Lauren Vs. Food is my attempt at correcting my terrible eating habits and unwillingness to eat anything that looks strange or foreign by forcing myself to eat new and scary foods on my trip.
After having spent my first week in Croatia avoiding any kind of food that looked freaky or foreign, I met up with Michael, and I was finally forced to try something new…
Fried Calamari.
Shudder.
And so, of course, I decided to search online to see what calamari actually is, and was horrified to discover that I was going to be eating fried squids. Vaguely remembering what squids were, I then decided to search for pictures of them and became petrified that somehow one of their tentacles was going to end up stuck to my throat, causing me to choke to death. I’m sure it happens all the time.
I was definitely not excited about this experience.
But I’d agreed to do it, so I couldn’t back out now. We hunted down a restaurant which was entirely empty, so as not to scare anyone off with my shrieks of fear and horror.
I took a deep breath and ordered the calamari.
I gulped as they brought the plate to the table, and took a sharp intake of breath when I noticed the enormous, creepy tentacles wiggling around on the plate.
I don’t know what I expected, but I certainly wasn’t expecting them to look so…. Squidy…
After spending about 20 minutes freaking out and deciding I didn’t want to eat them anymore, I finally gave in and, well, here is the video evidence:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eypylLslL4I[/youtube]
And so, as to whether I liked them or not, I was really unsure at this point. I discovered I did not like them if they were cold. Or if they had tentacles attached. I did manage to eat all of the non-tentacled ones without throwing up or crying, so I decided this was definitely a success.
Then, to my surprise, the very next evening I found myself ordering more fried calamari?!
I then carried on doing this for four consecutive nights.
I LOVED it.
So much so, that I even found myself gobbling up the ones WITH tentacles…
Mmmm… Tentacles…
And so, in the epic battle of Lauren Vs. Food, this time…
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In July 2011 I left England for what was supposed to be a one year trip around the world. Within a few months of leaving I knew that a year would never be enough. I now work online and travel permanently, seeking misadventures in unique, beautiful and fascinating places. Read more.
I'm here to show you how not to travel. Since I've been on the road I've been "poked" during a massage in Bangkok, punched a scammer in Shanghai, been attacked by monkeys in Bali, sat next to a dead woman on a boat in Laos and so much more. I call these The Incidents and you can see a full list of them here.
oh the expressions on your face are priceless
Chris recently posted..How Much Does It Cost To Backpack Europe
I was just trying so hard not to spit it out!
You lost me at the word ‘tentacles’ – eeewwwwwww =D haha well done you hun!
Toni recently posted..The next generation of inspiration in 1 minute
They had suckers on and everything!
LOL Lauren that video is so funny – the music just adds to the whole thing! Your very brave, I get freaked out if i accidenlty eat a green crisp!x
Jennifer Nixon (@jenniferbnixon) recently posted..The Scarlett Guide To Keeping Fit In Disneyworld
Arghhh, I HATE green crisps!!!
I’ve only had calamari once but I dipped it in marinara sauce so it wasn’t that bad. Granted…I never ordered it again after that.
Elle recently posted..Do you wanna shoot me now? (#255 Try Paintballing)
Hahahaha I just used my coke as a sauce to wash it down!
Awesome! i’m really impressed.. Fish Head Soup next?
Scot Baston recently posted..Sneak Peek – Liam Grange
Hmmm… We’ll see? I’d rather steer clear of fishes….
haha this is hilarious! i love how you’re looking around trying to focus on something other than the squid you’re eating. calssic! i love fried calamari.
Hahahaha, trying soooo hard to swallow!
Congratulation! I’ve got a limited palate for food as well, it makes it very tough to travel. Keep up the fight!
Jordan recently posted..Bag in Review: Chacabuco Pack climbs Mt Mansfield
Yeah, agreed! So far I’ve been fine, but I’m definitely not looking forward to Asia…!
The first time? Wow I am shocked but pleased to see that you are making an effort.
Ayngelina recently posted..Answering the most difficult travel question
Tip of the iceberg.. ;)
Classic
Aren’t you impressed?! :D
You are braver than me! I won’t eat the tentacles. :) It may have something to do with dissecting a squid in junior high and then frying it up and eating it in class. Yuck.
Christy @ Ordinary Traveler recently posted..Weekly Travel Shot: Gibbons Falls – Yellowstone
What?!?! That’s AWFUL!
I don’t really care for seafood, but deep fry anything and I’ll give it a go.
Kris Koeller recently posted..Photo of the Day: Sushi on the Beach in Phang Nga
Agreed, definitely couldn’t have eaten the grilled version…
Calamari is one of my favourites!! i eat it with the tentacles. Next up octopus for you!
Ughhhhh, never!!
That was hilarious & love that photo with the tentacles! I’m along the line of thinking that anything deep fried is pretty darn good. I just had deep-fried lambs brain for my anniversary and even it was semi-tolerable!
Annette | Bucket List Journey recently posted..Scaling the 463 Stairs of the Duomo | Florence
Deep fried lambs brain?!?! Don’t think I could ever handle that!
OMG loved this. I’m not a fussy eater at all I LOVE calamari in fact the tentacley bit is the best bit lovely texture. You will get used to it love the blog xx
Thanks! I’m semi-used to it now…. Ate it so much that I got fed up with it though and am avoiding it for a while!
The music is a nice soundtrack to the facial expressions.. lol. I enjoyed the post.. eat! eat! eat!
Hahahahaha, argh, the facial expressions….. Not pretty!
Time to hear more about the various (and more of them) … FOOD WINS!! Soon. ;)
Michael Hodson recently posted..Palmyra, Syria: Fabulous Roman Ruins
Um, you don’t seem to have much confidence in me….
Great article and congrats on the victory :)
When I first tasted calamari I loved it. The thing was I wasn’t told it is really squid and I always complained that I hated seafood. Well my family really showed me that day. Now I am willing to try seafood before I say I don’t like it.
Bob Crunch recently posted..Bluegreen Communities and Operation FINALLY HOME
After throwing up a few times when having seafood, it is definitely something I try to avoid…!
Terrific! Calamari is one of my favorites. Just watch out for the little suction cups on the tentacles ;)
Bryan @ BudgetYourTrip recently posted..Travel Post Roundup (Aug 14)
Don’t! That’s what terrifies me!!!
Calamari, is simply awesome! I had it for my going away dinner last week. Congrats on being victorious :)
Nomadic Samuel recently posted..Rump | Sexy Performer | Fiesta del Gran Poder | La Paz, Bolivia | Travel Photo
I’d really recommend you try octopus salad when you make it to greece. Tentacles in vinegar, oil and herbs (but chopped). Absolutely delish!
Congrats on winning your battle.
Theodora recently posted..Welcome to Singapore!
Glad you liked it!! It’s something I’ve only started eating in the last few years. It’s often overcooked but if someone gets it right it’s beautiful.
Like the music :-)
Heather recently posted..Macaron vs Macaroon: What’s the Difference?
It seemed I was watching an episode of Fear Factor!! :D. It was hilarious!! Were you just swallowing the calamari with Coke!??! Its all about mind over matter honey!! OM.
It seemed I was watching an episode of Fear Factor!! Haha, I guess they were more than just alright! Don’t think I could ever handle that! I still can’t bring myself to eat calamari, but I guess if you ordered them 4 nights in a row they must be good?!
Jessica Burns recently posted..Cancer Tips
When I forgot about the pictures of the squids I’d looked at and pretended I was just eating chips in my head I freaked out a lot less!