Category Archives: Odd

The 6 Oddest Foods That I’ve Ever Tried

Food, Odd
a plate of food on a table
Cuy (Guinea Pig)

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been catching up on watching my recordings of the Travel Channel show Bizarre Foods America. In the show Andrew Zimmern travels around the U.S. seeking out “weird and wonderful” foods. When Andrew first came onto Travel Channel with his show Bizarre Foods, he traveled all over the world looking to see what the locals eat, learning a lot about the people and their customs.

While watching the show, it got me thinking. I decided to put together a top 6 list of odd foods that I’ve tried during my travels.

Here is my list (in no particular order):

1- Cuy- Guinea Pig: Peru

I had to try cuy on my visit to Peru. I decided to give it a try while spending a few days in Cusco. Getting over looking at the guinea pig was the first challenge. Trying to eat around all of the tiny bones was the next issue. Difficulties aside, I found the meat to be a bit greasy and gamey. There also wasn’t a whole lot to eat from the animal. Regardless of this, I think guinea pig is a must try if you visit Peru.

A Meter You Won’t Mind Feeding- Nashville, TN

Nashville, Odd, Parking Meter, Weird
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While walking around Nashville, Kim and I noticed something that seemed a bit odd.

There were parking meters randomly placed on sidewalks around the downtown area. We know that parking meters are usually placed on sidewalks, however these meters were very far from the curb. They definitely weren’t placed on the sidewalks for people to park and pay at.

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After seeing these meters a bunch of times, we wondered why they were there. 

Kim and I decided to take a closer look at one of them.
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Once we stopped to take a look at one of these blue meters, we were impressed by their purpose.

There was a good amount of information on the meter. The first thing we read  was on the upper, semi-circular area. It said “Help Us End Homelessness”.

It seems like the city of Nashville really did a great job and were extremely creative with the re-purposing of these meters.

There were also a couple of stickers with a graphic/ logo of a fist holding a key with the words The Key Alliance. We weren’t sure what The Key Alliance was but luckily there was more information to read so we could find out.

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Inside the meter I learned that:

Donations benefit the outreach program of The Key Alliance. This program links homeless individuals to Housing First, which provides permanent housing and case management to the most vulnerable members of our community.

Although the meters seemed to be out of place when we first spotted them, they totally made sense now. We loved the idea of using these meters for good and to help others. 

Good job Nashville for finding a creative way to raise money for people in need!

Obscura Day- April 28, 2012

Atlas Obscura, Museum, Obscura Day, Odd, Offbeat
a round white and blue logo with mountains and text
I’m a big fan of odd and unusual sites and museums. When I think of something along those lines, my visit to the Mutter Museum and Paper House comes to mind.

Atlas Obscura is a great site to check out if you are looking for odd, offbeat and fun sites that you won’t typically see in a guide book. “User-generated and editor curated, the Atlas is a collaborative compendium of amazing places that aren’t found in your average guidebook”

I’ve searched and used Atlas Obscura many times and have found some great sites to visit thanks to it!
a logo with text on it
Obscura Day takes place on April 28, 2012.

This is a day to get special access and tours to some of the odd sites featured on Atlas Obscura (The event is also organized by them). Events take place in cities and towns all over the world. If there isn’t an event happening near you, Atlas Obscuras suggests that you organize something.


Find out more about Obscura Day and search for events here