Mi-do's And Don'ts

It's humbling to think of oneself as open-minded and say that you generally eat everything. But even as a chef, I have some extreme aversions to some foods.
Before this post gets too personal, let me tell you about some of the weirdest things I have heard that people eat.
In some overpopulated parts of the world, food waste is not an option. We all heard at some point that the Chinese eat dogs, cats, insects, animal organs (watch video below) and even premature human fetuses, which I hope is a rumor, just so I can sleep at night. I've also heard that in some parts of Africa, cannibalism is no big deal - for which I am sure there are justifiable reasons. In Cambodia, they eat unborn duck fetuses straight out of the egg (watch video below) and say that it has a Viagra-like effect. In Japan, they eat live fish (watch video below) and they drink whale sperm soup, if you are into kinky stuff. Even here - in a more rural Egypt - we are known to eat semi-rotten cheese with maggots, fried cows brains as well their testicles. Yum!

I'm really not very sure that I would like to try eating all of the things mentioned above, but maybe if I was put in the situation one day, I could give it a shot. I am a strong believer in the don't-knock-till-you-try-it attitude towards food. And cannibalism is one hell of a principle to think about.. but babies? No thanks! Sorry.

So, let me tell you what Mido really doesn't eat;

1. Olives: way too overpowering.
2. Mature, salty, smelly & especially blue cheeses: would you drink milk that has gone bad? Hah!
3. Cumin: a spice with an unpleasant aroma of Egyptian armpits - pointless.

With everything else, I am really not too fussed. Everyone that knows me (well), knows this tiny list of three food ingredients that I simply don't eat. The fact that green pepper happens to also not be one of my favorites, reminds of a little story I could tell you:
I can't remember who it was, but I put my bet on it being a family member or relative. "You have to taste this! It's so incredibly amazing!" they said, in the most excited tone of voice. "What is it?" I asked. "It's Greek Salad!" - over to you with the comments.