a story.

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Agh! Thank god for clever Italians! What a wonderful journey it’s been, Sharron…and I do recognize your artwork! Thanks for sharing this adventure with us!!

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Saved by the kind waiter! Another close call. Thanks sweetheart for re-stacking me. It always helps

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What a great ending, Sharron. A nice way to wrap up the series. The snail pasta salad looked tasty.

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Saved by a clever waiter. A hallelujah moment. Thanks for reading over here in the 🌿Leaves corner, KC!

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Buon appetito, Professoressa - I LOVE the pasta-shell punchline! I'd say Fabio deserved a kiss!

I really enjoy eating 'black pudding', which in fact is a type of blood sausage. It's delicious! I love haggis, too, which I gather is illegal to import into the US.

I'll never forget eating andouillette in rural France on holiday as a teenager. We'd been led to believe it was sausage - and I guess it was.... of a sort. My brother called it 'pigs' insides inside pigs' insides', and it looked - and smelled! - of where it came. And I don't mean France.....

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And now you know why when I heard of the fat juicy worms in your compost, I immediately thought of a Sardinian menu. They are no doubt on there. Eww.

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I’ve eaten plenty of vermicelli in Italy - but only in the form of chocolate sprinkles on gelato, or pasta! Might skip Sardinia. Forewarned is forearmed…

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PS. I have eaten a lot of haggis in the last 25 years in Scotland, though I am fully aware of what it is. Just toss it on top of parsnips and I am in! Haggis are not native to the US and neither are rooks. ha ha ha

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Ha!

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