Let the controversy begin!
I ate whale.
Not an entire whale. Not even a whole whale steak. Just one bite. Just enough to taste and to form a “I like this” or “I hate this” opinion.
Before I went to Iceland, I knew that there were a few foods I could try there that I’d never eaten before: reindeer, puffin, hákarl, horse, and whale. I sort of toyed with the idea of trying some of them, unsure if I actually would. I’m a very mind-over-matter kind of gal, and if you feed me something without telling me what it is, I’ll try it. If you tell me, “here, eat this rabbit” before handing me a plate, I’m probably going to have a hard time putting it across the threshold of my lips. Part of this is because I’m not accustomed to eating those things–it isn’t part of my culture.
I had a hard time deciding if I wanted to try any of these Icelandic delicacies; my mind teetered back and forth between “when in Rome” and “ew, that’s gross.” The “ew, that’s gross” won out for most things, but when my dining companion was swayed by the waitress to order the house specialty–a divine whale steak–I thought, well, here’s my chance to taste it.
I recently wrote a guest post on my friend Meg‘s blog about some random foods (whale included) that I’ve tasted while traveling, and while the abundance of responses have been the troll-y “That’s not weird! I’ve eaten chicken pudding with a side of spiders drizzled with bird shit!”, there have been a few touching on the cruelty of eating whale.
Earlier on the trip, I’d gone on a whale watching tour where they discussed the very controversial topic of whaling (which you can read more about if you follow that link). I left that tour feeling like Icelanders had a handle on it, and that maybe it’d be okay to give it a chance.
In the end, I’m glad I tried it. I didn’t care for it and will likely never try it again, but I gave it a fair chance. Oh, and it was like a regular steak, but kind of fattier. And I’m not a fan of steak (yeah, I’m weird), so that probably explains why I didn’t care for it.
So… how did it taste??
Oh yeah, I guess I should’ve said that. It was like steak. And I’m weird–I don’t like steak.
I’m exactly the same – hand me something without telling me what it is and I’m more likely to eat it!
Bennett – The Further Adventures of Bennett recently posted..Green China – Photo Essay
Haha, glad I’m not the only one! Need to try to get over that though..
I definitely like steak (I’m from Texas), but it has to be a good, lean steak, so I am not sure I would like this. I understand vacillating between trying new things and thinking they are gross. I do that all the time. Gross usually wins out for me though.
Jessica recently posted..Fear, Snuba, and a Game of Chicken
Gross usually wins out for me too, Jessica! And yeah, I don’t like steak to begin with, but add fat to that and it’s totally out of the equation for me!
Thanks for trying this. Now, I don’t have to. Regardless if it’s ethical or not, I can’t imagine eating whale. I have a feeling it would make me cry.
Kimmy @ AfterGlobe recently posted..The Inn at Mama’s Fish House
That’s how I felt about the horse–those Icelandic horses are far too cute. So I couldn’t dare.
I’m not afraid of trying controversial things, hey you are in a foreign country so you should absorb all the local foods and delicacies at least that’s what I believe, I can imagine that it would be pretty fatty overall.
noel recently posted..Travel Photo Monday – A photo link party
That’s kind of how I feel about it too, Noel! It’s a part of the culture, and I want as much exposure to the culture as I can get!
I love steak. So how did it taste? Was it good?
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When I lived in Sweden I developed a taste for reindeer. I don’t eat much meat these days. Maybe once or twice a year – but when I travel to Scandinavia and there’s an opportunity I’ll have reindeer again. But mostly because it brings back great memories. None of the other foods on your list would interest me these days.
I always try to have at least a taste of the local cuisine, even if I’m unsure that I’ll have the stomach for it. I think it’s a great way of broadening your horizons.
And I hope you’ll have that reindeer for nostalgia’s sake when you’re back in Scandinavia. :)