They were misinformed.
Maybe 30 years ago I went to a Viet Namese restaurant and had some soup. It was really bland, nothing special, and I haven’t been back since. Everybody talks about how great it is. I should get a Banh Mi sandwich or maybe a…Pho cup. 
Pho covers a range of flavors. Northern Vietnamese tends to be simpler and more straight forward. Southern tends to be more aggressively spiced. Southern is the kind most people are generally familiar with, very star-anise forward in the broth. The accoutrements are also a bit different in north vs south, and the north tends to use wider, flat rice noodles. Either way, they are one of my favorite soups. “Bland” is not a way I would describe it, but I also don’t think a good, simple chicken broth accented with only salt and pepper is bland, if it’s reduced correctly and made with enough meat & bones. A good pho broth is simmered for a long time (or you can use a pressure cooker.)
Whoa, the thread moved fast. Thanks to all the PHO tips everyone. I’ll have to see if I can get up my nerve again to get back over there.
I did notice a lot tripe and that I’m not fond of. But there were options with none of that.
Yeah, in my experience, there’s only one or two phos on the menu with tripe and beef tendon in them. Plenty of choices if you’re not into it. Looking at my pho place’s menu, there’s 12 phos, one has tripe & tendon, one has tripe, and one more has tendon, so 75% have neither tripe nor tendon.
As someone explained to me once, often the first pho on the menu will be something like the “chef’s special” or “combination” pho, which is pretty much the one with a little bit of everything – something like tripe, tendon, rare steak, and meatballs. The rest are pretty much just different permutations with one or two of those omitted. So if you don’t want tripe, you find the one that’s just tendon, steak, and meatballs. If you don’t want tripe nor tendon, find the one that omits both of those. And so forth.
So even if the menu appears long, it’s usually just different combinations of the same couple of ingredients.
Yep, that describes the situation almost exactly at the places I go to. (With the exception that there will also be a chicken pho on the menu.)
I didn’t eat this combination until I was 38. I had a ton of allergies as a baby so my family kept me away from peanuts. Except that I would sneak them and had tasted peanut butter behind their backs. My bros got PBJ for lunch but I either just had strawberry jam or bologna sandwiches.
So, at age 38, My friend and I drove several states away for an annual event that lasts a week and discovered that we were on our own for lunch with no vendor available for the first few days. We decided to see what the supermarket had that didn’t need refrigeration and PBJ was the obvious answer. I had no idea grape jelly went so well with peanut butter. It was our lunch for 4 days in a row. Yum.
I’ll put peanut butter on two slices of bread, then put warm scrambled egg in the middle. Mmboy! You don’t want a sweet PB—just peanuts and salt. It melts in there and wow.
Back to the OP: Mrs. L tells me sea bass is supposed to be pretty good. I’ve had shrimp, squid, octopus, eel, scallops, fried clams, fried oysters, (dried) barracuda…except for lobster I’m not super crazy for seafood but I guess I should try sea bass one day.
I heard this story on the radio earlier just tonight:
How slippery snail noodles became a viral sensation in China : Goats and Soda : NPR
Slippery rice noodles are first bathed in a slow-simmering broth of laboriously peeled river snails. Then they’re topped with odorous bamboo shoots that have been covered in salt and left to ferment for a few weeks, tofu and salty lemon vinegar. … Their malodorous reputation also makes snail noodles quite possibly one of the worst meals to make at home: The smell of the pickled toppings and the stewed snails can linger for hours.
I’ll probably give this one a pass but, come to think of it, I’ve never had escargot.
I was certain I’d been to the factory but, now, not so sure. It was a company known for mustard production, Silver Spring Foods in Eau Claire, but I’d swear they said they actually made Kikkoman soy sauce there. Private label agreements are often secretive: brands like to give the impression they produce their products in their own plants and factories, so maybe or maybe not.
My SO gets the same way if she gets hold of coconut.
I had a Chinese roommate in college. He invited me to a party hosted by their student association. I ate most of the stuff without issue, but there was a dish of chicken with peanuts that made my throat constrict. I didn’t eat another bite, fearful I wouldn’t be able to breathe.
Mind you, I can handle some pretty hot stuff. And my roommate used to complain of the dorm chili being too hot—it was the wimpiest stuff ever. I suspect the problem is that you can encounter a spice for the first time and your body has a cow. He scarfed down that chicken and peanut dish like it was nothing.
Back to the OP: there’s a Peruvian place not far from here. Maybe we should try it.
A challenge to you folks in reader land: if you haven’t tried Brazilian and you love meat, you really must go.
Ah, Churrasco. I’ve hurt myself at such places, but it was worth it. The meats! The seasonings and sauces! The MORE meats! OMG.
They had a great side buffet of non-meat items that were also wondrous, but it took discipline to go try that rather than just have more meat.
And…they bring it to you!
The places I’ve visited have a coaster…turn it over to one side and it’s basically “I’m full.” Turn to the other side and it’s “Keep bringing it!” My salivary glands just hit overdrive.
I heard it too. 
For [allergy, intolerance or health reason] or spicy level?
Edit: brackets added
If you’re not allergic to peanuts (which I assume you’re not, else why would you eat a chicken and peanuts dish unless you didn’t know it had peanuts), I wonder if perhaps it might be Sichuan peppercorn. The tell-tale sign of it, though, is its numbing sensation. I don’t know if that could get misinterpreted as a constricting throat, but I do know the first time I had Sichuan peppercorns I had a mild anxiety attack, thinking I was having some kind of allergic reaction to it. I’m not used to foods making my mouth and throat numb. (Like, seriously, felt like someone dabbed the dish with a bit of Lidocaine or something.) At any rate, once I figured out what was going on and that the sensation was normal, I went back to it and now enjoy the ma la (“numbing-spicy”) combo of Sichuan cuisine.
That said, if it’s as you describe, it sounds more like a proper allergic reaction. I wouldn’t say my throat constricted, but it felt light numb and tingly.
This. The garlic butter they are served with is delicious, but the actual snails have little flavor and a rubbery texture, in my experience.
Heh, when I open a new tab in Firefox, I see a list of articles which often seem to be based on my recent web browsing. This article just popped up on that feed (Sichuan pepper is the first on the list):
There are quite a few cuisines I have not tried and probably won’t. Ethiopian was trendy for a while but I couldn’t tell you where the nearest one is now. I don’t really have a desire to seek it out. I don’t particularly like fish and I will not eat raw or undercooked meat so I will not get sushi. I have tried a few rolls that didn’t have raw fish and didn’t like them. Other parts of Japanese food I do like. I have had some Americanized versions of Indian dishes and didn’t like it so I won’t try the authentic stuff. We have a huge Indian population and many authentic Indian restaurants. No thanks can’t stand the smell of the food I’m not going to eat it. I have an aversion to paying for food I don’t like. If I get the chance to try a different cuisine without wasting money on the entire meal I will unless its an ingredient I know I won’t like.