You’re Eating What?!

Weird Food Concoctions. We all do them. Maybe we might not admit to it, or realize we are, but we do — and I don’t mean only if you’re pregnant. Ever had someone look at you and go, “You’re eating that?!” Combining foods together that might seem “strange” is actually very common, even though they might seem a little off at first. How else would we get new food products, menu items and the infamous bacon sundae?

As an avid semi-professional weird food connoisseur and creator, I have had my fair share of “What?!” or “Gross Annica” thrown at me when eating. Sure, it might seem odd to make a peanut butter, hummus, tomato and tabasco sandwich, or eat an egg white omelet with almonds, carrots, and ketchup — But! I stick to what I know.. and what I know is that pushing the boundaries of foods is fun, and if I might add — quite delicious.

Chances are the food combinations we come up with in the comfort of our own home might actually be tasty to more than just our own taste-buds. They just haven’t had the chance to be featured on a restaurant menu, or jazzed up with fancy marketing slogans… and therefore get the “odd” label from those unwilling to sample our amazing concoctions. 

Case in point, my tendency to use oatmeal as a base for any and everything.

Oatmeal with salsa and mixed vegetables? Check. Oatmeal with tofu and mustard? Yep. Oatmeal with spinach and maple syrup? Yeah, I went there. All accompanied with a side of aforementioned reactions from those who happened to be around. Or in my case, mostly my old roommate, Bridget. That is until she stumbled upon an article on Shape.com featuring what other than…Savory Oatmeal Recipes (!) thereby making my seemingly “strange” concoctions, actually quite normal. Whew. (That’s right. Other people eat tofu in their oatmeal and mix in spinach.)

Food fads come and go, new recipes come and go, our tastes change, but one thing that will remain… is creativity in the kitchen.

Sure, not everything will catch on, but chances are at least someone would appreciate your yummy dish if they just gave it a shot. Take for example the creators of The Mother-in-Law, Elvis’s famous peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwich, hawaiian pizza, french-fries + ice cream combo, or chicken and waffles. If they didn’t convince another person there dish was legitimately tasty, then we’d all be missing out.

If you’d like to learn more about why we have cravings and enjoy certain things together, check out ‘The Science Behind Weird Food Combinations’

And if you’re hankering for some weird food inspiration for your own, check out this list compiled by Reader’s Digest.

What weird food combinations do you like? Don’t be scared to share… I’m nothing but supportive of your awesome adventures in the kitchen! (And I would love some new ideas!)