A commercial from my childhood often comes to mind when I share a meal with Damien:  ”Give it to Mikey – he’ll try anything!”  One of the most memorable food ventures was the bubble drink he got once in Vancouver, which tasted like Chinese barbequed chicken.  It was bright orange.  He was determined to not waste it, so he drank every drop.  Then he was ill.  That is often the case of when he tries the most unusual item on the menu … which is often the case.  Here is the scene of that particular crime:

Where's Damien? Probably throwing up in the bathroom...

So when we took him to our favorite Buddhist vegetarian restaurant in New York – Zen Palate – we thought he would love all the unusual items on the menu.  He hated it.  So did his stomach.  He was sick for a while.  Here we all are, with him wondering where the nearest bathroom is:

Damien's not-so-zen experience

In Florence, he just had to try the pasta with the baby octopus topping:

Baby octopus dish

If it’s weird, it’s on his plate.  His latest challenge:  beef tongue taco at Taqueria Corona on Magazine Street:

Beef Tongue Taco

See the look on Natalya’s face?  We all had that look.  Damien said it was gristly.