As I posted a while back, Las Vegas buffets give you a wonderful opportunity to try new food.
When last I tested this theory, that adventure was lychee fruit. The thing about new stuff, is that once you've tried something you previously were blithely unaware of, you begin to see it everywhere.
A couple nights ago when I was partaking in my free Rampart Casino buffet, I ran across a big bowl of lychees, sitting right next to a big bowl of Gefilte Fish. It was oddly unnerving, as they both look somewhat similiar -- beige-ish lumps of unidentified stuff wading in mystery liquid.
I took the fact that they were right there rubbing elbows (okay, they don't have any sharp edges, bad metaphor) as a sign from God, that tonight was my night to go kosher, and try the Jewish delicacy.
I'll just say it, Gefilte Fish is one of the most unappetizing looking dishes I've ever encountered, so I fished out the smallest lump I could possibly find and placed it on the corner of my plate.
I rounded out my selections with bits of Chinese food, Kung Pao chicken, Potstickers, Crab Rangoon, Rice . . . I've always heard Jews are fond of Chinese Food . . . and headed back to my table.
Unfortunately, I soon found that Gefilte Fish tastes as bad as it looks. If I wasn't in a crowd of people, I would have spit it out immediately. Instead, I swallowed as quickly as possible, chased it with beer and a bit of everything else on my plate, and tried hard to wipe the unpleasant memory from my brain.
Not that Gefilte Fish tries to be anything it isn't -- it certainly is fishy. The fish taste is overpowering. As a gentile, and specifically raised Catholic, the fish I was forced to eat on Friday has forever ruined the taste for nearly all swimmers for me.
A quick search online revealed homemade recipes for Gefilte fish that didn't sound so bad, but the jarred variety (which I'm guessing the buffet version was) seemed to be packed straight in fish broth.
From now on, my forays into Kosher cuisine probably won't stray far from the Bagel Dogs in my grocer's freezer.
No comments:
Post a Comment