it tastes just chicken Away from home, eating is more than just a way to keep your stomach full.It is a language all its own, and no words can say, "Glad to meet you ...glad to be doing business with you ..." quite like sharing a meal offered by your host. Clearly, mealtime is not the time for you to say, "Thanks, but no thanks." Acceptance of the food on your plate means acceptance of host, country, and company.So, no matter how difficult it may be to swallow, swallow.Or, as one experienced traveler says, "Travel with a cast-iron stomach and eat everything everywhere." Often, the food offered represents proudly your host country's eating culture.What would Ataiericans think of a French person who refused to take a bite of homemade apple pie or sirloin? Our discomfort comes not so much from the thing itself; it comes from our umamiliarity with it.After all, an oyster has remarkably the same look as a sheep's eye; and a first look at a lobster would remind almost anybody of a creature from a science fiction movie, not something you dip in butter and eat.By the way, in Saudi Arabia sheep's eyes are a famous dish and in parts of China it's bear's paw soup. Can you refuse such food without being rude? Most experienced business travelers say no, at least not before taking at least a few bites.It helps, though, to slice any item very thin.This way, you minimize the taste and the reminder of where it came from.Or, " Swallow it quickly, " as one traveler recommends."I still can't tell you what sheep's eyeballs taste like." As for dealing with taste, the old line that "it tastes just like chicken" is often thankfully true.Even when the "it" is really rat or snake. Another useful piece of advice is not knowing what you are eating.What's for dinner? Don't ask. Avoid glancing into the kitchen or looking at English-language menus.Your host will be pleased that you are eating the food he offers, and who knows? Maybe it really is chicken in that soup. The purpose of the article is to   _  .
introduce unfamiliar food share the writer's personal experiences suggest ways to overcome a cultural barrier advise on how to politely refuse to eat foreign food