Food for thought

I know this probably looks gross to many other people out there, and not the least bit appetizing. But I could actually feel my salivary glands going into overdrive when I was doing this early yesterday: stuffing several large-ish squid with diced onions and tomatoes.

The next step thing to do was to get a good, hot charcoal/coconut husk fire going. Once the coals were glowing brightly red-orange underneath a layer of thin ash, it was time to put the squid on the grill.




The aroma of squid being cooked on a barbecue grill is really something else. To me, it's reminiscent of summer... of trips to the beaches, pools, and other places -- where it seems as if every family and their neighbor and their neighbor's dog is grilling something: squid, pork, beef, chicken, fish, eggplant, among others. And what's great is that these barbecued dishes are shared among everyone; each person gets a bit of this and a slice of that and a slab of this, until everyone is as full to bursting as the one next to him or her. What fun memories some aromas can evoke!

To someone who is not accustomed to eating Filipino or other Asian cuisine, the idea of grilled squid might seem repugnant (it kind of looks like a giant insect being cooked, somebody said a long time ago; and it's true from her perspective, I suppose). But then again, I think every nation has unique dishes that people from other countries will find repulsive. I myself do not find some of my own country's specialties to my liking at all, like dinuguan (pork blood stew) and balut (boiled duckling egg...eeww, eeww, eewww), both of which are consumed in mass quantities here in the Philippines. It's a matter of personal taste, I guess. These two dishes just push my squeamishness button big time.

Some people might find that haggis in Scotland, roasted guinea pig in Peru, frogs' legs in France, and raw fish in Japan -- and countless others all over the world -- are just a tad too exotic for their taste (I, however, love sushi) and have a limit when it comes to pushing the culinary adventure envelope. That's fine; like I said earlier, it's a matter of personal preference. Nobody should have to eat anything he or she doesn't want to. If odd food like goat stew, fried bugs, or pickled herring causes you to experience the gastronomic equivalent of an orgasm, it's nobody else's business but your own. :-)

I can still taste my grilled squid, though.