Food and Psychology
Over the weekend, I visited a huge market in Washington, DC called "Eastern Market." There you can find the most unusual food items, including the image in this photo. Can you guess what this food is?? It looks almost like delicate flower petals, but trust me, it doesn't smell good and your girlfriend or wife would probably scream if you brought it home. There was a sign on the display window describing the item, and after seeing the name of the food, I couldn't taste it. Same when I attended a Hawaiian luau and saw the dead pig roasting on the fire pit. It triggered something in my mind and made the pig seem human, like a farm pet, such that I couldn't enjoy the feast. Look how cute!
I felt the same in Hong Kong, where you can find fried bugs on a stick. Perhaps if the vendor didn't tell me it was an insect, I would have simply taken a bite and enjoyed the taste. Probably I think about and analyze things too much in many aspects of my life, including food. It's the lawyer in me. What's the grossest or most unusual thing you ever ate? For me, it's "Rocky Mountain oysters." No - it's not a seafood item, but bull testicles! Of course, I didn't know what it was when I tasted it. The thought of chewing balls - especially animal ones - can't be psychologically appealing to either gender. Unless you're a masochist. ;)
If anyone can guess the food item in the first photo, I'll send a prize from America!