organ meats -- can we be friends already?

I will admit, I don't like them...yet! My mom fed me chicken livers and kidneys when I was a toddler and apparently I was on board then, but since I can remember, I am really not a fan. I am a pretty adventurous eater, especially when I am abroad or at someone else’s house. While living in Ecuador I had guinea pig (which was my first pet as a kid), cow’s udder, cow’s foot, ants, tripe, fish head soup, fried sheep’s blood, etc. While in Mexico I had worms and ant eggs. In Portugal I had barnacles. In LA I recently had some tongue which Paul grilled at the house. When I compare these things, I can honestly say that I would rather eat a bug than an organ. Give me chewy or crunchy to rich and smooth any day. There is something about the richness of organ meats that I find hard to stomach. I don’t like pate, and really don’t like foie gras, which I think is better for ethical reasons anyway.
While in Italy, I hope to change my perspective on these functional delicacies as they are an important part of the cuisine and I appreciate that more parts of the animal are used and prized here. But this may take a little time. A few nights ago at a bar, we found that one of the free snacks offered were fritto misto which included organ meats. I tried to be a good sport but woke up in the middle of the night with a stomach ache. Paul thinks it was from the Aperol spritz, my new favorite aperitif. I think it was from the fritto misto. I’ll keep you posted as I give it another shot.