This past weekend I had the opportunity to visit the exotically beautiful country of Iceland. It was an amazing once in a lifetime experience. I've travelled quite a bit and I've never experienced a landscape quite like this. It's actually a great place for a weekend getaway since it's a mere 5 hour flight to a fantastic glacier climbing, horseback riding, iceberg sighting, whale watch and hot tub soaking experience. Anyone who reads the Foodie-file regularly knows that I love ethnic foods - I'm a junky for indigenous foods from other countries and love to find little unknown foodie gems. Iceland has a lot to offer, but I can tell you after much wandering and disappointed eating, foodie gems are not really on the menu. To be fair, a country of lava fields, glaciers and boiling thermal waters is a harsh environment for cultivating living things. And like so many other western cultures, the Icelanders have succumbed to the siren song of convenience and fast foods, so many traditional staples have been lost. A few exceptions that have held on include puffin and cormorant. The puffin I had was brined, which seems to be the usual preparation. I was served the breast, it was a dark meat and it tasted like a combination of duck and liver. I know there are a lot of Icelander in Gimli, Manitoba, any of you ever eat a puffin? There were a few notable exceptions to my foodie experience, and a few other novelty eating experiences I will be sharing in upcoming posts, so keep reading for more about Iceland. Click here to sign up for Christine's Food for Friends e-newsletter!