Does Anyone Appreciate Unappealing Food?

There is a museum in the Swedish city of Malmö that brings new meaning to the phrase “you are what you eat.” The Disgusting Food Museum is dedicated to showcasing unusual -- and frequently off-putting -- dishes from all over the world. Opened in November 2018, there are some 80 different dishes in the exhibit, ranging from fermented shark meat and fried tarantulas to the smelly durian fruit and cooked guinea pigs. Visitors have the opportunity to smell and even taste some of the dishes. Although many visitors are undoubtedly interested in the gross-out factor, the overarching intent of the museum is to show how subjective "disgusting food" really is, and how it is intrinsically connected to culture. For example, many Europeans find that root beer, a beloved, classic beverage in the United States, has a taste that resembles toothpaste. The museum's curator, Dr. Samuel West, wants visitors to reassess what makes something "disgusting." Although many people would recoil at the idea of eating insects, they are actually a far more sustainable protein source than meat such as pork.

Maggot cheese and mouse wine, anyone?

• The Disgusting Food Museum will go on tour for a pop-up exhibition in Los Angeles from December 2018 to February 2019.
• One of the most stomach-churning items in the museum is Su Callu Sardu, a Sardinian cheese made from the contents of the stomach of a baby goat, when filled with its mother's milk.
• Dr. West is also a psychologist who has previously found success in creating and curating the Museum of Failure, which is dedicated to highlighting the important role of failure in innovation and the creative process.