Hi, I'm Rock. Let's Shoot a Moose.

Jen-nay tipped me off to this fun little site , (presumably prompted by a beer-fueled conversation last night about Sarah Palin and her children) which tells you what your name would be if you were a Palin offspring. Personally the Republican VP candidate makes my skin crawl, as do the names of her god-knows-how-many children: Bristol, Piper, Track, Willow, and Trig (which apparently is Norse for "strength", potentially cool, but whatever). So what's your Palin name? Type it in and find out. Had I been lucky enough to be birthed into that skwacky right-wing gun-toting family, you would not be reading "The World According To Drewby", but rather "The World According To ROCK CRANE PALIN". I think my Palin name is much more rugged and sexy, but we must sacrifice some things for sanity.

Yeah, I'd Eat That.

I read this little interesting tidbit on Jen-nay's blog, and thought I'd give it a go. As long as ketchup and mustard are not part of the list... I don't really consider myself an adventuresome eater, as in, I don't actively seek out fried pig intestines or rain forest slugs, but I'm not too afraid to try new things. After all, I DID once eat a guinea pig. Lets see how I fair...


1) Copy this list onto your blog, including these instructions.
2) Mark the items you’ve eaten with a "+".
3) Mark any items that you would never consider eating with a "-".
4) Let us know when you've posted the list, so we can compare!
5) Have fun!
6) Put in parentheses definitions that you had to google or wiki.

I've added my personal commentary in italics.

1. Venison +
2. Nettle tea
3. Steak tartare +
4. Alligator
5. Black pudding (pictured)
6. Raclette
7. Natto
8. Carp +
9. Borscht + tried it and hated it. cold pink soup is not apatizing...ever.
10. Baba ghanoush + the food or the person?
11. Calamari +
12. Pho (Vietnamese noodle soup with sliced beef)
13. Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich + I hate them.
14. Aloo gobi (dry Pakistani curry)
15. Dirty water dogs from a street cart
16. Epoisses de Bourgogne
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes + I have some peach wine that is awesome.
19. Steamed pork buns Sounds sexy.
20. Green tea ice cream
21. Ugli fruit +
22. Fresh, wild berries +
23. Foie gras +
24. Gumbo +
25. Head cheese - I don't think I could ever bring myself to do it. They did however serve head cheese sandwiches at the German club this weekend.
26. Raw habanero
27. Dulce de leche +
28. Raw oysters +
29. Baklava + Trying a new recipe soon: Baklava pouches. I'll keep you posted.
30. Bagna cauda (a warm dip served and consumed in a manner similar to fondue is made with garlic, anchovies, olive oil and butter.)
31. Wasabi peas +
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl Never in combination.
33. Salted lassi
34. Kim chee +
35. Kangaroo
36. Cognac (with a fat cigar) + Fat cigar not included.
37. Clotted cream
38. Jello shots +
39. Buttermilk +
40. Oxtail +
41. Curried goat
42. Insects
43. Phaal (one of the hottest curries available)
44. Goat's milk +
45. Whiskey that cost more than $200 a bottle
46. Fugu (pufferfish pictured)
47. Chicken tikka masala +
48. Eel+
49. Warm Krispy Kreme original glazed donut +
50. Sea urchin roe
51. Prickly pear+
52. Umeboshi (pickled Japanese fruit similar to a plum)
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. Big Mac Meal +
56. Spaetzle + I actually had an awesome meal of Spaetzle in Ecuador, oddly enough. One of the students living in my house was a chef from Switzerland and made the most incredible German and Swiss food.
57. Dirty gin martini +
58. Anchovies +
59. Poutine
60. Carob +
61. S'mores +
62. Sweetbreads - Again, I simply cannot do innards and leftover animal parts.
63. Balut - Nor can I do semi-fertilized animals.
64. Salted plums
65. Durian I have always wanted to try it ever since I saw a man on TV almost get a concussion from trying to knock one off of a tree.
66. Frog legs +
67. Beignets + I'm with Jen-nay. I've never had the "real deal" at Cafe du Monde, for example, so I'm sure anything similar I have had just bastardizes the experience.
68. Haggis - Nope. See previous statements about guts.
69. Fried plaintain + I ate fried plantains with basically every meal and in between in South America. So much to the point that now, I don't much care for them. But I do periodically make them for my students.
70. Chitterlings - I just watched Andrew Zimmern make and sample Chitterlings in Mississippi last night on the Travel Channel and almost threw up in my mouth.
71. Gazpacho + I had it in Spain, which I suppose would be the quintessential location to sample Gazpacho. I've also had it several times since in the US, but never really cared for it. Again, it goes back to the cold vegetable soup thing...
72. Caviar +
73. Louche absinthe +
74. Gjetost, or brunost (a brown Norwegian whey cheese)
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu (a Chinese alcohol literally meaning "white liquor")
77. Hostess chocolate pie +
78. Snails +
79. Lapsang souchong tea
80. Bellini +
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs benedict +
83. Pocky + A student of mine once gave me Pocky to try. Not bad if you like tasteless wafers dipped in waxy chocolate. (Hello Kitty not included)
84. Suckling pig +
85. Kobe or Waygu beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash +
88. Edible flowers +
89. Bear
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam + Unfortunately.
92. Soft shell crab +
93. Rose harissa
94. Ostrich +
95. Mole poblano + The real deal authentic is obviously superior, but the new mole burrito at Mad Mex is banging.
96. Lox
97. Polenta +
98. Kopi Luwak coffee
99. Lobster Thermidor +
100.Snake - My unreasonable fear does not stop at the frying pan.

So there you have it. My culinary adventures and fears. Some animal parts will never be consumed by Drewby, while other very lucky ones will.

Strange Weekend Happenings

Strange Happening FRIDAY:
Happy Hour with several colleagues at the usual watering hole. Everything seemed business as usual, until the waitress brought out a basket of chips with strange suggestive filigree adornments. I'm not sure what kind of snacks this bar is pushing, I'll let you be the judge of that, but it sure brought a smile to my face. These images also brought on a long discussion of a possible book compilation; photos of porn in unexpected places. Expect to see it in stores by next Christmas.
Strange Happening SATURDAY:
After a long day of car shopping with my parents, a night out was in order. Unfortunately, I had missed the Jackon sister caravan to karaoke, but a friend called me Saturday night and invited me to a beer festival being held at a German club in Pittsburgh. The only information I got was that it was a private German club, but was open to the public tonight and there would be German beer. That's all the information I needed. I was in. When he and I arrived, we were greeted in the parking lot by a young man on a cellphone in full Leiderhosen regalia. I knew this would be a good night. Perhaps the strangest and most awkward portion of the evening was when a traditional mens dancing troupe of about 12 took the floor to perform a dance that can only be described as standing 69-position ass slapping in synchronization. Whatever you're picturing is pretty accurate. (Unfortunately I didn't think to take a picture for the new photo book to be published). About 3 pitchers of lager and several German toasts later, I found myself in the after hours Rathskeller drinking with the locals (after we got kicked out once for not being members).Strange Happening SUNDAY:
As I was flipping through the channels yesterday, a caption under John McCain caught my eye on CNN. I certainly think this a valid and winning promise for the next president.

Also, saw this bumper sticker in the grocery store parking lot. I'll let this one speak for itself.