I am a picky eater. I strongly dislike trying new things; rarely do I stray from the meals I eat on a daily basis.
My spring break trip to Australia last week, however, changed everything.
I was selected to be a part of a journalism class called Media of Color, which studies ethnic and indigenous media in today’s society. When applying for it, all I could think of was my dream of traveling to Australia finally being fulfilled. The concept of the course intrigued me as well. Little did I know that I was getting myself into something much greater—something much more cultural than I ever could have imagined.
During our first few days of class, I remember discussing various cultures and at one point, the topic of food came up. Our professor mentioned several different items that people eat in other cultures and each time he asked who among us would be unwilling to eat them. Every single time, I raised my hand. It seemed that, for the most part, I was the only one raising my hand, but I knew that I simply could not fathom letting anything I considered abnormal enter my body, no matter the culture.
As the semester wore on and the trip to Australia was approaching, I became aware of the various foods that Australians eat. Kangaroo, camel, emu — all native cuisine to the Aussies, but were merely zoo animals to me. I grew nervous, knowing that we would be presented with the opportunity to sample these meats yet unsure of exactly how I would handle the situation.
In my rush to prepare for the trip and amidst a frenzy of flights, the prospect of eating these strange foods completely slipped my mind. However, it came back to haunt me our second day there.
We were headed off a place called Muru Mittigar, an Aboriginal cultural center. Here, we learned to throw boomerangs, painted our own boomerangs in Aboriginal style and explored and observed the plants of the bush. But finally, the time came when I had to face my fear of trying new foods — the people of Muru Mittigar had prepared a barbeque for our class that included steaks, sausages, crocodile and kangaroo.
When they revealed our meal, I looked at it all with disgust. I then watched as everyone in our group eagerly served themselves a little of everything before us. I put a steak on my plate and glanced hesitantly at the chunks of kangaroo in the tin next to the steaks. Looking around, I snatched a single piece and hurried back to my seat.
Again, I found that everyone else was excited about tasting the new meat while I simply stared at what was before me.
“Well, here we go,” I said under my breath.
I stabbed my fork into the kangaroo, lifted it to my mouth and in it went. At first, I actually enjoyed it. The taste wasn’t too unbearable and in my mind it was like any other meat I had consumed in my life except for the fact it was very chewy. So I chewed. And chewed. And chewed some more. And as I kept chewing the bite in my mouth, I contemplated what I was doing. The fact that a kangaroo was in my mouth kept running through my mind, and it got to the point that it was nearly impossible for me to swallow it.
But eventually, I did it. I got it down, and for that I was extremely proud of myself.
After that experience, I thought that the trying of new foods would be finished. But no. The following night at a restaurant in Alice Springs, our professor ordered three sampler platters for our table, which included not only kangaroo, but camel meat as well. Again, the other girls dug right in but I hesitated yet again. I had already let kangaroo into my system the day before, I thought to myself. Isn’t that enough?
As the meat dwindled down on the plates before me and our meals began to arrive, I asked the girl next to me to cut me a small piece of the camel. Being in Australia is what some might call a once in a lifetime opportunity, and who knew if I would ever have another chance to try camel? So, I figured I would give it a shot.
I popped the camel into my mouth and bit down. The flavor of it actually reminded me of roast beef, and though a little tough, I was capable of chewing it and swallowing it with ease.
I smiled to myself, knowing that never before have I taken such risks in regard to the food I consumed, and who knows if I ever will again. Even if I don’t, I can look back on this trip with pride, knowing that I stepped out of my comfort zone.
But hey, at least now I can say that I ate camel and kangaroo. How many people can say that?