What do congealed pig blood, head cheese and sea urchin gonads have in common?

They are all "foods" that I've never eaten before. I just came across this list of 100 foods you should eat before you die... I consider myself a food connoisseur, and thought I'd have a hard time finding 50 new foods to try (goal 13)... but it seems I am not as food adventurous as I thought. I haven't tried 43 out of the 100 foods on this list... Looks like I got some eating to do... (the foods I haven't tried are in red)

100. Venison-I’m pretty sure I’ve had deer jerky before, but I’ll leave it on the “never had” list until I’m sure
99. Nettle tea-I’ve had lots of types of tea, but never Nettle…. It’s supposed to have some sort of medicinal value… I actually think I have some nettle in my medicine cabinet that I used for a hair concoction... I bet it’s nasty, but I’ll give it a try.
98. Huevos rancheros
97. Steak tartare- Raw seasoned beef…. Not sure if I’m going to be able to do this one.. it sounds hella nasty and a little dangerous.
96. Crocodile-”Crocodile meat is said to have a delicate flavor; some describe it as a cross between chicken and crab.” Sounds tasty to me! I wonder where in NYC I can get it?
95. Black pudding-Ok black pudding sounds extra nasty. How do people come up with these things? Pudding made out of congealed pig blood…. Get it together 17th Century British people. I won’t be trying this.
94. Cheese fondue
93. Carp
According to wikipedia “Carp is a common name for various freshwater fish. It is low in fat, firm in texture, and mild--though it can be muddy, especially the farm-raised variety--in flavor.” Muddy fish… that doesn’t sound too appealing, but I would be willing to try this…
92. Borscht
91. Baba ghanoush
90. Calamari
89. Pho
88. PB&J sandwich
87. Aloo gobi
86. Hot dog from a street cart
85. Epoisses- ”Epoisses de Bourgogne is a pungent unpasteurized cows-milk cheese. A washed-rind cheese (washed in marc de Bourgogne, the local pomace brandy), it is circular at around either 10cm or 18cm in diameter, with a distinctive soft red-orange colour.” I love Cheese. I’ll def try this…
84. Black truffle-Oooh truffles… I’ve never had those.. I need a truffle in my life. How can I be a true foodie/epicurious without ever having tried a truffle?
83. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
82. Steamed pork buns
81. Pistachio ice cream-I see this everywhere, but I never really eat ice cream that isn’t chocolate…. Maybe I’ll give it a try?
80. Heirloom tomatoes-Can you believe, as much as I love tomatoes, I’ve never had a Heirloom tomato?!? I will definitely be trying one of these before summer’s end..
79. Fresh wild berries
78. Foie gras
Another one of those things that my palate needs to experience before I can call myself a true foodie…. I don’t quite understand the concept though…. Liver of a force fed duck or goose? Again… who thinks of these things? Wht do you put Foie gras on? Accordint to the description it’s buttery…. Maybe it would be good on a biscuit? Popeyes perhaps?
77. Rice and beans (why is this on the list?)
76. Brawn, or head cheese-This sounds so flucking nasty… “Head cheese or brawn is in fact not a cheese, but rather a terrine of meat from the head of a calf or pig (sometimes a sheep or cow). It may also include meat from the feet and heart. It is usually eaten cold or at room temperature as a luncheon meat. Why would someone ever eat something like this? I’m not sure if I’m brave enough to go here yet….
75. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper-The Scotch Bonnet pepper is one of the hottest peppers in the world…. I’m not sure why anyone would eat one of these raw… it wounds like something an idiot frat boy in Indiana would do… incidentally, I have a really funny (if funny=tramautizing) story that involves a Scotch Bonnet pepper, bare hands and removing contacts…. I don’t think I’ll be trying this one… I’m sure it would be as uncomfortable coming out as it is going in. :-
74. Dulce de leche
73. Oysters-I think I’ve had cooked oysters… and oyster sauce (not sure if that’s made of oyster?) but I’ve never had a raw oyster…. I’ve heard they’re an aphrodisiac though… :-p
72. Baklava
71. Bagna cauda-I’ve never heard of Bagna cauda, but apparently it “is a warm dip made with garlic, anchovies, olive oil, butter, and in some parts of the region cream. The dish is eaten by dipping raw, boiled or roasted vegetables, especially cardoon, celery, cauliflower, artichokes, peppers and onions.” Ok I don’t know about the dippers, but I think it would make a great dipping sauce option for Papa John’s breadsticks.
