# New/Exotic foods you thought would be bad, but were actually pretty good **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 23, 2006, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-exotic-foods-you-thought-would-be-bad-but-were-actually-pretty-good/349544 "2006-03-23T03:48:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jacob\_Silj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Jacob\_Silj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jacob_Silj)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-exotic-foods-you-thought-would-be-bad-but-were-actually-pretty-good/349544/1 "2006-03-23T03:48:01Z")
For me, chicken pate is as exotic as it gets, but I found it to be quite yummy. Any others? ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-exotic-foods-you-thought-would-be-bad-but-were-actually-pretty-good/349544/2 "2006-03-23T03:54:25Z")
Natto was one of the featured foods on [Steve, Don’t eat it!](http://www.thesneeze.com/mt-archives/cat_steve_dont_eat_it.php), but I’ve always thought it tasted pretty good. Stinky and messy to eat, but tasty. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-exotic-foods-you-thought-would-be-bad-but-were-actually-pretty-good/349544/3 "2006-03-23T04:56:56Z")
I really, really like Uni, which apparently is sort of unusual for non-Japnese. I expected to dislike it, but it tastes great. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-exotic-foods-you-thought-would-be-bad-but-were-actually-pretty-good/349544/4 "2006-03-23T05:27:52Z")
Pickled Beef Tongue. I’d like to try that fruit, the one that smells nasty but tastes great? ---
**Author:** ![SnakesCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@SnakesCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakesCatLady)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-exotic-foods-you-thought-would-be-bad-but-were-actually-pretty-good/349544/5 "2006-03-23T05:30:16Z")
The first time I tried Kim Chee I accused my husband of trying to poison me. Now I love it! I can even tell the difference between good and bad kim chee! ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-exotic-foods-you-thought-would-be-bad-but-were-actually-pretty-good/349544/6 "2006-03-23T05:54:13Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Pickled Beef Tongue. > > I’d like to try that fruit, the one that smells nasty but tastes great? Durien. I’ve never had the guts to try it. Once, as an impulse buy, I bought some durien creme wafer cookies at the Asian supermarket, but never dared to try them at home. I brought them to my workplace and put the package on the counter, where it’s common knowledge that any food left there is meant to be shared. When I returned during my mid-shift break, I saw the package was in the trash after someone had taken one cookie. I guess they didn’t like 'em! ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-exotic-foods-you-thought-would-be-bad-but-were-actually-pretty-good/349544/7 "2006-03-23T06:00:15Z")
And it’s durian, not durien. My mistake. ---
**Author:** ![MrJackboots](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MrJackboots](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrJackboots)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-exotic-foods-you-thought-would-be-bad-but-were-actually-pretty-good/349544/8 "2006-03-23T06:15:49Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Pickled Beef Tongue. > > I’d like to try that fruit, the one that smells nasty but tastes great? The durian? Okay. Blachang is my answer to this one. Tiny shrimp mashed into a paste and buried for a few months to ferment. Sounds noxious, and it is the first few times, but surprisingly tasty once you’re used to it. ---
**Author:** ![yBeayf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e274bd/32.png) [@yBeayf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yBeayf)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-exotic-foods-you-thought-would-be-bad-but-were-actually-pretty-good/349544/9 "2006-03-23T06:17:41Z")
> [@](#): > > I’d like to try that fruit, the one that smells nasty but tastes great? I recommend you try a durian milkshake. It cuts some of the rankness, and tastes great. Everyone I’ve recommended it to has loved it. ---
**Author:** ![rinni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f6c823/32.png) [@rinni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rinni)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-exotic-foods-you-thought-would-be-bad-but-were-actually-pretty-good/349544/10 "2006-03-23T11:54:53Z")
Anything involving raw fish. Maybe not exotic to most of you, but I’m from a really small town where we eat mostly meat or (cooked) fish and potatoes with other boiled vegetables, and I moved to Vancouver about a year and a half ago. I never thought I’d like sushi. (I used to joke that if I ever went to Japan I’d have to bring lunches.) I tried it anyway for the sake of trying something new and thought it was okay, I continued to eat it and now I think it’s one of the most delicious things ever. I like pretty much anything involving raw salmon and there is a place near me that does this awesome marinated raw tuna… I had it tonight. Oh man. Why did anyone ever bother cooking fish in the first place if it tastes like this raw? ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-exotic-foods-you-thought-would-be-bad-but-were-actually-pretty-good/349544/11 "2006-03-23T12:15:15Z")
