The 28 Day Challenge
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Day 20 - Eating a new food

The next time you go to a restaurant or even the canteen, if the menu is varied enough, eat a new dish, which you haven't tried before:-

I had tried this a few months ago. But in the light of the 28 day challenge i tried it again. I don't eat enough fish and have challenged myself to order fish at restaurants and cook fish, that I'm unfamiliar with, at home. First try was in a restaurant on holiday. I ordered fresh water Perch, which i'd never tried before. The latest, and the one chosen for this challenge was a tuna steak. I've always eaten pre-cooked tuna but never cooked it myself as a tuna steak.

Before Eating

  • What are your expectations about the experience you're about to have?
    • Curious and expecting to like it.
  • Is it going to be pleasant or unpleasant, exciting or stressful?
    • At best, I expect it to be pleasant, at worst, a bit disappointing.
  • What are your feelings as you approach the food?
    • Curious, mildy excited (sounds too strong a word).

While Eating

  • Concentrate solely on eating, especially the first mouthful. Chew: don't talk and don't be distracted from the food.

After Eating

  • How does this compare with your normal approach to food?
    • I like to try different things but because of routine/habit as well as convenience I tend to stick to a limited range.
  • How much of a risk did you take?
    • Not a massive one. I probably took a bigger one with the Perch. But I do like to try different foods so it's not a big risk.
  • What did you gain as a result of your investment?
    • A new addition to my limited culinary range.
  • What did you learn about changing to the unfamiliar?
    • How easily it can become the familiar and in doing so how the experience of eating can be broadened and made far more interesting (as well as more nutirtious).
Day 20 - Eating a new food
1 How did you feel? That i was glad of an excuse to try something different.
2 In what way did you find the challenge useful?
Remember even if the challenge was negative this is an excellent learning for yourself.		 Although I like trying different foods, I need some other kind of motivation to break myself out of the daily food routine.
3 What insight did you gain? The fact that we deny ourselves a lot of pleasurable experiences for pretty flimsy reasons.
4 What did you learn about yourself? That even though i do like to broaden my experience I limit myself because of routine and habit.