Starfruit, aka carambola, in Taiwan. Ditto guava there (green, served sliced in little plastic bags sold by vendors at a train station). Both delicious. Never got the nerve to try durian while in Thailand...too smelly! Mangos, though, are so delicious when tree-ripened and peeled by an expert. Not the first time I had them, but the most memorable.

At this point, it's probably no longer considered "strange" since people talk about it so much but, for me, the first time eating durian is an experienced that has been burned into my mind as well as my nostrils. I had never heard of this fruit before (this was about fifteen years ago) but the vietnamese vendor at the farmer's market kept telling me that this was "the king of fruit."

Not knowing what I was getting into or even what to do once I got in there, I took a big knife and cut open the durian in half. Instantly I was hit by an odor that might generously be described as "high-school gym locker" ... it was sour, musky, musty, and just about every other unpleasant adjective. Normally, any food smelling this bad would be thrown into the garbage but I was intrigued by the little pockets of what looked like cream. So, I dug a spoon into one of the pockets and scraped up a deliciously creamy, lightly sweet, custard-like spoonful of durian goodness.

Firsts seared into my memory:

avocado (I'm old enough to remember when they suddenly burst on to the scene throughout U.S. grocery stores in the late 70s)

pomegranate (seeds and all)

green chiles -- the real ones, from southern New Mexico (not those silly Anaheim ones) that you can't get here. Yes, I'm snobby about my green chiles

sushi -- my very first piece was a huge rush of adrenaline. I was nervous about trying something totally new to me, not sure what to think about raw fish, and then got a big hit of wasabi.

One of my earliest memories of eating fruit is being fed lichees while traveling in China as a small child. I spent most summers in Taiwan growing up, and I remember thinking how amazing it was that a fruit could fall into star-shaped pieces when you sliced it. Even now lichees and starfruit are some of my favorite fruits; they bring back memories of childhood summers. Another fruit is what might be called "wax apple" or "bell fruit" in English. These are bell-shaped red-skinned fruits with a crunchy, juicy white flesh.

I had those "tamarillos" in Taiwan last fall. They were so beautiful we had to try some. I don't know if I would buy them if I saw them in a supermarket here - they belong to a certain time and place.

In terms of vegetables, I also remember - not fondly - eating bitter melon as a child. It was a test of just how *tough* I could be. Needless to say, I failed to pass.

I was amazed when first visiting Guam (hubby's birthplace) how the jungle around the house was filled with food plants: starfruit, papaya, guava, coconuts, taro, achiote (used as a red dye/flavoring for red rice). Wherever a seed fell, it sprouted up! Outside the backdoor was a thick carpet of pumpkin vines - because they had chucked the pulp out the door! I tried many new foods there, including pumpkin vine tips and green coconut (jellylike and translucent).

As homeschoolers, my boys and I have always taken home a little of every new fruit or veggie we see for sale - sometimes with positive results (cactus fruit, yum!) sometimes negative (rutabagas!).

Fresh sliced papaya on my breakfast plate at a resort in Mazatlan. I swear it smelled and tasted like cheese! But I enjoyed it, nonetheless.

I remember my first cherimoya from a farmers market on Kaua'i. It was strange yet exotic looking. The farmer was kind enough to give a taste. Creamy, sweet. Texture a bit odd but still a very nice memory.