Icelandic Hospitality

Only 2 months ago I was still vegetarian (except I did eat a Tim Horton's chicken burger and others over the summer) and in first year of university I had joined the Animal Rights Group on campus. Then I came here and all my beliefs were shot to hell. I had horse within the first week of my coming here, and lamb. I still haven't had shark yet, but I've been told that's pretty disgusting. Another delicacy they have here is ram's testicles. Yum.

Well, last week I went to try sheep's head. It is offered frozen in grocery stores, but we went to the main bus terminal cafeteria where they advertise it. Reason told me that it's more of a 'waste' to throw out the head than to eat it for 1400 Kr (with a side of salad, coffee, mashed potatoes and mashed turnips, no less). I thought they would serve it to us after deep-frying it, without the eye or the teeth bones or the nasal cavity fluids. They did none of that. The only difference between the one we were served and a live one was that the brains were out and it was cooked. O, the person I shared my portion with, chose a blackened head for some odd reason which made it even more disgusting. It reminded me of the ground covered in volcanic ash that I see every day. I ate a little bit, covered it in lots of ketchup, poked at the skin a bit with my knife. The worst thing was the smell. They could've at least covered it up with some seasonings but it was just plain skin, bone, flesh, cartilage, and whatever else sheep's head is made of. O and L had an eye-eating competition (fear factor Icelandic style). Bleh. I left shortly after.