I've eaten squirrel, not bad, but not much meat. To me squirrel is almost like eating cat, the meat is stringy and tough. Dog tastes better, more tender, and much more meat than squirrel and cat. I've helped butcher deer for venison, snapping turtle, and other wild critters. I never deliberately have eaten cat or dog, but was hanging out with a bunch of Chinese nationals while in Malaysia, and found out after the fact that indeed that is what I have eaten. Sugar gliders, those cute little things that are sometimes kept as pets in the USA, are probably the one I felt the worst about eating, but again, my hosts were chattering in Pahang, which I don't understand. It took one to translate from Pahang to Chinese, and another person to translate from Chinese to English to find out what I was eating. The rule was to smile a lot and be gracious.
My favorite non-traditional for USA citizens food was Monitor Lizard. The Pahang had shot a 6 footer the morning we had dinner with them. Very much tastes like alligator, and was cooked in a way that made it quite tender. Really nice.
My Hungarian grandmother loved horse meat. I'm certain I had it when I was a little kid. By 1970 it was no longer allowed in retail butcher shops, so I have not had any since I was about 15 years old. Every culture has their foods that they like, and are considered "acceptable", and their foods that are forbidden. Talmudic law devotes much to what is allowed to be eaten, and how it is to be handled or prepared. Much makes sense if you remember they were writing those rules before refrigeration was available.
When travelling, I try to eat what the locals eat. I could not imagine going to Kuala Lumpur, and having McDonalds. As much as possible, when on the road I try to eat like the locals. Its quite the education. A Japanese-American friend of mine, when travelling was frequently frustrated by his hosts wanting to take him to Japanese restaurants. He would remind them that he got Japanese food, at home, everyday. He was the one who encouraged me to really try to find and sample the local cuisine where every I was. I have now had BBQ in 27 states, as every state, every city has their own regional take on BBQ. I still have to try sample BBQ from 23 more states, and a couple territories.
