I know a lot of people that are picky eaters, and I just don’t understand their mindset. How can you be handed a delicious plate of calamari and turn it away? I don’t think anyone can say that they don’t like a food until they’ve tried it. There are foods that I have tried and disliked, but I tried it at least once. More often than not, I really like the food and wish I could have had more.

One food that I enjoy eating, that other people might not, are dolmas, or stuffed grape leaves. These are usually made with grape leaves stuffed with a mixture of rice, meat, fresh herbs, and spices. I can’t really define it as one flavor, as the mixture of ingredients and the oil give it a subtle wine-like taste with the mixture inside all fighting to be tasted.

Another food that I’ve only tried once but enjoyed very much is braised ox tongue. I don’t think I would’ve ever been introduced to this food if it wasn’t for the cruise I went on last year. There were plenty of interesting foods at each dinner, and the night I saw the ox tongue I knew I had to try it. Everyone at our table was unsure about whether I’d like it or not when the waiter handed me my plate, but I dug right in. It tasted similar to beef, so it wasn’t difficult to enjoy.

My favorite food isn’t too unusual, as I know a lot of people that really like it too. The only problem I have with sushi is that I eat it too fast. It’s expensive and doesn’t come in large amounts, so I have to watch myself when eating it. I can eat just about any type of sushi, but one of my favorites to order is sashimi. Most of the people I know that like sushi don’t like sashimi because all it is is slices of raw fish usually put on top of rice. I think I could eat it for dinner every day and still enjoy every bite.

Though I enjoy many foods, there is one food that I hate and refuse to eat no matter what. Cold cheese. If cheese is warmed up and eaten as a dip, like queso, I can eat it just fine and it tastes good. Or if the cheese is warm and with other ingredients, like pizza, I am also perfectly fine with that. Just cold blocks of cheese get to me. I could never eat a cracker with a block of cheese on it and think it tastes good. I don’t think I’ve ever liked cheese and most likely that viewpoint will never change.

I am willing to try many foods, as long as it doesn’t consist of cold cheese. I will take any opportunity to try new food when offered to me, if I know the person of course, because not only is it often good food but it’s also free food. I think we all know that free food is, in fact, the best food. So go out there into the world and taste more unique foods whether it be fried grasshoppers, ox tongue, or a raw octopus. You’ll never know if you’d like it or not until you try it, so get to taste testing.