Balut Rules; or, We're Number 1! We're Number 1!

Read: The 6 Most Terrifying Foods in the World. I'm going to spoil the suspense for you right now: in a list that includes maggot-infested cheese ("This cheese is a delicacy in Sardinia, where it is illegal. That's right. It is illegal in the only place where people actually want to eat it,") and wine with dead baby mice in it ("Do you wince at the thought of swallowing a tequila worm? Imagine how you'd feel during a session on this bastard,") the NUMBER ONE MOST TERRIFYING FOOD IN THE WORLD is none other than balut.

I'm actually really happy that we ranked number one, if only because it makes us look like culinary badasses. ("[Balut is] enjoyed in Cambodia, Philippines and the fifth and seventh levels of hell. They are typically sold by street vendors at night, out of buckets of warm sand. You can spot the vendors because of their glowing red eyes, and the faint, otherworldly sound of children screaming.") And what's great is that even though this article is on a humor site that should ostensibly have little concern for being P.C., the writing is funny about the food described without actually implying that the people who enjoy it are idiots. Cracked.com is without a doubt one of my favorite humor sites right now.

Also, I find it interesting that we're so used to the idea of balut that I find every single other item on the list more terrifying. (Except for the "buttery and slightly nutty" escamoles, which I would totally try.)

"Live without fear. After all, you've already eaten a goddamned duck fetus."