My father loves sweetbreads and orders them frequently. I’ve seen him be questioned both in the U.S. and in France as to whether he knows what he’s ordering and really wants it. He always replies that he’s eaten sweetbreads before and then enjoys his meal.
The closest I’ve ever come to this is a look of surprise when I asked to be pointed at the bitter gourd at an Indian grocery once.
That’s what I try to do too. Hawaii was a veritable food adventure for me coming from the staid and bland northern great plains. It was the same when I traveled to the US gulf coast region. I’d never had seafood that fresh and awesome before. It was a real treat!!
In Montana? :dubious:
Alas, no. The only times you can get Indian food here without cooking it yourself are the annual Indian Students Association Diwali festival, and the annual International Food Bazaar. But whenever I travel anywhere else, I always make sure to get my fix of Indian food.
I was once at an italian restaurant with a friend who somehow didn’t understand the (perfectly apt) description of a pasta dish on the menu and then had a complete snit fit when it wasn’t what she expected. I’ve often wondered if that poor waitress adopted a policy of explaining exactly what clam sauce is after that incident.
My MIL (a notoriously picky eater) once ordered a beef taco salad and simply could not bring herself to eat more than 3 bites because it had shredded beef instead of the ground beef she was expecting. She kept saying that it tasted fine, she didn’t dislike it, it just wasn’t what she expected.:rolleyes:
I expect that there are restaurant staff out there who’ve been burned by a bad customer reaction like that and just preemptively warn people to avoid the hassle.