One of the things I said when I decided to come to Alaska was that I would try every food item offered to me. My thought is that if I’m in a small village, I have to at least try to live as the locals do. There are some things I've heard about that if offered to me would make me regret this declaration, so hopefully I don't encounter those delicacies. This past week has been the height of my exposure to native foods and I feel like I've tried a new food each day!
On Sunday, I was able to try moose for the first time because Al and Sue had gotten one while I was gone. They generously shared it with Chris and I. Chris wasted no time in putting together moose stew and invited me over to dinner to try. It was delicious! Then today at school, Al made his own stew so I got to eat it again which was a nice treat:)
Not only were the locals happy about their moose hunts last week, but the villagers, my kids especially, were excited when a Beluga whale was caught over the weekend. It was over 22 feet long! So it was cut up and spread throughout the village (thankfully none was shared with me though). When it is cooked to eat, it is called muktuk. Yes, for those wondering, it is made from the skin and the blubber of the whale (I know I know, but I had to try it). Last night, I got to try muktuk for the first time, and boy were the locals entertained at watching me taste it. Many of them seem surprised at how willing I was to try it, and they watched in anticipation as I took my first bite.
While I was pretty nervous about what it would taste like, it surprisingly had no distinct taste. You could tell that it was seafood but it didn’t have an overpowering taste. The texture is what I couldn’t quite stomach. I did eat a few small pieces of it, but it has a very slimy/oily texture that my tastebuds did not enjoy. Well at least I can cross it off the Alaskan bucket list! I also got to taste goose, which isn’t incredibly exciting, but I’ve never had it before so it was a first. I can only imagine what other "taste tests" await me throughout my time here!
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