Exotic LA Eats (Part 2)

As promised, the second installment of exotic eats in LA. This list are OK tasting things, but I wouldn't go out of my way to eat it. (Part one, Part Three)

Drunken shrimp - Live shrimp are doused in rice wine (presumably ShaoXing) and served alive. Shrimp ‘swim’ in the alcohol which act as sanitizer, marinade and a lethal sedative for the happy shrimp. They stop moving after a about minute which is then ready to eat. While live shrimp itself is generally pretty tasty, the rice wine is often harsh and overpowering. I've had this dish on different occasions and the wildcard is usually the wine. I often wonder if swapping a higher quality sake would elevate the tasty categorization, but this isn't exactly a dish you can try at home.

Seafood Village, 1463 S Nogales St Ste A, Rowland Heights, CA, 91748

Sannakji - A couple of variations of live octopus in Korea exists, the smaller octopi which comes whole or the larger ones which tend to be cut up. Whichever version you get, take care chewing since the moving tentacles can stick to your throat.  The restaurant was serving cut live octopus served with a salt sesame sauce. I’m not sure whether eating octopus live adds to the flavour, but it sure does add a memorable experience. For that reason alone, I would recommend trying once.

Chung Hae Jin, 3470 W 6th St Ste 8A, Los Angeles, CA 90020

Pigs head - Top chef winner Ilan Hall opened up his restaurant in the historic core in downtown Los Angeles. All his offerings are fairly unique, but perhaps the most memorable was the half roasted pig head served with tortillas. The best parts are the cheek and neck with the remaining mostly fat. I would highly recommend doing an entire pig, but just the head is somewhat lacking.

The Gorbals, 501 S Spring St, Los Angeles, CA, 90013

Crawfish - These freshwater crustaceans resembling little lobsters are naturally found in streams and rivers. The fairly tasty little creatures contain little meat found mostly in the tail and claws. These are typically steamed or boiled with seasoning and served with butter. I noticed crawfish I had at Long Beach Crawfish festival contained more grime in its intestines. Apparently crawfish should be purged for 24hours in an aerated water bath. Skipping this step definitely diminishes the experience. It could be fun getting a huge bag of crawfish poured onto your table with your buddies and beer. Personally however, I would prefer something with a lower effort/meat ratio.

Boiling Crab, 3377 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, 90017

Squid ink pasta -  Ink is extracted from ink sacs of dead squid and is a black colour. To be honest, I don’t really know what squid ink is supposed to taste like. The squid itself overpowers the ink flavour and I have never just eaten the ink by itself. This ingredient isn't very common but I feel it doesn't contribute much in terms of flavour once cooked in pasta. For those reasons, its hard to be excited about squid ink anything.

Ración, 119 W Green St, Pasadena, CA, 91105

Boudin Noir - These are french versions of blood sausages made blood or dried blood along with some filler. They are black in appearance and look like a normal sausage. The taste is earthy, dense and uninspired. It’s always difficult for me to get excited about blood sausages for some reason - especially when compared to rib eye, liver or just about anything on the menu.

AOC, 8700 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90048