Growing up in a German household, the food was excellently prepared by my mother, and delicious, but the diversity was somewhat lacking. I was always interested in the spice rack at home that contained so many spices that were hardly ever touched. As a child, trying a spice out of context (that is, just trying it when not mixed into an appropriate dish) left me wondering why anyone uses these. One person I must thank, however, was the mother of a fellow student in Grade 1 or 2: Lisa Rupp's mother brought some Dutch cheeses to a student event in the Oakridge School gymnasium. Being under the age of ten, many of us children simply skipped the cheeses and went for anything coated in sugar. I remember that either Mrs. Rupp or Miss Stevenson commented on our childish nature. This did leave me feel somewhat embarrassed, and that I think may have spurred an interest in other foods. In southern St. Catharines, the one ethnic restaurant was Kim Court in the Pendale Plaza.
Then I got the University of Guelph, and being in the MPC^2 program (I can't believe wix doesn't allow you to use the <sup>2</sup>) that began my introduction to a plethora of different foods. This included food shared by room mates, but also by
My introduction to blue cheese was at a Physics Department wine and cheese. Dave Evans and I tried blue cheese together with glasses of Bull's Blood, a very strong Hungarian wine. The two paired perfectly. As a joke, we later tried blue cheese and white wine, and the white wine tasted like water; that is, any flavor was absent.
One way I engage in trying Chinese foods is to see if a Chinese restaurant has a Chinese-only menu. In this case, I decide how much I want to spend, and then randomly pick something off that list. This is the comfort food that is authentic and not chicken balls with neon sauce. The last such restaurant I went to had a variation on this: when I asked for the authentic food, he pointed to a poster that had six different meals appearing as photographs.
I tried Hákarl, and it tasted terrible; however, on the principle that many people survived with this, I tried it again and again. Over time, you get used to it, and it's not enjoyable, but not horrible, either. It smells like ammonia and when you pop a small piece into your mouth, it initially tastes like Limburger or some other very ripe cheese; however, after a few seconds, that flavor goes away and the taste of ammonia comes back with a vengeance.
When I try new foods, I don't ask if I like it, but rather, I try to determine what is it that someone else appreciates in this. Take sauerkraut, for example. I can't imagine anyone liking that flavor if they had not been brought up on it, at least, not initially. However, if you eat sauerkraut as an infant, you have a positive association with it, and thus the flavor is appreciated. I try to understand the experience with other such foods. For example, Kimchi is really delicious.
I was at a wedding once that served shark-fin soup. I was hesitant, because I really preferred not to even try it; however, as the shark was already dead, I thought I'd try it. It didn't taste any different from other soups, and I don't think I foresee any reason to try it again. I don't think I tried whale, and I see no reason to ever do so, either.