Foreign food that scares me...

[melidasaur]

I went to Sweden two summers ago and for one of our dinners, we were served a plate of cold fish products - pickled herring, smoked salmon, other cold, slimey fish bits. I liked the smoked salmon, but that was about it. It was a weird assortment of cold fish. I don't like cold fish.

I tend to think that all Chinese food is dirty, so I try to avoid it at all costs. I know that is a stupid thing to think, but I can't help it.

[glatt]

Headcheese. Yuck. When you are a kid, you have to eat what the parents feed you. I haven't had headcheese in over 25 years.

[Trilby]

Originally Posted by glatt

Headcheese. Yuck. When you are a kid, you have to eat what the parents feed you. I haven't had headcheese in over 25 years.

Your parents must have been into torture. and Brian--there is a difference between "foreign" food and plain grossissity. My stomach is turning...gads.

[breakingnews]

Originally Posted by melidasaur

I tend to think that all Chinese food is dirty, so I try to avoid it at all costs. I know that is a stupid thing to think, but I can't help it.

Sorry, got carried away with the smilies there. Carry on.

[wolf]

Originally Posted by melidasaur

I tend to think that all Chinese food is dirty, so I try to avoid it at all costs. I know that is a stupid thing to think, but I can't help it.

I'll betcha she eats hotdogs though ...

[melidasaur]

Originally Posted by wolf

I'll betcha she eats hotdogs though ...

Actually, I don't like hot dogs. I think they are pretty gross.

I try chinese food... and then as I take the first few bites, I realize, wait - I don't like chinese food.

If i make it myself... I'm okay. It's the restaurants that scare me and that stems from bad chinese food restaurant experiences. I've been to chinatowns all over the world and I try the food each time and each time I leave with feelings of regret and fear that I really didn't eat what I thought I ate.

Yes, I realize this is completely irrational. I'm trying to get over it because chinese food looks so good.

[breakingnews]

Originally Posted by melidasaur

Actually, I don't like hot dogs. I think they are pretty gross.

You haven't had a Gray's Papaya dog in NY. EXCELLENT - they *snap* when you bite into them. An effect like no other dog on this planet.

Yes, I realize this is completely irrational. I'm trying to get over it because chinese food looks so good.

Just out of curiosity, what kinda stuff do you try? I know the stuff I eat doesn't sit well with most of my friends, but they're willing to go for the simple things like noodles and dumplings. If you dislike pig belly or cow intestines, that I can understand, but there's so much other good stuff to be had as well.

[melidasaur]

Originally Posted by breakingnews

Just out of curiosity, what kinda stuff do you try? I know the stuff I eat doesn't sit well with most of my friends, but they're willing to go for the simple things like noodles and dumplings. If you dislike pig belly or cow intestines, that I can understand, but there's so much other good stuff to be had as well.

I'm willing to try anything as long as the description on the menu is what I actually receive. For example, this past summer I went to china town in london for dinner - attempting to give chinese food a try. My dining companion and I ordered two dishes - one was a chicken and noodle soup type thing with snow peas and carrots - sounded tasty and harmless and the other was a honey braised pork with mushrooms.

The chicken and noodle dish was not soup - but was actually good. The pork on the other hand was basically just big pieces of fat - NO MEAT - just fat in a sickenly sweet sauce with no mushrooms. I was ordering PORK not fat. It was the grossest thing I have ever had in my life. I was expecting pork because that's what it said on the menu. Yet again, I was wronged by Chinese food.

Moral of the story: I'll eat chinese food if and only if the place where I'm at has no variation between menu description and what i receive on my plate. Other than that... I'm totally willing to give it a shot.