re: What Is a Favorite Dish That You Once Viewed as Exotic and Strange?

Amaebi.

Known as sweet shrimp in Japanese cuisine, they're raw shrimp tails served with deep fried heads.

My brother and I were passing through Salt Lake City in 1992. We stopped off at a hibachi place for lunch and on a whim he ordered amaebi...two per order so we each had one. It was the first time I had eaten a raw shrimp tail.

The waiter came by and asked if we were finished. He questioned why we didn't eat the heads because he said it was the best part. We each picked one up and enjoyed the delicious bites, and from then on I was hooked on this dish.

ETA: We ordered sake but were denied because it was illegal to serve alcohol before 1pm in Salt Lake City at that time. Apparently the Mormons did want people to imbibe during lunch hour, hence this brilliant rule. We kept an eye on our watches and once 1pm rolled around, so did the drinks. It's one of the stupidest laws, right up there with not being able to sell beer in liquor stores in Mississippi.