I still remember with exceptional clarity the most disgusting thing I ever ate. Just to be clear, we're not talking about drinking spoiled milk on a dare or being a contestant on Fear Factor, but rather ordering off a menu with no coercion whatsoever. I was in an izakaya, a Japanese pub, in Manhattan and decided it was time to try something new. I am by no means leery of outlandish foods. I have gleefully savored ceviche, sweetbreads, and calf spleen sandwiches. When it comes to Japanese food I am a sushi purist who warmly embraces uni as well tuna and natto handrolls. As for izakaya grub I have no problem with liver sashimi, although I'm somewhat less enthusiastic about okra and raw octopus.So ordering ika no shiokara - home-cured, fermented, salted squid guts - didn't seem like such a big deal at the time. I envisioned it as a savory something  to nosh on with rice, a perfect foil to the shochu I was drinking. The barmaid tried to steer me away from it, assuring me I wouldn't like it. This only spurred me on further. Surely her warning was to be taken as a clear indication that this was some secret gem that I needed to eat immediately.

She placed the small bowl in front of me. It held a tangle of ribbons in a brownish liquid. I picked up a piece and placed it in my mouth. Slimy, fishy, salty, chewy — so far so good. It was the putrescence that caused me to wonder whether man was intended to ferment squid guts at home, or anywhere else for that matter. Surely my adventurous palate must be missing something, I thought as I ate some rice and took a swig of shochu. I grabbed another piece and combined it with some rice and realized that I was a beaten man. I sheepishly passed the noxious mess back to the barmaid. Oddly enough they removed from the menu about two weeks later.