Isn’t it just like me to start an ambitious project and then either fail to follow through on it, or to follow through really slowly?
I haven’t given up on Omnivory Month – if you go here, you can see my tally. But wow, was it time-consuming looking up all those species names! Truth be told, participating in Omnivory Month is much more fun than documenting it.
For those of you who don’t want to wade through the whole list, here are some highlights.
Total points earned, as of March 15. 78.
Weirdest plant consumed. Cardoons. I’d heard of them, but when I saw them in the store I figured, Hey, it’s Omnivory Month. They look like spiny celery and taste a bit like artichokes (to which they are related, though not in the same species). Mostly they are a vehicle for anchovy butter.
Weirdest animal product consumed. Chicken livers. They are among the easiest organ meats to get your hands on, but I’d been fearing them because as a child I. Did. Not. Like. Liver. Well, now I love them, but man, are they rich! And you must understand that I adore rich foods. I can sip heavy cream, straight. I have been known to cut a little slice off a stick of butter and pop it straight into my mouth. But chicken livers, oh, my! I couldn’t handle more than two at a time. (Fortunately, the kitty cats adore them, too.)
The weird animal product thing brings up an interesting point. At the moment, we have a duck, some ostrich, some bison, and something that claims to be a wild boar tenderloin in the freezer, but I haven’t cooked them. My husband has been working crazy hours and eating dinner at work, and I just don’t think it’s as much fun to eat something our families would never have dreamed of eating if he’s not here to join me. Hopefully, we’ll get to these soon. He informs me that the ostrich will be tomorrow’s dinner.
Domestication. We humans really have managed to domesticate way more species of plant than of animal. Maybe it’s because animals have behaviors while plants have habits? That is to say, no human is going to put up with a species whose behaviors make it obnoxious to be around, which is probably one reason why we haven’t domesticated too many carnivores. On the other hand, I think I could easily double the number of animal species consumed just by trolling the fish counter – there sure are a lot of different kinds of fish.
Variety. Very few of the items on my list were new to me – cardoons and chicken livers were the only things I’d never eaten before, and frankly, I’d probably had chicken livers hidden in some gravy or dirty rice somewhere in my carb-eating past. So in a way it seems like I already get a lot of variety in my diet. But a closer look reveals that very, very many of the distinct species are herbs, spices, and flavorings, nothing that I consume in quantity. I’ll work harder on this in the second half of the month.
Weirdest thing I learned. Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, collards, kohlrabi, and Brussels sprouts all belong to the same species!
Greatest victory. I did have a bite of bread and some potatoes, and even some soy, but note that corn has not passed my lips!
How about you? Tried any new foods this month?
Migraine aura picture from 
