Friday Five Food Edition!

A pasty, ready to be devoured! Isn't it lovely?

Trying to get back into the routine/habit of writing other than sermons and emails...
So, I begin with a Friday Five from the RevGalBlogPals.

1) Is there a food from a foreign land whose reputation led to trepidation when you had a chance to give it a try? Did you find the courage to sample it anyway? If so, were you pleasantly surprised or did you endorse the less than favorable reputation that preceded it? 
Eels. When I encountered them (on the table, that is) while living in Europe, I was less than thrilled. They look too much like snakes, and I was not, at that time, very fond of fish. But I was at a friend's house for dinner, and dinner was eel soup...so I ate it (not wanting to be the proverbial Ugly American). I can now say I have had them, but I never will again (not willingly)!
On the other hand, I was also warned about Rye Soup in Poland, and it was wonderful! 

2) What food from your own country/culture gets a bad rap?
Being from the Land of God's Left Hand (the state of Michigan, USA, that is), I would say probably pasties are the bad guy. But they are wonderful! Pastry dough folded around stew and baked...perfect for a winter lunch. Of course they originated in Cornwall, and were brought over by the Cornish former tin miners going to Michigan's Upper Peninsula to mine iron.

3) Of what food are you fond that others find distasteful?
Probably liverwurst. Although I have heard people who turn up their noses at peanut butter and banana sandwiches, which I do not understand.

4) Is there a country’s food, not native to you, that you go out of your way to eat?
Oh, yes. Many, in fact. Lebanese, Indian, German, Thai, real Italian, Cuban, Greek, Brazilian...I am blessed in that Windsor has many ethnicities, and every one has restaurants. There is even a Via Italia, with many wonderful Italian restaurants for every price range.

5) What is your guilty pleasure food?
Stouffer's frozen macaroni and cheese.  All those carbs!

Bonus: What was your most memorable meal (good or bad), either because of the menu, the occasion, the company, or some other circumstance that makes it stand out?
Wow, this one is difficult. There are several. One was at the Bayrischer Hof restaurant in Munich; I had their appetiser of smoked duck and melon. I had had prosciutto and melon (which I love) and this was a revelation to me--the way a brilliant chef can ring the changes on old standbys. It actually led me to start subscribing to and reading Gourmet magazine. Another was in a first-class BritRail coach; poached salmon so tender and sweet, and lovely service.