“DA Voices” is a recurring feature used to spotlight De Anza College’s diverse community voices. We ask the same question to different people and arrange their quotes so that readers can see varying points of view. This week, our reporters Kunishka Mundada and Diem Tran asked, “What’s your take on a controversial food?”
Jianne Chaikeenee, 18, a psychology major, said that she feels uneasy about consuming dishes with blood as an ingredient.
“I feel uncomfortable eating blood if I know it’s an ingredient,” Chaikeenee said. “But if it tastes good and I know it contains blood, I wouldn’t mind trying it.”
For example, Chaikeenee said that while she has tried dinuguan, a Filipino dish made with pig blood, she has not revisited it because of her discomfort with knowing its composition.
Alex Baybayan, 21, business major, said he particularly likes balut — a popular Filipino dish made from a duck egg embryo — despite the dish’s reputation for being difficult to eat, due to its unique texture and appearance.
“People think it’s disgusting, but I like it,” Baybayan said.
Tiffany Long, 19, nursing major, said she believes that pineapple doesn’t go well with pizza.
“Pizza is salty, but the pineapple makes it sweet,” Long said. “I just don’t think those flavors mesh well.”
Communications professor Patrick McDonnell said his controversial take is that he likes all foods, even if he didn’t enjoy them initially, considering that how a dish is prepared impacts people’s perception of that dish as a whole.
“My takeaway is that if you think you don’t like a food, try it in a different way, at a different time, or prepared differently,” McDonnell said. “You might end up liking it. It’s all about keeping an open mind and giving foods a second chance.”
Sunny Das, 23, psychology major, said he enjoys escargot, despite how it repels most people as it is made from snails.
“While it (escargot) is pretty controversial, it wasn’t bad,” Das said. “It just tasted like clams.”
Brian Nguyen, 18, whose major is undecided, said he likes spicy Buldak noodles.
“A lot of people think they’re too spicy, but that’s exactly what I like about them,” Nguyen said.
