It may be a few steps beyond normal, but I don’t know of a food that I won’t eat. I’m up for trying anything once and, when I travel, I always look for local restaurants where I can try food authentic to the region. My rule is that I can’t eat in a restaurant I have access to at home. The exception to that rule is when I’m staying in a country with unsafe drinking water. The one thing that I miss most when traveling is ice in my drinks. If there is a McDonald’s, the ice in their drink machines is made with clean water so I’ve been known to get myself a cold drink there. We also went into a McDonald’s in China because they were advertising orange pies. I’m glad they aren’t available here because they are addiction worthy.

There are foods that I prefer not to eat, of course. I’m not sure I’ve ever gone to a covered dish dinner and chosen to dip a serving of green bean casserole. Early in my marriage, I attempted to make batter-dipped fish which was an epic fail. I’m not fond of cooked spinach unless it is creamed, or in a dip. Nothing else comes to mind at the moment.

When we moved home to West Virginia, we raised pigs. That first fall, when we butchered, I begged my Dad to let me roast a pig tail to eat like Laura did in The Little House books. It is one of my greatest disappointments in life that he said no. Blowing up the bladder to use as a ball was also on the “no” list. Actually, it was on the “hell no” list but I yearned to give it a try!

The strangest thing I’ve ever eaten was on a trip to China with my boys. The menu was in Chinese and we had no idea what we were ordering. I pointed to an item on the menu, smiled, and hoped for the best. We ended up with jellyfish and it’s not something I’d order again. I thought it would be slimy but I would liken it’s texture to that of a plastic lid swimming in soy sauce. Thankfully, it was served with plenty of fried rice.

I’ve eaten barnacles, limpets, pig brains, rattlesnake cakes, camel, elk burgers, pig and cow tongue, pickled pig’s feet, watermelon rind pickles, salt and vinegar crickets, blood sausage, tripe, chitlins, haggis, chocolate covered grasshoppers, dragon fruit, smoked fish, and raw oysters. I’ve eaten meals where the only thing served was boiled yams, which was a very special treat. I’ve eaten meals with my fingers, with chopsticks, and at tables with more silverware than I knew what to do with. I enjoyed them all!