On Jan. 31 Sara Vaughn and I travelled around Texarkana on a quest to find the most bizarre foods available in our corner of Texas and Arkansas. Weird foods included eel, alligator and pig neck. While some foods were misses in a big way, other foods were absolutely amazing.

Scottie’s – 8400 W 7th St

• Swamp Chicken: This was chicken fried frog legs served with potato slice fries and dipping sauce.
  • Crenshaw: This was like chicken wings but smoother. They were actually slimey but not-in-a-bad-way. Weird fact though, the fat that on chicken is white was clear in frog.
  • Vaughn: These were very crispy and very salty, but also kind of chewy. They tasted very much like fried chicken wings.

• Alligator Bites:These were fried chunks of alligator meat served with spicy ranch sauce.
  • Crenshaw: These were smaller than expected and tasted surprisingly like Sonic’s popcorn chicken bites. They were a little rubbery. All in all, tasted like chicken but felt different.
  • Vaughn: It tasted like really chewy chicken nuggets, especially like the ones from Sonic.
• Both salty, both delicious.

Pecan Point – 213 Main St

• Duck Fat Fries: These were hand cut fries battered in hickory-smoked pepper and duck fat. These are served with homemade ketchup and truffle mayonnaise.
  • Crenshaw: These fries are the best fries I have ever tasted. They were right on the line between perfectly greasy and too greasy. Once you eat one, it’s impossible not to devour the rest. Beware: you may lose friends fighting over the last few fries. The homemade ketchup was a little too sweet for me, but oh my goodness gracious the truffle mayo was heavenly in every way.
  • Vaughn: So so good, crispy and salty. The house-made ketchup was super great and cinnamon-y. I loved it! The truffle mayo was interesting and I liked it, but I don’t know any words to describe it.

Osaka’s – 5001 West Park Boulevard

• Seaweed Salad: This was a pile of seaweed served with sesame seeds sprinkled on top.
  • Crenshaw: This was delicious, but hurt my teeth to chew up. It was slimey in a good way, but the actual seaweed strands refused to be chewed. Tasted great though.
  • Vaughn: Crunchy but soft? It was sweet too, and I liked it.

• Flying Fish Roe: This was a bed of rice topped with the eggs of flying fish and wrapped in seaweed.
  • Crenshaw: This tasted like rice and salty water, but that wasn’t the problem. My mouth felt like it was filled with tons upon tons of little spheres that never disappeared no matter how much I chewed. I am 80% sure that I found fish eggs in my mouth while I was brushing my teeth that night and that was awful.
  • Vaughn: I took a HUGE bite and there was so much going on in my mouth. I couldn’t eat half, so I had to stick it all in my mouth. I felt bad because it was like 299,373,929 fish babies, but whatever.

• Eel: This was a slice of eel on top of a bed of rice and wrapped in a band of seaweed. There is also a sweet sauce surrounding and over it.
  • Crenshaw: This was soft, sweet and vaguely salty. It was amazing and melted in my mouth. I wish I had ordered more of this because I wanted to murder Sara and take hers. I recommend this despite the crazy ingredients. Eel from Osaka’s taste amazing.
  • Vaughn: This was so good and so tender! 10 out of 10. I would recommend this and I hate sushi.

• Octopus: This is a slice of octopus tentacle, suckers and everything, tied to a bed of rice by a band of seaweed.
  • Crenshaw: I will not mince my words. This was horrible. It tasted like dish soap, but had the consistency of a boiled leather belt. It was sour and salty at the same time, and to be totally honest I almost cried. I chewed and chewed and chewed and chewed but it never went away. Ever.
  • Vaughn: This was super tough and had the texture of old chewing gum. It took about 20 years to eat. honestly, I don’t even remember a taste because I was so focused on the texture. I should have put soy sauce on it.

Golden Lady – 1721 East 9th Street

• Neck Bones: These were boiled then seasoned then cooked pig neck bones served with Louisiana Hot Sauce.
  • Crenshaw: These were amazing and tasted like everything warm, happy and comforting. Neck bones, I believe, should be pictured next to the phrase “comfort food” in encyclopedias. They tasted like ribs, but without the barbeque sauce. It was delicious and once dipped in Louisiana Hot Sauce, euphoric.
  • Vaughn: These were super good and tasted exactly like pork brisket. They were delicious and fatty and amazing.