70. Wasabi peas
69. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
68. Salted lassi-I’ve had mango lassi, but never salted lassi… I can’t imagine I wouldn’t like it though… water, salt, pepper and ice and spices… what’s not to like?
67. Sauerkraut
66. Root beer float
65. Cognac with a fat cigar-I’ve definitely had Cognac, but never with a fat Cigar… maybe something to save for my 30th birthday in a few years?
64. Clotted cream tea- Never had clotted cream tea, but I have had scones and clotted cream at my friend Anabela’s bridal tea. It was EXTRA tasty… I’ve also had tea before… so I think I’ll mark this one off the list.
63. Vodka jelly/Jell-O shot
62. Gumbo
61. Oxtail
60. Curried goat

59. Whole insects-Hmm… I heard they’re pretty good dipped in chocolate and stuck on a stick…..
58. Phaal-I thought I’d tasted, or at least heard of, all Indian dishes, but I’d never heard of Phaal… apparently it’s one of the hottest forms of curry regularly available, even hotter than the Vindaloo…. I’m down to try this one…
57. Goat’s milk
56. Single malt whisky-I’m not sure of this one…. I’ve definitely had whiskey, but I don’t know what the “malt” was…
55. Fugu-Oh lord… the infamous poisoning Japanese puffer fish…. Apparently the pufferfish is lethally poisonous if prepared wrong, and it considered a great delicacy in Japan. I wouldn’t mind trying this…. Maybe they have some at that ½ price sushi place in the east village?
54. Chicken tikka masala
53. Eel
52. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
51. Sea urchin- Hmmm I’m not sure if I’ve had sea urchin… I didn’t really know people ate urchins… unlike most sea creatures, the roe of the sea urchin isn’t what it’s harvested for… apparently people love to eat the golden gonands of the hermaphrodite sea creature. I have always been fascinated by the hermaphrodites…. But this might be too much…. Maybe….
50. Prickly pear-The fruit of prickly pears, commonly called cactus figs, Indian fig or tuna, is edible, although it has to be peeled carefully to remove the small spines on the outer skin before consumption. If the outer layer is not properly removed, glochids can be ingested causing discomfort of the throat, lips, and tongue as the small spines are easily lodged in the skin.
49. Umeboshi
48. Abalone- I don’t think I’ve ever even heard of Abalone… apparently it’s a mollusk that is considered a delicacy in certain parts of Latin America (especially Chile), New Zealand, South East Asia, and East Asia (especially in China, Japan, and Korea).
47. Paneer
46. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
45. Spaetzle-This is a German egg noodle or dumpling. I don’t really see how this one differs from any other noodle (it’s made of eggs, flour and salt…. ) but I’ve never really tried German food (except for the Americanized dishes) so maybe I’ll try it out.
44. Dirty gin martini- I love liquor. Maybe I’ll make one of these next Friday when I’m at home alone. :-p
43. Beer above 8% ABV- Beer is gross… and 8% alcohol still seems really low compared to wine and other spirits… I’m not really sure what the point is of this one, but for those of you who are interested the beers that have the highest ABV are Vetter 33 (10.5% abv), and Swiss beer “Samichlaus” with an abv of 14%
42. Poutine- French fries covered in fresh cheese curd and gravy…. Why haven’t I tried this?!?!
41. Carob chips
40. S’mores
39. Sweetbreads- LOL I really thought they were talking about dessert! Apparently sweetbreads are the thymus glands of lamb, beef, or pork. According to wiki “typically sweetbreads are soaked in salt water, then poached in milk after which an outer membrane is removed. Once dry and chilled, they're often breaded and fried until crisp.” I wonder if we’re going to start seeing these at the Indiana state fair… I think everything fried is fair game.
