Here is the prompt from over at Revgals!

My first ever Friday Five is dedicated to Nikki MacDonald, sister RevGal, who was hungering for an opportunity to write about Haggis. With that introduction, today’s FF is all about food!

1) Is there a food from a foreign land whose reputation led to trepidation when you had a chance to give it a try? Did you find the courage to sample it anyway? If so, were you pleasantly surprised or did you endorse the less than favorable reputation that preceded it?

I have tried foods in other countries, not because I was courageous, but because I didn’t want to refuse hospitality when it was offered. Eating saltfish for breakfast in Jamaica (any fish for breakfast, really) never really made sense to me. In my 3 weeks in the Middle East, I ate a lot of meat that was never clearly identifiable–goat? Decided not to ask and just enjoy.  Hummus at every meal–now that makes sense.

I did try vegemite once.  That was enough. Still haven’t tried Haggis, but I will when I get to Scotland some day!

2) What food from your own country/culture gets a bad rap?

We have a bad habit of frying things that didn’t need to be fried. The Fried Twinkie or Fried Snickers, for instance.

And then we have a tendency to stick  a chicken into a duck into a turkey and fry that too.  I’ve never eaten “turducken” and think I am okay with that.

3) Of what food are you fond that others find distasteful?

I can’t stand honey. I know of its health benefits. I appreciate bees and their role in our ecology. I hate honey.

I have issues with squash. Its a texture thing. I like pumpkin pie. And zucchini. But most other sqaushes are unpalatable.

4) Is there a country’s food, not native to you, that you go out of your way to eat?

I wish Boise had a good Ethiopian restaurant. Actually, much of my favorite food comes from other cultures. Thai Food. Sushi. Indian. Mexican. Italian. Mediterranean.

5) What is your guilty pleasure food?

I don’t really feel guilty about food that gives me pleasure. Life’s too short, right?

That said, Tiramisu is the way to my heart.

Anything caramel.

Anything bacon.

Bonus: What was your most memorable meal (good or bad), either because of the menu, the occasion, the company, or some other circumstance that makes it stand out?

This is a tough question. Have had some great meals in my day. A dinner on a beach in Hawaii, the final dinner in Jerusalem, lunch in Chartres, mac and cheese that Eric cooked for me, dinner on a Greek Island overlooking the Mediterranean, breakfast at the Arcade in Memphis, every meal we ate in Italy…

Most recently, though, I would say two dinners in Chicago with some college girl friends. One was at the Girl and the Goat. The other was at RPM. The food was delicious. But truly, sharing any meal with people I love is worth it all.