It Won’t Kill You

I’m not going to say that I love all foods because I don’t. I love some foods while I like, tolerate and hate others, but almost always I’ll at least try whatever’s in front of me.

In Japan I tried all sorts of foods that I’d never eaten before and some that I’d never had the desire to ever try, but I tried it. Some I loved (like beef tongue, ox tail and jellyfish), others I tolerated (like grilled pig intestines) while others I disliked (like grilled chicken cartilage and fermented fish guts). But even if it didn’t look appetizing I’d force myself to just try a little bit of it. Sometimes I was pleasantly surprised, while other times I quickly downed my drink in order to wash the taste away, but I never regretted any of it because you don’t know if it’s any good unless you try it.

I understand an inability to eat certain foods because of allergies or having a delicate stomach or being vegetarian, but I find it disappointing when people (who could eat anything) constantly refuse to even try food (whether it’s an entire ethnic cuisine, a certain dish or a specific ingredient). What harm is there in just taking a tiny bite? What’s the worse that could happen? Just some momentary distaste…it won’t kill you.

It’s sad to see people box themselves into very specific “acceptable” foods while avoiding large segments of foods out of shear stubbornness, because they’re missing out on some tasty treats. [Pause.] But I guess it’s their loss.