Daniel Lee's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Pocari Sweat
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Drinks

Pocari Sweat

A pharmaceutical company developed this beverage as drinkable IV solution.
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Taro Stems
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Fruits & Vegetables

Taro Stems

These absorbent stalks make perfect flavor sponges in Vietnamese cuisine.
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Pee-Pee Boy
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Pee-Pee Boy

China's favorite urinating “tea pet” is actually a thermometer.
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Jjajang Myeon
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Prepared Foods

Jjajang Myeon

On April 14, lonely South Korean singles are encouraged to drown their sorrows in black noodles.
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Licorice Root
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Fruits & Vegetables

Licorice Root

The washed and dried root of the licorice plant was once a popular natural “candy.”
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Penis Fish
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Meats & Animal Products

Penis Fish

South Korea's anatomically suggestive sea worm is a satisfying blend of salty, sweet, and chewy.
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Black Sesame Sweet Soup
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Sweets

Black Sesame Sweet Soup

This thick, jet-black soup is an amazingly fragrant and nutty Chinese dessert.
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Hongeo
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Meats & Animal Products

Hongeo

Fermented skate smells like it urinates through its skin—which it does.
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Hoshigaki
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Fruits & Vegetables

Hoshigaki

These exquisite dried persimmons are massaged for weeks.
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Canistel
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Fruits & Vegetables

Canistel

The sweet and creamy “eggfruit” makes a great nog.
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Shirako
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Meats & Animal Products

Shirako

Raw, steamed, or fried, these satchels of fish semen are creamy delicacies.
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Gooseneck Barnacles
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Meats & Animal Products

Gooseneck Barnacles

These expensive and dangerous-to-harvest barnacles were once confused for goose eggs.
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Carciofi alla Giudia
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Prepared Foods

Carciofi alla Giudia

Created in Rome's Jewish ghetto, the fried artichokes herald spring.
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Nattō
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Prepared Foods

Nattō

These pungent fermented soybeans are coated in probiotic slime.
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Taiyaki
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Sweets

Taiyaki

This pancake pays tribute to one of Japan's favorite fish.
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Okonomiyaki
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Prepared Foods

Okonomiyaki

A wartime rice scarcity made this versatile pancake a Japanese staple.
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Dakbal
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Prepared Foods

Dakbal

South Korean eateries serve these intensely spicy chicken feet in luscious piles, with plenty of soju.
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Black Garlic
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Ingredients & Condiments

Black Garlic

These inky cloves have aged like a fine wine.
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Omurice
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Prepared Foods

Omurice

Japanese cooks riff on American diner food with this rice-and-ketchup omelet.
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Snakefruit
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Fruits & Vegetables

Snakefruit

Beneath its serpent-like skin lies pineapple-flavored flesh.
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Coffee Milk
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Drinks

Coffee Milk

Would you like some coffee flavor with your milk?
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Sourdough Starter
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Ingredients & Condiments

Sourdough Starter

A century-old organism creates some of the world's best bread.
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Pandan Leaf Extract
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Ingredients & Condiments

Pandan Leaf Extract

This plant adds a hint of vanilla and a wash of brilliant green to any dish.
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Job's Tears Tea
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Drinks

Job's Tears Tea

South Koreans turned this simple grain into a nutty energy drink.
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