Taboo Foods?

I recently watched a program on the National Geographic Channel about different foods eaten in countries around the world. The interesting part about this was that while the foods they selected were considered a usual, daily part of the cuisine in one country or culture, it would be considered weird, taboo, or even disgusting in another. What I learned from watching this is first of all, though one may not be accustomed to another country's cuisine, it is still rude as a foreigner to show disgust or unpleasantness because that translates to disgust towards the people of the country who eat those foods everyday.  The second thing i learned is that the affect of these different foods on people can be psychological on both ends. As I will elaborate later on, some locals eat specific foods as they think it will enhance their sexual intercourse skills, when in fact this has not been scientifically proven. The second psychological aspect is on the foreigners end. In my opinion, if the foreigner was not told what they were eating, the majority of them would not have any aversion to the taste, or any sense restriction of eating that food. Below are some of the worlds most interesting nourishments.

Animal Penis - China 

While a shock in some countries, the consumption of animal penises in China is a tasty and healthy dish. This speciality is called the hot pot, and it consists of cow, sheep, dog, donkey, snake (they actually have two), and deer penis. While some eat the dish raw, you can also have it cooked. In general, the taste is described to be cold bland and rubbery, and all penises taste rather similar Animal penis in China is said to be very nutritious for skin, circulation, but most of all, for male sex drive. As a result, women do not usually eat testicles. However, scientists say they cannot find the connection between eating penises and increase erotica in men.

Balut - Philippines


Balut is a common Filipino street food (like hotdogs in America or onigiri in Japan). Balut is a fertilized duck egg that is boiled and eaten, after aging about 17 days. This aphrodisiac, which is often served with beer, is considered to be high in protein.  To eat it, one firsts makes a small whole in the shell to sip the broth surrounding the embryo. Once this is done, the rest in eaten. While some cultures may be insulted when foreigners are repulsed by their food, Filipinos take it as a form of masculinity. In their view, they are more masculine because they can eat something no other cultures can. Like the animal penis, Balut is also said to increase sexual performance.


Horse - France


Eating horse meat is a delicacy in France, but a big no no for the rest of the world. This is mainly because horses are seen as one of man's faithful companions, and thus eating them would be taboo. For this reason, horse slaughters have been dramatically reduced in the US. However, eating horse meat in France is extremely common. It is said to be healthier than beef. The thing about foods such as this is that if you were given the piece of meat without knowing what it was, you would have probably enjoyed it. On the other hand, if you knew what you were eating was horse meat, you would make yourself dislike the taste (because who would really want to eat a cute horse).


While eating such foods may be a surprise to many outsiders, it is completely common to the locals. In fact, locals from these countries find western food to be just as seemingly unpleasant or taboo as horse meat may seem to us (us being kids brought up in western communities). For example, to the Chinese the idea that Americans consume dairy products, most of all cheese, is just plain nauseating. Chinese cannot bare the fact that people eat something with such a horrible smell and strong taste. Then again, we are all different.


Love,
ALPHA