It Really Did Taste Like Chicken

(#13) Taste 25 Foods I've Never Tasted Before

1. Pattypan Squash
2. Beets
3. Eel
4.Wahoo
5.Lychee
6.Quinoa
7. Raw Oyster
8. Octopus

9. Duck

This was a big weekend of firsts for me. Obviously, it was the first time I tried duck, which I'll address in a moment. It was also the first time I visited Charlottesville (where the University of Virginia is located for you out-of-staters). We went for the UVA/Penn State game which predictably was a lot of fun. It was not my first Penn State game, but it did further solidify my opinion that Penn State and their fans are incredibly awesome.

And it was the first time I stayed in a hostel (which I briefly considered counting as list item #18- take a risk I never thought I'd take. But it turned out to be not nearly as bad as I expected). 

And since they were nice and gave us free bananas, here's a link to their website in case you're ever in town on an extremely modest budget:  www.alexanderhouse.us

Most people were more surprised that hostels actually exist in America than skeptical of staying at them. Well apparently they do exist. And apparently their clientele consists of mainly touring cyclists, Appalachian Trail hikers, and random twenty-somethings attending football games. 

Here's a fact that I have absolutely no idea whether or not it is true but that Chris tells to everyone he knows: Charlottesville has more restaurants per capita than any other city in the U.S. In about 24 hours we patronized four of them, which seems to support his claim pretty well. And at one of them I tried my new food.  

Duck, with some kind of cranberry-type sauce. Also a savory bread pudding with caramelized onions  that pretty much upstaged everything else on the plate.

Once again I was eating food off of Ronnie's plate because I love eating too much to commit to an entire plate of something I'm not sure I'm going to like. But I think we were both happy with that choice- especially after I let him try my delicious salmon with goat cheese couscous.

I guess I was expecting something a little more distinct. The duck tasted like somewhere between chicken and beef. I tried several bites trying to get more of a sense of the flavor (which I guess means I didn't hate it) but I came to that same conclusion. 

I could see where people would prefer it over chicken. It was slightly more flavorful and the texture was a little more...supple? But considering the cost-benefit of duck over chicken I don't imagine I'll be ordering it all the time. Maybe I'll order my own next time just to see.

Anyway, it was a great trip full of excitement and adventure. Charlottesville wasn't what I expected (though what ever is really? I'm sensing a theme to this blog...) but in a good way. I hope I get a chance to go back and visit the wineries that I was too hungov... I mean too tired to visit this time.