38. Kaolin- According to wiki, this isn’t a food, but a clay product that’s used in some cosmetics and stuff… I eat a lot of my cosmetics, so I’ll just assume I’ve ingested Kaolin at some point or another.
37. Currywurst-Wow the Germans have a curry dish? I’m starting to think curry should be the national dish of the world! (yeah I know that didn’t make sense…) Do any cultures NOT use curry? But then again I guess “curry” is just a word for a mixture of spices….anywaym surrywurst is a German dish consisting of hot pork sausage cut into slices and seasoned with curry sauce (ketchup or tomato paste blended with curry)
36. Durian- Never heard of this fruit, but according to wiki “the durian, widely known and revered in Southeast Asia as the "King of Fruits", is distinctive for its large size, unique odour, and formidable thorn-covered husk. Regarded by some as fragrant, others as overpowering and offensive, the smell evokes reactions from deep appreciation to intense disgust.” Hmmm… maybe this is the source of the strange smells in Chinatown? I will have to investigate?
35. Frogs’ legs
34. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
33. Haggis- Yuck yuck yuckity yuck…. BLEH… sheep heart, liver and lungs minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, and boiled in an animal's stomach for approximately three hours.
32. Fried plantain
31. Chitterlings, or andouillette-Never had chitterlings…. Never even smelled them being cooked… but I think I’ll pass.
30. Gazpacho
29. Caviar and blini
28. Louche absinthe-I think absinthe was just re-legalized in the U.S. I don’t have any idea what absinthe tastes like, but the preparation of the drink sounds interesting. “Traditionally, absinthe is poured into a glass over which a specially designed slotted spoon is placed. A sugar cube is then deposited in the bowl of the spoon. Ice-cold water is poured or dripped over the sugar until the drink is diluted to a ratio between 3:1 and 5:1. During this process, the components that are not soluble in water, mainly those from anise, fennel, and star anise, come out of solution and cloud the drink. The resulting milky opalescence is called the louche. The addition of water is important, causing the herbs to "blossom" and bringing out many of the flavors originally overpowered by the anise.”
27. Gjetost, or brunost- ”Brunost is a brown Norwegian whey cheese, also popular in Sweden, where it is called mesost.” Whey cheese? I really didn’t think they used whey for anything other than muscle milk…
26. Roadkill- Really…. No… really? That’s just nasty…
25. Baijiu- Another liquor to add to the list “Baijiu is a Chinese liquor that is 80 to 120 proof, or 40-60% alcohol by volume.
24. Hostess Fruit Pie
23. Snail
22. Lapsang souchong- Another tea I haven’t tried…. I swear you can get half this list in Chinatown….
21. Bellini
20. Tom yum
19. Eggs Benedict
18. Pocky
17. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant- Aw sounds like a great date activity…
16. Kobe beef-I’m not sure if I’ve ever had Kobe beef… I need to rectify that…
15. Hare
14. Goulash
13. Flowers
12. Horse- Hmmm… does gelatin count? Isn’t that made from ground horse bones? Apparently horsemeat is still exported by the United States? I hope we don’t export it to China… you know it’s going to show up in a baby toy somewhere…
11. Criollo- Peru's coast and capital city of Lima are the heart of Criollo dishes, which are a combination of African, Spanish, Andean, Asian and Pre-Colombian influences.
10. Spam
9. Soft shell crab
8. Rose harissa
7. Catfish
6. Mole poblano
5. Bagel and lox-Hmm.. I’m not sure if I’ve had lox… I’ve had a bagel and smoked salmon, but maybe not lox. Looks like a trip to the upper Westside is in order…
4. Lobster Thermidor-Sounds tasty, but never had this either…
3. Polenta
2. Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee
1. Snake