Freaking Nasty

I enjoy writing about food that I like but Soul Reporter's comment last night about a few choice nasty foods got me thinking. Well, it was actually the reference to frog's legs. I wondered, SR, do you dislike frog's legs because you've tasted them and found them to be utterly revolting or is it just the general concept of a frog's amputated limb? To be honest, if you ever do find occasion to try them it really does taste like chicken and you'd never actually equate the taste of the meat you're tasting with the slimy amphibious creature that pees on you when you pick them up.

Trust me, I know the value of an open mind.

I had the very good fortune a decade ago in my career to oversee a international group of magazines. Not only were the publications part of a well known brand and enjoyable to work on, they also introduced me to a global group of sales people, editors and advertisers. I had the chance to travel to all sorts of places in Europe, Asia and Latin America. As means of preparation for my job, I devoured the etiquette guidance of a book called, "Kiss, Bow, Shake Hands" which outlined every sort of cultural do and don't for conducting business worldwide.

While the parameters of cultural respect and behaviors differed by country, there was one hard and fast rule: When dining, let your host select the restaurant, let them dictate the cuisine and don't insult them by not eating what they offer you. Treat this offering as a mark of respect and acknowledge it accordingly.

I had no problem adhering to this rule in Europe. Most of that food was distinguishable, if not utterly wonderful. The same can be said for Latin America. However, once I set foot in the Asian Pacific region, all bets were off. I still can't identify some of the delicacies that my hosts had ordered for our sumptuous feasts and what's more, I couldn't understand what they were when my hosts told me. I just nodded with the reverence warranted for their generosity in offering me the special culinary experience to follow.

Some of the things that I did ingest I did so with the knowledge of their origins. Some of them still sort of horrify me. Here's a sampling:

-Mongolian dog in China. It tasted like really musty old venison.

-Snake, also in China. It was like calamari. They real specialty in China for special occasions is snake blood, but gratefully, my hosts did not insist I chase the snake appetizer with a shot of blood.

-Fish cheeks in Singapore. This was served on the table on a blanket of banana leaves and actually, it was incredibly delicious.

-Chicken feet. Of course it was in China. I didn't actually consume it. I just gnawed on it symbolically like a big hound with a squeaky toy.

-A whole prawn with head, antennae, tail and black beady eyes staring at me through a light tempura crust in Japan. I can still see one of its eyes peering at me as I bit into its torso.

-Jellyfish in China. I still feel nauseous at the memory.

-Liver in aspic in Belgium. I deplore gelatinous food in any respect and aspic in particular. That this quivering thick gelee enveloped an innard took incredible resolve on my part to ingest it and smile in gastronomic appreciation.

-Pig entrails in Brazil. At least Latin Americans know how to cook meat. It had enough of the porky goodness to make me think I was enjoying really chewy bacon.

-Crispy crickets in China. I had one. I swallowed it whole and immediately washed it down with with a slug of Tiger Beer. I pleaded a full belly so I didn't have to try the mealworms and cicadas.

-Black pudding in England. It's technically made of curdled and boiled pig blood, mixed with chunks of pork fat. I tried it once with an English client who loved it. Never again.

Still, I tried them. I guess the point is--you should try things in life, even if the memory of the tasting makes you want to retch.