The English eat all sorts of birds - pigeons, ducks, sparrows - but if you tell them you eat puffin, you might as well come from Mars.
For me to go to a restaurant and eat something that is not only good, but totally new, is a double thrill. Double the enjoyment.
Breakfast today, horse sausage. Lunch, minced mule and curried locust. All well.
I'm not looking to freak people out - eating rodents or bugs. I don't do that anymore.
I'm not the number-one fan of the heavy holiday meal. And also, I didn't grow up eating them, the traditional Western holiday meals, so it's just not something I have a nostalgic relationship to.
If you are going to a destination where the food might be more exotic than usual, always err on the side of caution.
It is true that I once refused to eat haggis in Scotland and this did not sit well with the local population.
I've had a few embarrassing moments in restaurants. I tried to order a quesadilla, and I totally mispronounced the word. And another time, I asked for some toast with Marmite, and they had no idea what I was asking for!
I ate some pretty funky, authentic Chinese food in Hong Kong. There was an egg from some bird that's not a chicken. I can't remember what it was, but it was green and brown and not very tasty.
