When I filled out my top three Munchmobile choices, I picked Chinese food because my children don't eat it therefore, I rarely get to taste it. I set off on my Munchmobile experience expecting to sample egg rolls, fired rice as well as my favorite, chicken and broccoli.
What I quickly learned was the Chinese I was looking forward to was Westernized and I would have my first exposure to authentic Asian dishes. According to our host, the mark of truly delicious Chinese restaurant is when the majority of the diners are not Western. Who knew?
Now, I will leave the who, what and where to our Munchmobile master, reporter and author, Peter Genovese. Genovese has been behind the wheel of the Munchmobile for The Star Ledger for 15 of its 16 years. He is also the author of 10 food bibles including his newest, Pizza City: The Ultimate Guide to New York's Favorite Food. So, he will be detailing our excursion in the August 3 installment of this summer's Munchmobile adventures.
After meeting the our driver and author as well as the other munchers, we were off, traveling in the signature van with an eight-foot hot dog strapped to the top. This year, the van was sporting a pink wrap complete with a tiara thanks to the Sweet 16 theme.
One of the rules of the Munchmobile is that the participants do not know the where until they arrive at their destination though one of our riders was able to pinpoint the last stop of the day since three of the restaurants we visited were in her neck of the Garden State.
Another interesting element was the fact that the establishments also did not know of our arrival, making for a purely objective dining experience on all parts.
At our first stop, I realized there wasn't going to be any chicken and broccoli for me. Each muncher needed to pick an entree and then all of us would sample the cuisine, taking notes for a review we would submit to our Munch captain later this week. The general idea was to choose a wide sampling of the menu in order to get an accurate opinion of the restaurant.
However, what Genovese was interested in was 'real' Chinese food not Westernized dishes. I thought I was daring at the first restaurant by choosing sesame chicken which for me was a stretch. I was also introduced to the concept of off the menu items which are traditional dishes meant for the more seasoned diner.
Our meal choices would soon involve ears, tongues, tails and of some animals I would never have imagined tasting. For the first time I actually ate lamb, duck and ox tongue. I could not hop my mind around trying the frog dish at stop number two mostly because I kept thinking about pieces of Kermit in a bowl though as a fellow muncher pointed out there was also some sections of Miss Piggy and Lamb Chop on the table too.
Yes, I did try the pig ears, but never will again. They were a little too slimey for me. My first sampling of duck was a little gross too. Not wanting to be remembered as the muncher who vomited at the table, I discreetly spit it into my napkin without swallowing. The taste was a little too fowl for me not to mention boney!
I have never spent an entire day eating, but as our munch captain pointed out, "pacing was the key" and after doing this for 15 years, he certainly knows what he is talking about!
Interesting food aside, the experience was a wonderful one and one which I will always remember. Meeting my fellow munchers as well as a reporter and author I admire and enjoy reading was amazing. I am definitely looking forward to reading about our excursion in The Star Ledger.
The next time I venture out with kids in tow or not, I will keep a little spirit of the Munchmobile in my heart and try something different. It probably will not involve pig's ears or any animal's tail or tongue, but I will try and be a little more adventurous with my meal choices.
My kids enjoyed their fortune cookies with my middle one opening his just to read the fortunes! The hubby wants a chance for a seat on one of next summer's adventures. He is the real foodie in the family and I know he would have eaten the frog, but he will have to write his own application!
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Thank you to fellow muncher Susan for the great photos!
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