I have always loved cheese but avoided all the smelly and mouldy ones (except parmesan) until about ten years ago. The first thing I tried was a blue brie and nowadays smelly and mouldy cheeses are my first choice. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-exotic-foods-you-thought-would-be-bad-but-were-actually-pretty-good/349544/12 "2006-03-23T19:57:03Z")
Lutefisk. I’m actually a pretty unchoosy eater, as long as the big three of horrible flavors aren’t involved (beer, coconut, or coffee) 😛 ---
**Author:** ![kaiwik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaiwik/32/3978_2.png) [@kaiwik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaiwik)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-exotic-foods-you-thought-would-be-bad-but-were-actually-pretty-good/349544/13 "2006-03-24T03:25:54Z")
Seal, sea lion, sea urchin, chiton, octopus, pickled salmon, dried salmon, salmon roe/milt. I still will not eat shuzhuk or stink oil though, isheey yuck!!! ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-exotic-foods-you-thought-would-be-bad-but-were-actually-pretty-good/349544/14 "2006-03-24T04:09:53Z")
Second vote for kim chee. My freshman year of college, we had a Korean exchange student in the dorm and we all knew when he’d broken out the kim chee because the entire building stank something fierce. So I was surprised when I accepted his offer of a bite of the stuff and found it delicious. ---
**Author:** ![Jennyrosity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@Jennyrosity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennyrosity)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-exotic-foods-you-thought-would-be-bad-but-were-actually-pretty-good/349544/15 "2006-03-24T13:54:01Z")
> [@rinni](#): > > Anything involving raw fish. Maybe not exotic to most of you, but I’m from a really small town where we eat mostly meat or (cooked) fish and potatoes with other boiled vegetables, and I moved to Vancouver about a year and a half ago. > > I never thought I’d like sushi. (I used to joke that if I ever went to Japan I’d have to bring lunches.) I tried it anyway for the sake of trying something new and thought it was okay, I continued to eat it and now I think it’s one of the most delicious things ever. > > I like pretty much anything involving raw salmon and there is a place near me that does this awesome marinated raw tuna… I had it tonight. Oh man. Why did anyone ever bother cooking fish in the first place if it tastes like this raw? I second this. It took a considerable amount of persistance on my boyfriend’s part, but now I’m addicted. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-exotic-foods-you-thought-would-be-bad-but-were-actually-pretty-good/349544/16 "2006-03-24T14:42:15Z")
Raw Herring. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-exotic-foods-you-thought-would-be-bad-but-were-actually-pretty-good/349544/17 "2006-03-24T16:37:56Z")
When I was in London, I tried crocodile steak (supposedly imported from Australia). It tasted like fish, though a little gamier and chewier. I also tried haggis, which will \*\*never \*\*again pass these lips. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-exotic-foods-you-thought-would-be-bad-but-were-actually-pretty-good/349544/18 "2006-03-24T17:10:12Z")
Sushi also for me, both on the good and bad ends of the spectrum. I thought raw fish would be – you know, _fishy_, but was so much the opposite that it’s not funny. The seaweed most sushi is wrapped in, however, I thought would just taste like a normal greens vegetable. No. It tastes just like seaweed. ---
**Author:** ![Mouse\_Maven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@Mouse\_Maven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mouse_Maven)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-exotic-foods-you-thought-would-be-bad-but-were-actually-pretty-good/349544/19 "2006-03-24T17:43:14Z")
Ethiopian Food Having grown up during [Band Aid](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Band_Aid_(band)) , etc. My first though was, “They have food?” But its **really** good. Injera (sourdough flatbread) potatoes and lentils. Yum! I think I’ll go have some for lunch 😃 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Weird\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@The\_Weird\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Weird_One)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-exotic-foods-you-thought-would-be-bad-but-were-actually-pretty-good/349544/20 "2006-03-24T17:48:49Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > When I was in London, I tried crocodile steak (supposedly imported from Australia). It tasted like fish, though a little gamier and chewier. > > I also tried haggis, which will \*\*never \*\*again pass these lips. Huh. I had haggis while visiting a friend in Glasgow, and was surprised to enjoy it. Of course, it has a strong taste of organ meat, which isn’t for everyone. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-exotic-foods-you-thought-would-be-bad-but-were-actually-pretty-good/349544.md?page=2)