DAILY DIRT: Yo, can you pass the huhu grubs and one of those mealworm tacos?

Daily Dirt for Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024

And don’t even think of venturing to Peru for THAT festival … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,080 of The Daily Dirt

1. One of life’s true pleasures is some sort of food festival, be it an Oktoberfest celebration along the downtown streets of Quincy or the largest barbecue competition in the world each fall in Kansas City.

But there are other culinary celebrations that mostly get overshadowed. Some might be considered odd, while some may simply be overlooked due to where and when they are held. Here at The Daily Dirt we are always trying to help, and today is no different. The following festivals are a big deal in their own corners of the world:

Hokitika Wildfoods Festival: Held in New Zealand each March, such offerings as bull testicles, venison tongue and huhu grubs are hot commodities. The festival “is all about pushing the limits of what you’re willing to eat”. I’m not necessarily one who would push too far.

Bugfest: North Carolina is the September home to this event, where insects are the star attractions — and menu items. One of the most popular purchases are mealworm tacos. Roasted crickets are also boffo box office. I see where it is suggested to have “a courageous heart and strong stomach” to take part. I would have to take a pass on this one. A very, very hard pass.

Cat-Eating Festival: A longstanding tradition in La Quebrada, Peru, this festival honors the saint of Efigenia each September. It’s meant to be all about remembering what it was like for the first settlers who came to the land and were forced to eat cats to survive. Intent on keeping this creepy cat tradition alive, felines are specifically bred for the annual event and then served up in loads of different ways, like in spicy cat stews and grilled cat dishes. And, yep, another hard pass.

Ugly Food Festival: This is a January tradition in Iceland, where there are no illusions or hidden meanings behind this event. The Ugly Food Festival is literally about eating all the ugly food Iceland has to offer, and apparently that’s a lot: pickled ram’s testicles, liver pudding, boiled sheep’s head, blood pudding and rotten shark. And that’s just for starters. I’m pretty sure this isn’t a big tourist attraction. I don’t have to worry about a hard pass because there is no way I’m ever going to Iceland. Satellite TV is not available in Iceland. I checked.

World Testicle Cooking Championship: This bold, Serbian festival each August celebrates the culinary tradition of animal testicles, attracting chefs and adventurous eaters to showcase their skills in cooking with this unusual ingredient. Count me out of this one, too. Satellite TV in Serbia is sketchy, at best.

2. Did you know (Part 145)

That the states with the best pizza, according to foodandwine.com, are: 1. New Jersey, 2. Connecticut, 3. New York, 4. ILLINOIS, Michigan, 6. California, 7. Pennsylvania, 8. Massachusetts, 9. Ohio, 10. MISSOURI.

That Canada consumes more macaroni and cheese than any other nation in the world. (Remember this information when you reach thought No. 3.)

That if all Oreo cookies ever made were lined up, that line would stretch to the moon and back — five times.

That no Kansas City Chiefs player is allowed to wear black cleats. Only white.

That a Big Mac in 1980 cost $1.29 at McDonald’s, while a hamburger was 50 cents and a cheeseburger was 58 cents.

3. Here’s some more from our never-ending fast-food research:

• Supposed to debut today at Wendy’s are the Spongebob Krabby Patty Kollab and Pineapple Under the Sea Frosty, both for a limited time. The Krabby Patty is basically a Wendy’s single that includes a special sauce.
• Pringles Mingles are beginning to hit the stores this week. They are “puffed snacks” with flavors such as Sharp White Cheddar/Ranch, Dill Pickle/Ranch, Cheddar/Sour Cream and Barbecue/Pizza.
• Sun Chips has brought back its Peppercorn Ranch flavor.
• Club Crackers has two new flavors scheduled to arrive soon: Cinnamon Sugar and Sweet Hawaiian.
• Krispy Kreme doughnuts are now offering a Dr. Pepper-flavored icing.
• KFC is now selling Kraft mac-and-cheese chicken sandwiches in Canada. They’ll probably be beaded to the states in the not-too-distant future.

Steve Thought O’ The Day — Bob Costas, one of the announcers handling Monday night’s Royals-Yankees MLB playoff game on TBS, made a comment that caused me to stop, think, shake my head and say, “Wow! I never thought of it that way.”

Costas was talking about Fenway Park and Wrigley Field being the only remaining MLB parks that you could say, “At one point, there were people in those (existing) seats who actually sat and watched players like Babe Ruth, Ernie Banks (and others) play.” Fenway opened in 1912, Wrigley in 1914. The third-oldest park in now Dodger Stadium, which opened in 1962.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. He was not born when Fenway or Wrigley were built.