Can’t Take My Eyes Off You

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPp2r7mGZPU&feature=related

Now what's the most interesting thing you have ever eaten? Snake? Frog? Turtle? Scorpion? Or bat?

I have had all of the above before, although it's hardly a surprise considering my cultural heritage. But you know what? They all taste like chicken, well except scorpion, which is more like burnt potato chips with a kick.

As you know, Japanese eat raw stuff. I have no problem with that usually, sometimes I am too lazy to cook too. But as adventurous as I am, I hate having my food moving on its own on my dining table, not to mention in my mouth.

Once I almost fell off my chair when I suddenly noticed the prawn trying to make its escape from my plate. They call it "odorigui," which means eating while it's still dancing. The most disgusting example is abalones grilled alive in front of you, so that you can enjoy watching them slowly dancing to their final death. I just don't have the stomach for that!

Also I lose my appetite when it’s visually disturbing. For instance, I heard about this old Japanese restaurant famous for its loach pot (dojou nabe). But can you imagine having a pot of little fish with their beady eyeballs still attached staring up accusingly at you? Which one will you eat first then? That one there with kind of smiling eyes?

But the most traumatic experience I have ever had (so far) regarding food is pineapple. You don’t believe me? OK, let me tell you, I was about 6 then, my mum gave me a slice of pineapple and I took a huge bite, found it especially sweet and juicy, in fact, the most delicious pineapple I had ever had. And then I looked down at the half-eaten pineapple in my hand and saw many small white things wriggling around vigorously and obviously loving the pineapple very much too. 

Sorry, I don’t really want to be gross, not here anyway!!!

Well you can’t really blame me for still having my reservation about pineapples till these days. And since then I've also developed a bizarre habit of first making sure everything stays dead still in my plate before I even pick up my chopsticks.

All right, your turn now, tell me, what’s the next item on your “gotta try one day” list? Oh and by the way, I suppose we don't really believe in "you are what you eat," do we?