Food drives people's lives. This is the case all over the world, not just here. We value and often favor foreign cuisine. Here in Denver one can find anything from Mexican, to Vietnamese, Japanese, Cuban, and even Morrocan. People travel all over the world simply chasing food. Take Anthony Bourdain, for example. He's an extreme case of experiencing cultural immersion by mastication, but he still leads a good example. The foods different cultures eat are a great indication of their environment, what they have access to, and what their cultural taboos allow and don't allow.
Since 3/4 of DU undergraduates study abroad, it's important for them to know that they'll likely be offered foods we may consider strange. I highly recommend trying them. Now I'm not saying eat an entire bowl of rotten shrimp in China because it's rude to decline (trust me, I've had to do that), but certainly try foods that have been well cooked, are on a set menu, and are served in a legitimate venue, like pigeon in Vietnam! Seriously, delicious stuff! I had to make joke of it though since the three other individuals I was with had gotten their meals about ten minutes before me that they were out catching it fresh. And it tasted fresh, like chicken fresh. So get out there and be adventurous and immerse yourself in a culture through their food. Know that many foreign peoples also do not share their food unless they would like to get to know you and be friends, so to decline may be taken very offensively. Best of luck!
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