New Food Experiences

[CraigC]

There has been some comments in another thread, about lamb, that have peaked my curiosity. What was your first reaction/sensation when trying something new? I've have friends that came from families that kept mostly kosher, that broke away from those traditions. I've heard things like, "Where has this been all my life." Maybe it was something you have been reluctent to try like an ethnic cusine.

 

[Dawgluver]

I remember trying lobster as a little kid. Wonderful! Clam chowdah, from the can, wonderful too! Conch, squid, octopus, raw oysters, loved 'em all. Still do.

I used to love sardines as a kid, till I dissected one and found the skeleton. Nevermore.

 

[CraigC]

Ha! I used to like canned sardines. Now every time someone mentions them, I can't get the picture of this guy eating sardines in mustard sauce by picking them from the can with pieces of angelfood cake, like a sandwich.

 

[Claire]

I grew up in a military household with no dietary restrictions, and all my life I loved trying new stuff. Mom's friends and our neighbors were often "war brides", women from all over Europe and Asia, so I was exposed to lots of different cuisines quite young. Doesn't mean I liked everything I tried, the first time I tried it. In the small-town Midwest, and once when I lived in the south, I met many people who simply hadn't had the opportunity to try new things. Over the years, my husband and I have served as sort of ambassadors to new cuisines, with friends who wanted to try something different but were rather afraid to.

My advice to anyone who wants to try something new but isn't willing to just plunge in, take a friend familiar with the cuisine, who knows you well and won't think it is funny to feed you something that will blow you away, and make you spend money on food you probably won't eat. Restaurants (especially Asian types) that serve food "family style" are great for this; a group can go, each order what looks appealing to them, and the adventurous one in the group can order a dish everyone can taste. We've introduced many people to sushi over the years, and almost all liked it ... with the proper introduction (that is to say, no raw fish for beginners, and inside-out rolls (can't remember what they're called, but California rolls are an example) for people who are unlikely to like the texture of nori.

When I was in my late 20s I met a man who had orders for Hawaii, and we'd decided to make a couple. At the time I disliked all seafood, had since I was a child. What a revelation. I've always loved raw beef, and ahi sashimi just really turned me on to the entire experience. we've been together for 30+ years (married for 28), and yes, a shared love of different cuisines is a part of the relationship.

 

[MrsLMB]

My ex's parents had a little farm.

My first visit there was quite exciting.

The ewe had a baby lamb while I was there .. what an experience for a city girl !

They named the lamb Brenda and it was so fun to watch her grow.

On one visit we arrived after dark and sat down to dinner.

I took a bite of the potatoes and asked what the meat was.

They said .. Oh .. that's Brenda !

I was horrified .. OMG .. all I could see were those big eyes that used to look up at me !!

So I have a really big aversion to lamb .. can you blame me LOL

One time my Dad asked if I had ever had Menudo .. I'd never even heard of it. He said you are going to love this.

So he heated up what he had leftover from the night before. I must say it was quite tasty. But .. stupid me .. I just had to ask what was in it .. that was all she wrote .. couldn't take another bite. I'll always remember my first impression ... but just can't go there again .. been there and done that !

 

[Dawgluver]

Eeeek! Brenda!

I guess some unknown animal intestines might be better, if cooked right. Even after having been to Mexico many times, am still not interested in menudo.

 

[taxlady]

We enjoyed Irene, the goose. She was nice for a goose.

 

[Andy M.]

I was a youngster the first time I had a lobster (on Cape Cod). I can still remember two emotions. 1. WOW! This is really good! 2. There isn't enough meat, I'm still hungry.

I can't remember ever being grossed out by a new food I liked the taste of. Most of my aversions are for vegetables - beets, cauliflower, parsnips, turnips, rhubarb. I'm OK with raw shellfish, snails, squid, etc.

 

[chefrow]

I was pleasantly surprised when I tried some frog legs in Mexico.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Most of the foods I cannot eat are vegetables, mostly the cabbage family. I'm just now starting to appreciate broccoli.

