My first (now fuzzy) memories of sea cucumber are of finding it in Boullabaise in Marseilles. Seemed rather nondescript, so curious, I asked the waiter what it was.

The sea cucumber I've had in Japan has always been sliced crosswise and pickled (osumono). Never really thought about whether it was raw or cooked, just that it made me realize how a dog felt chewing on a rubber toy. So forgive me if I don't go out of my way to find this menu item. Also, seeing these creatures all over the sea floor every year while snorkeling in Guam doesn't do much for the appetite either.

I'm usually willing to try any food once. I've had crab brains (not bad), canned bee larvae (tastes like honey, of course), sugared grasshoppers (also not bad), etc., but I draw the line at slimy things such as shiokara and from the sound of things, konowata. Sorry.

I would have thought that shirako (sacs of fish sperm) also ranked right up there. I have tried this one time (thank you that was more than enough), as a guest at a well-known restaurant in Tokyo specializing in this delicacy. I think what really turned me off was that the entire meal was made up of shirako. We had it as appetizer, boiled, grilled, poached, etc., must've been about 6 or 7 courses.

BTW, my discussion of the above items is not to be construed as any wish on my part to partake of these items at the upcoming Bounen-Do.