Heya folks… we’ve got a guest blogger today… and um… whoa did she pick a weird topic…  ;o)

Guest blogging… Inez Kelley

I ate a lizard

I did.

We went to my husband’s company dinner at this quaint little place along the river. We dined outside, sipping drinks and relaxing. Social niceties and adult conversation really made the night enjoyable. It has been far too long since we got away without the kids. Plus, it’s always nice when someone else pays the tab, isn’t it?

I ordered the blackened salmon, my husband chose the sausage jambalaya and we kicked back to just ‘be’. Then the company owner sent over a humongous appetizer platter (we hadn’t ordered one) and a nice bottle of wine. Now, I’ve been cooking for decades and have worked every food-related job known to man including being a short-order cook. I recognized the crawfish, the shrimp, the catfish, the chicken tenders, the onion rings and the deep fried cauliflower. But I couldn’t figure out what one item was. It was good. I liked it, enjoyed the spicy seasonings combined with the rather mild tasting meat.

I asked the server what it was.

Alligator.

I ate a lizard. And I liked it.

Maybe I am predisposed to experiment with strange foods. I grew up eating venison. I’ve tried everything from deep fried pickles to rattlesnake to groundhog. (I do recommend the pickles. Snake is mediocre and the groundhog disgusting). I don’t care for emu but do like buffalo. Shark is delicious. Octopus is… well, it won’t kill me. So while alligator made me stop chewing a second, I already knew I liked it.

Experimenting is always fun. If I didn’t try new things, I would be stuck eating nothing but the same boring things day in and day out. Tastes change, as I always tell my children. As a teenager, I always ordered the same thing at every restaurant – steak medium well, baked potato, salad. I was afraid if I didn’t like something, well, money wasted and I’d be hungry later.

That stopped when I started paying for my own dinners. Know what? If I don’t like an entrée I ordered, I will sigh and move on, maybe ordering another appetizer to fill me up. Money not lost but put toward an experiment. I’ve had very few things I didn’t like (I know to avoid liver and anything with calamari).

As I sat down to write this blog, I could still smell the Cajun spices. It made me think about all the different genres I like to read. If I only read one kind of story, say romantic comedies, think of all the wonderful stories I’d miss out on just because I was afraid to try something new. Afraid of what? Spending 5-10 bucks on a book I didn’t know if I would like? That is stupid.

I have my favorites (steamy contemporaries and epic medievals) just like I know I can always fall back on that filet mignon and baked potato. That is my go-to comfort zone. But I love a spicy pasta with marina and a good mystery, a rich seafood bisque and a romantic fantasy, a savory BBQ dish and a thoughtful inspy.

Yes, I like different foods and yes, I like different stories. I can cry with a woman in 12 A.D., laugh with a man in 2341 A.D. and hurt for the couple parted by WWII. Vampires, shifters, witches and everyday people who have a water bill, I love a good story no matter the genre. Auto-buy name or new author, if it takes me away and lets me live a story, it is a win.

And if I find a bit of calamari, a story that just doesn’t appeal, so what? I tried it and moved on, a little richer for having tasted a new flavor. There are some surprising gems out there.

What is Your favorite romance genre and what strange food have You tried?

Inez Kelley is the author of several books including The Dirty Laundry series. Book #2 TALK DIRTY TO ME, a new erotic romance release from Carina Press is a co-write with Ginny Glass.