 

[Dawgluver]

We enjoyed Irene, the goose. She was nice for a goose.

Et tu, Taxlady? RIP, Irene.

 

[Steve Kroll]

I can honestly say there are very few foods that I don't like. I'll try pretty much anything once, provided it's cooked well. Okra is on my don't-like list, but I'll even eat that if it's in a bowl of gumbo. And I'm not really big on brain dishes, either, though I've had them a few times. The thought of eating cooked brains doesn't disgust me, but the texture is kind of chalky and weird.

 

[TATTRAT]

I can honestly say there are very few foods that I don't like. I'll try pretty much anything once, provided it's cooked well. Okra is on my don't-like list, but I'll even eat that if it's in a bowl of gumbo. And I'm not really big on brain dishes, either, though I've had them a few times. The thought of eating cooked brains doesn't disgust me, but the texture is kind of chalky and weird.

I am kind of in your camp. . . though, I have had some veal brains that were every so slightly tinny, but were like creamy scrambled eggs with a little crusty rim from the sear. I really, REALLY enjoyed them, to the point of feeling guilty. It was a dish that I knew was offal, it didn't try to hide it, but good lord it was amazingly good in a different kinda way I just can't put my finger on.

Okra, I like either fried, or just cooked enough to where it is "cooked", but not gummy/snotty/stringy. . .I have been to a few Ethiopian meals where okra is a standard filler, and it gets to the point where it's mucus like strings just take things over. . . screw that.

I have always made it a point to eat/try, because in life, with all the laws in place the regulate/prohibit things that could be everyday human experiences, FOOD is the ONE thing that is universal, it's needed, and the worst thing that can come from it(besides say a deadly allergic reaction) is you don't like it.

Food is something that is so varied, and differs regionally/culturally/religiously, but it is ONE thing in life that we can ALL enjoy/experience.

Could you imagine living to be a hundred years old, and on your final day, discovering a food that you REALLY enjoy, and have gone all that time without? Why NOT try different foods? What is the worst that can happen? We only live once, and food is an integral part of life, so why not make the most of it?

It's better to try it an not like it, than be a food wuss, and live off of hamburgers and chips your whole life.

 

[taxlady]

There's food not much I wouldn't try. I wouldn't go out of my way to try insects - I had chocolate covered ants as a child and disliked getting legs and antennae stuck in my teeth. I may try insects, it wouldn't be hard here in greater Montreal. We have an insectarium that has a chef(s) prepare them once or twice a year.

 

[CharlieD]

I am a very picky eater, but will taste, and have tasted a lot of different foods, some weird, some ethnick, some simply I've never had before. Sushi for example i used to eat, just becasue my son loved it and we would go to sushi places a lot. But for a long time I had no specific feeling about it. Untill it grew on me. Now I love it.

 

[Steve Kroll]

I am kind of in your camp. . . though, I have had some veal brains that were every so slightly tinny, but were like creamy scrambled eggs with a little crusty rim from the sear. I really, REALLY enjoyed them, to the point of feeling guilty. It was a dish that I knew was offal, it didn't try to hide it, but good lord it was amazingly good in a different kinda way I just can't put my finger on.

The dishes I had may not have been prepared well. One was a dish of boiled and ground lamb's brains with rice that I had in a restaurant in Izmit, Turkey. I honestly didn't know what it was until after I had eaten it. But it was... dry and chalky. That's the only description that comes to mind.

The other time was veal brains (cervelle de veau) that my wife ordered at a Paris restaurant. The presentation wasn't at all appetizing. It literally looked like a science project - a smallish brain sliced down the middle with sauce ladled over the top. The chef didn't even try to disguise it. My wife didn't care for it and I didn't either. But trying to be chivalrous and not wanting her to go hungry, I finished her plate of chalky brains while she ate most of my delicious and succulent beef dish.

The best offal dish I've ever had was at a restaurant in Minneapolis. It was veal sweetbreads (aka thymus gland) that were lightly pan fried in butter and served with a demi-glace sauce and side of leeks. It was awesome.