Ordeal by Meal

As much as I love food, it has presented many instances of social awkwardness. One that immediately comes to mind is the first time I tried to eat shrimp. Not that shrimp are a scarcity around here, but I have always been weary of sea food, largely because of its smell. I always refused to eat it, even when it was the only thing that my parents made for dinner. I am not entirely sure how this happened, but some how, some way, they convinced me to try shrimp. I stared at it for a while, analyzing the tiny slimey crustacean. I was still puzzled as to why people would eat such a thing, but I decided to be open minded and give it try. So I did, shell and all. I immediately spit the thing across the room. My entire family was laughing at me. It was not my finest moment. In this instance, I actually showed that I am somewhat ignorant of my own culture's food practices because my family always has shrimp at every family gathering. I also suppose that it just shows a blatant lack of common sense. I thought that it was extremely embarrassing that I was not even aware of how to properly participate in the simplest of family traditions. Needless to say, I have yet to live down this experience.