Reactions to poor people's grains--those grown under adverse climatic conditions:
Only 3 out of 40 students liked injera. Two were
fans of sourdough bread, one even describing it as sourdough bread without the
crust.
Dislike of the injera bread stemmed from both taste
and texture. The texture was likened to both carpet padding, sponges, the soles
of running shoes, and the interior of a cow stomach (pancita). Several people
found the high moisture content objectionable. As for the taste, the most vivid
description was of tofu gone bad. A number were put off by the sour smell, one
by the acrid aftertaste, and another by the smell only when it arrived in the
back of his throat.
BUCKWHEAT noodles and pancakes. Most everyone liked the sweet (honey and milk) buckwheat pancakes, although two students detected a slight nutmeg-type flavor from the grain. One student who did not like the buckwheat at all described herself as a "meat and potatoes" person, another said she only liked very spicy food.
Buckwheat (soba) noodles. One student had eaten it in Taiwan in a soup and hadn't cared for it. Several students had eaten soba previously. Among those who disliked soba, one was put off by the color (light grey-brown), another did not like cold noodles. Several students found it too bland, while others liked the way the noodles absorbed the seaweed and sauce flavors.
Only wheat based blinis are available ready-made in Houston, not the buckwheat kind. Those who disliked the wheat blinis found them too bland, with two students independently describing them as tasting like communion wafers. Fans of bland food, however, liked the blinis most of all the foods tried this evening.
10 P.M. Wednesday October 1, 2003