Ordeal by Meal - Langston

Although I've had a number of interesting encounters with food there is one instance that really stands out to me as an ordeal by meal. In sixth grade I moved from my hometown of Dewitt to the neighboring town of Fayetteville-Manlius. I quickly became friends with a Chinese boy in my grade named Conner Chen. As our friendship grew I began to become closer to his family as well and one night they invited me out to one of their favorite restaurants which I was more than happy to do. It was a sushi restaurant in downtown Syracuse and it instantly impressed me because the food was presented in little dishes that traveled on a conveyor belt around the bar where you sat to eat. I watched as they each waited for a normal dish of sushi and took it off the belt, so when it came to me I did the same. We ate our sushi and talked but when we had finished Mr. Chen told me that I had to try some real Chinese food. He grabbed everyone at the table a dish with pieces of octopus and I cringed when I looked at the tentacles that were jutting out of it. Not wanting to upset my new friends parents I found it in me to eat a piece of the octopus and immediately scowled as I began chewing it. Mr. and Mrs. Chen immediately started laughing and as I finished my piece Conner gave me a pat on the back before taking the rest of the bowl. I can honestly say that it was one of the worst things that I have ever eaten but it was worth it knowing that I did not dissapoint them and its something we still laugh about to this day.