I've been avoiding it for almost nine years... but this weekend, I decided I could avoid it no longer. I decided it was time to try raw herring.

It's a delicacy in this part of the world, often served with chopped onions. It's typically sold from small, wayside fish-stands. And from what I understand, a raw herring here in the Netherlands has the appeal of food that Americans might buy from a carnival midway: something seasonal, nostalgic, and special.

I always felt like I should give it a try -- that there really might be something to it, even for an unsuspecting American palate such as mine -- but I could never bring myself to do it. Because, I mean, it's raw. It's herring. It's raw herring! However, this weekend, when we went to the North Sea with my brother, Alex, I felt like the moment was right to give it a try. So I did. And I had Marci take a series of photographs to document the occasion, as seen here below:

And guess what?!? The raw herring tasted exactly what I thought it would taste like: raw herring! It was squishy and fishy and slimy and cold... And although I genuinely wanted to come out on the other side of the experience, saying that it wasn't nearly as bad as I might have thought it would be, the truth is that it was exactly as bad as I might have thought it would be!

I totally respect the rights of Dutch people to savor their raw herring -- but I have to say that I'm glad to have the experience behind me and know that I don't have to try it again.