Jessie: Enjoying the warm days and cool evenings.
This week for our group conversation I wanted to ask about food. Is there a dish or an ingredient that you have tried that ended up being far more delicious than you expected?
Edith: I’ve eaten widely all over the world, and I love many foods, so this is a tough question. My family never ate liver, but I wasn’t aware that many people don’t like it when I started eating chicken livers, which I love. Same with raw fish on sushi and as sashimi. I first ate it in Japan – what’s not to like? I guess I’ll say freshly picked sweet corn. Before I moved to Massachusetts, I’d never had perfect corn on the cob, and when you’ve had older supermarket corn, you don’t expect a lot. These days I often eat one sweet, crisp whole ear of corn raw as I shuck the rest!
Sherry: Being from Iowa, I grew up eating great sweet corn! I’m in Australia so we had to try Vegimite. Our friend, Christine, showed us the proper ratio of Vegimite to butter on a piece of bread and it was quite good! You don’t slather it on!
Julie: Vegimite Sherry? Really? I’ve never heard Vegimite and delicious in the same sentence from someone not born in Australia. Far more delicious? A friend made dates stuffed with gorgonzola and it was stunning. Also pepper jelly and cream cheese on crackers–delightful!
Barb: I’m kind of a picky eater and knowing what things actually are can affect how I feel about them. My Brazilian sister-in-law made me a delicious dish from chicken hearts. I loved it until I found out what it was. I haven’t been able to eat it since. And Vegemite, seriously Sherry? Like Julie I have never met a non-Australian who could choke it down. Even British friends who love Marmite say they can’t stand Vegemite.
Jessie: Now I want to try Vegemite! I read an article somewhere once about hikers in Western Europe eating sandwiches made of baguette and dark chocolate. I thought it sounded strange, and even though I don’t particularly care for chocolate gave it a try. It was so simple and delicious!
Readers, which dish surprised you?
The Wickeds 
I’m a very picky eater. Most days my husband and I fix our own meals as I don’t like what he wanted to eat. I rather have vegetables and rice and my husband is a meat and potato guy. He will try different foods when we travel, me not so much. It works for us.
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It sounds like a great way to coexist!
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I’m not generally a picky eater, but one thing I refused to try was smoked eel because it looked so greasy. When I finally tried it a few years ago I loved it!
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I am in awe! I cannot bring myself to try eel! Maybe I will eventually become brave enough!
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I found a recipe for a creamy turkey noodle soup that sounded good. Though I used chicken it was way better than I thought it would be.
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That sounds like something to try as soup season is near at hand!
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I was never a fan of hummus until I tried a former co-worker’s homemade hummus. The variety with sardines (I think it was sardines) ended up being my favorite – much to my surprise.
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I’ve never heard of adding sardines! I bet my husband would love that!
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I have always been one to try different foods, but sushi and sashimi were a step too far for me. Of course it is a favorite for one of my best friends, so I finally agreed to try and absolutely fell in love with it! Still picky about where, but really do enjoy it now.
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Fish is a hard one for me so I completely understand!
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I’m with Edith. I have traveled all my life and even tried strange things like fried grasshoppers, chocolate covered scorpion, brains, tongue plus other local “delicacies”. I have always hated liver, but discovered chicken livers in Brazil and I do like it, but the “regular” liver in mixed in my home. My wife who, as Sherry, was born in Iowa loved liver so we go to a diner where she can enjoy it. Vegamite is another item that I could never warm up to😎Joy! Luis at ole dot travel.
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I’ve had Brazilian chicken livers too, but I can’t say that I’ve warmed to those!
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It took me decades to get past my fear of eating asparagus. I mean, vegetables? Yuck. But when I had them on the grill, brushed with olive oil and seasoned with pepper, my life totally changed. Now, give me all the asparagus!
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Asparagus on the grill! Yum!
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Both my gonna try it only because it’s rude not to that I loved at first bite were in Jamaica. Curry goat and peas and ackee and saltfish. Okay, the ackee will kill you if you don’t know when to pick it. I knew that, and trusted my host. We all survived. Both dishes are first order on my menus whenever I return to Jamaica
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What fun! I’ve enjoyed goat from time to time too, but not in Jamaica!
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Like Luis, I have eaten all kinds of weird fpods, and found most of them to be quite good. I always assume I will like something until proven differently. And, yes, I love liver and onions.
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I’m impressed, Ginny!
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Well, growing up in the Magic Rio Grande Valley of Texas, we would cross the border to Mexico to eat a lot. They had fabulous fancy restaurants over there in Matamoros and Progreso. They had Game dinners for like $5.25 where you got two meats (chosen out of quail, filet mignon, sirloin and T-bones, cabrito, frog legs, venison, fried trout, fried shrimp, fried sea scallops, stuffed peppers, chicken, turkey and dressing), soup or tossed salad, guacamole, fried potatoes, fried onion rings, celery and carrots, Mexican Rice, Refried Beans, Charro Beans, Chilled Mangoes for dessert or an after dinner drink. I always got Flan Flameado for dessert. We had several dishes that were strange to us. Hubby Dearest loved their Cabrito (roasted baby goat). I ate Frog Legs there with Filet Mignon and they were the best Frog Legs that I have ever had. The first time we ate Chines Food was in Matamoros and that restaurant, Santa Fe) is still there, but no one goes across anymore due to crime. Too bad. Good times. But probably the weirdest dish that I ever ate, and it was delicious was broiled Piranha in Peru after we swam with them. And I learned about Hearts of Palm that they sliced like spaghetti.
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Well, typed and submitted and it disappeared so trying again.
Grew up being mostly a meat and taters girl. However, an extended hospital stay at the age of 25 and trying to survive on hospital food had me trying different things. Then getting married to a man brought up differently in another state had me trying even more foods. Found out I loved fried okra. Oddest thing for me at the time was fried beef heart, which takes a lot like round steak, and rattlesnake meat, and yes it tastes a lot like chicken. Hard to tell your child that they have to at least try something if you don’t do it yourself. The one thing I still can’t convince myself to eat is raw oysters. They just look and smell bad to me. Other wise, I’m still up to trying new things.
2clowns at arkansas dot net
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I’m definitely not one for chicken liver! I’ve never tried Vegemite, but I’ve always been curious about it. My everyday meals are usually quite similar, not because I’m a picky eater but in the name of convenience. A dish that I dreaded trying and ended up loving was sashimi. The thought of raw fish was so foreign to me, yet it’s now one of my favorite foods!
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I grew up in Nebraska. When I was a teenager we’d go wild turkey hunting in the western part of the state. On Saturday night the local bar in a small town nearby served Mountain Oysters, sometimes referred to as Rocky Mountain or Prairie Oysters. I had to be convinced to try them. Delicious deep fried bull calf testicles served on a toasted hamburger bun. And the company of all the other hunters was interesting. With luck we got our wild turkey for Thanksgiving. I no longer hunt, but it’s all a good memory of family and friends.
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