Timid is epic fail

What's the weirdest, oddest, most outlandish thing you've ever eaten? And no, I'm not talking about when you were 3 years old and decided that that dirt clod looked like a tasty afternoon snack. I'm talking food - real food, good food - that doesn't normally make it on to the normal american dinner table (or even into the house, for that matter).

So many people in this country are scared to eat. We're conditioned to look at 'meat and potatoes' as not only the norm (of course every region has its signatures and staples), but as a standard to which everything else must reasonably mimic or else be thrown aside in disgust. There's nothing wrong with enjoying a nice cut of beef, but why shy away from a taste of octopus?

Afterall, it's all about experiencing something new, engaging in new tastes, and adventuring into the unknown.

And hey, if you're going to try something new, really try something new. It's one thing to test out a new chicken recipe, but it's another thing entirely to pick up some skate wing from the local grocery (if you're fortunate to have a local market that would carry such things, that is). You're not going to really experience food if you always fall back to canned soup and lunchmeat sandwiches. That's not to say that you can't or shouldn't have favorites, but that is to say that, if you want to get the full experience, you need to be willing to branch out beyond your standard burger and fries.

That said, I feel that I'd be the worst sort of hypocrite to tell you to go off and try new things if I didn't share with you some of my own experiences. So please, sit back and be inspired on to greatness (of eating, that is).

Escargot: I had the pleasure of spending a week in Paris this past Spring, and with that came a lot of great food. I was actually on a cruise down the Seine river when I had the chance to try this dish (actually this was the second time... the first came from an 8th grade french class where the sampling consisted of a microwave snail - my suspicions that they had been recently captured from the sidewalk outside were never prooved - served in a paper condiment cup). It was served as a cassoulet with wild mushrooms (a classic cassoulet being fancy-talk for white beans and meat slowly stewed, however as with this example variations on the classic ingredients exist and refer more to the method of preparation).
I wasn't about to walk away from a real shot at escargot, so with fork in hand and previous memories shoved back I dove in. I'm glad I did.
The snails themselves have a great earthy flavor, and a slightly chewy, to-the-tooth texture, both of which are a great compliment to the mushrooms. The sauce was, to say the least, incredible. All in all it was a delicious dish.

Octopus: This one is more recent for me, in fact it was just today that I tried a bit of octopus. My own plate was filled with a very well done falafel, some nice pita, and other accompaniaments, but I wasn't about to turn down a taste of this guy. Taste is hardly the word though, since the dash of added salt and pepper comprised all of the flavor that was to be had (yet another reason to not be bashful - if it doesn't have much of any flavor, you're at least not going to get a bad flavor when you try it). Really the main component here was the texture. Slightly chewy, and the tenticles offer an interesting contrast between the smooth outer skin and the little suction cups on the inside, but it wasn't unpleasant. I can see this adding a nice dimension of texture to an otherwise plain dish.

Fois Gras: I'm not going to lie, the idea of eating innards doesn't exactly cause me to jump for joy in and of itself, however this is hands down one of the greatest things that I have ever put into my mouth. If you're like me and don't get excited at the prospect of liver, at least continue to be like me long enough to give it a chance anyway. You might just be pleasantly surprised. The term "meat-butter" is probably the best way that I can describe the texture. So incredibly smooth and creamy, but not at all erring into the range of "nasty smoosh". The phrase "textural euphoria" springs to mind.

Challenge yourself. Open your mind, and open your mouth. You never know what you'll love until you try.