Gourmet Anchovies
If something contains the adjective gourmet in its name, does that automatically make it more appealing? Something to ponder.
Along with this expiry date.
Word association and a mysterious date aside, this is what you see when you open a jar of these Taiwanese Gourmet Anchovies.
They’re just black beans and anchovies, people.
Black beans and anchovies…deep breath…in…and…out.
Extremely salty and musty black beans that have absorbed the flavor of the crispy anchovies, making them fishy-tasting as well.
I would suggest that these black beans and anchovies be eaten as an appetizer or side dish, paired with something bland like white rice because of the beans’ intense saltiness.
As I was sorting this item’s photos and continuously asking myself whether it looked gross, I realized that the third and fourth photos gave the impression that the jar contained few anchovies. I can be an oblivious photographer and because this wasn’t the truth, I took the above photo. The jar had been sitting in my refrigerator for a week, and its contents—with plenty of anchovies lining the jar’s perimeter (something else to ponder)—had congealed slightly.
So no, adding gourmet to a food’s name does not make it more appealing.
Look at those little things!
They look hella savory and salty. Makes me think of how my mom would make bitter melon with anchovies and black bean chili sauce. (Boiling the sliced bitter melon first and then getting rid of the bitter water.) I preferred picking the anchovies over the biter melon. I also don’t know if I told you this, but anchovies (with black bean chili sauce) and oatmeal Work! (It’s just another grain.)
Becky: One-inch bits of sorta scariness!
Lian: Just one black bean alone is so salty. These black beans are the (fermented) ones in the black bean chili sauce you mention. And huh, the oatmeal—how you have to mix it with hot water—sounds like congee, which these Gourmet Anchovies could also be eaten with.
Loooooove fermented black beans, has anyone else besides me eaten those canned fried…fish (lack of specific name)
http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:n5OFHRWBJ94p0M:http://www.tastyisland.net/images/fried_dace_eng_front.jpg&t=1
dace, fried dace. It’s delicious with rice. the fish is really greasy and maybe it’s an acquired sentimental taste, but absolute love.
Grace: I’ve asked an employee, the one who does the ordering at one of my local Asian markets, about the dace with fermented black beans item (which I used to eat all the time, too), about why it hasn’t been in in months. She said it’s unavailable for ordering…maybe because it’s from China.