I triple-dog-dare-you!
Apr 23rd 2007
Karen RoseMy Life As A Plebe & On Writing!
This comes, of course, from the classic “A Christmas Story” with Ralphie and his Red Ryder BB Gun. We’ll have fun with this topic closer to the holidays, I imagine. But Raphie is not the subject of my blog. Flick is. He was the one who licked the icy pole and had to have his tongue wrapped in adhesive tape. Chuckle, chuckle…
I thought of my favorite personal tale of the TRIPLE DOG DARE this weekend when I was remembering my years of travel. I experienced many wonderful foreign cultures. But some of the traditions … well, you be the judge:
I love Japan. It is beautiful country filled with very friendly people. One person of which did the equivalent of the dreaded TRIPLE DOG DARE. On one of my trips, I was invited by my host and his colleagues to a lovely little restaurant with a relaxing pond with pretty fish …
The American I was traveling with - I’ll call her “T” - did not like fish or “anything raw” and announced this loudly as we entered the place. Our host looked crestfallen. That eliminated about 95% of the menu. I felt terrible for him and resolved to pick up the slack - I’d be game for any food.
I was the perfect patsy for the TRIPLE DOG DARE. So we sat down on the floor and proceeded to order. My host - whose English was impeccable - said with a twinkle in his eye, ”Would you accept …” and named everything on the menu. He didn’t ask “Would you like?“ He asked “Would you accept?“ The nuance is quite different. Of course I said, “Yes, yes, yes” to everything - even to foods I didn’t recognize, because “T” had pursed her lips tighter than a prune.
The waitress began to bring the food which was getting rawer and fishier with each course. (Note - I don’t like fish or raw stuff either - but I was trying to be nice!) Finally, the main part of the meal arrived. It was a big fish, served on a platter, its head and tail poked up on sticks so that it was arched up on the ends. And on its belly, on a bed of lettuce, was the meal, squares of raw fish fanned out like a deck of cards. An interesting serving prop, I thought, thinking the arched fish was fake, like a lot of the food I’d seen in Japanese restaurant windows. Ha! P-A-T-S-Y.
I was psyching myself up to take one of the raw fish squares when ”T” gasped beside me. “Karen, it’s … BREATHING.” And she was RIGHT. The fish we were about to eat had been taken from one of those pretty swimming fishes in the pond! Like, only minutes before! The fish’s tail was flipping, its mouth was gasping, its eyes were blinking and its gills were …doing whatever the verb is for what gills do.
I was stunned. And revolted. And my host started to laugh. It was a DARE. It was obvious neither he nor any of his colleagues believed I’d eat it.
But, like Flick, I was not to be undone by the dreaded TRIPLE DOG DARE. So I ate it. It was nasty. But I swallowed every bite. And thus earned the respect of my host and his colleagues. It turned out, that fish dish was a very expensive delicacy to be enjoyed with friends.
However, to this day, whenever I go to a Japanese restaurant, I just order the tempura.
So what have you done on a TRIPLE DOG DARE? Come on, come clean. You know you want to. In fact, I triple-dog-dare-you to.
44 Comments »
44 Responses to “I triple-dog-dare-you!”
Julia London on 23 Apr 2007 at 8:58 am #
ohmigod. I am still reeling from the thought of eating a live fish to even think what I have done. I am not worthy, Karen Rose — I could not have done it.
Karen Rose on 23 Apr 2007 at 9:28 am #
LOL, Julia. I think I was more concerned about the potential business ramifications at the time. I had to work with those guys and didn’t want to offend them. In some ways standing up and doing a solo karaoke number on a different trip was harder!
Kasey on 23 Apr 2007 at 10:18 am #
Give me karaoke over raw fish any day. Wow, I can’t believe you did that. I am too much of a picky eater to do that. Of course if a dare was thown in I might try it. Might being the key word in that statement.
Brandy on 23 Apr 2007 at 10:28 am #
Jeez, I have lived a sheltered existance. Y’all have WAY more fu than I do!
Brandy on 23 Apr 2007 at 10:29 am #
FUN, that was meant to say FUN.
darlingbeachgirl on 23 Apr 2007 at 10:42 am #
I was a bit of a trouble maker in school back in the day recently I have done anything on a dare but in highschool there are to many to put all of them on here one was two friends and I were going down the main road in my home town when one of them got into the notion of flashing a huge truck on the way cause it was basically slowing down speeding up cause it saw a car full of girls now me being the most adventurous they chose to dare. So of course I stood in the back half my body hanging out the window and in all my glory flashed the huge truck. Of course the down side to this dare was the guy in the truck and his friends were guys who were in my class first thing in the morning at school. Also one of them happend to be my best friend’s boyfriend.
gannon on 23 Apr 2007 at 10:46 am #
Wow, Karen! I can’t even begin to come close to the raw fish episode. Seriously, I doubt I could have pulled that off without the fish coming right back up! UGH!! You win, Karen.
Helen K on 23 Apr 2007 at 10:50 am #
LMAO! I so would have done it. And I hate fish (raw) with a passion.
When my (now, not then) DH and I were in Majorca, we ate at a local chinese food place. Good food, nice owner. Now, we’d been there about a week and were fairly used to getting drinks given to us at the end of a meal so when the owner came over with 2 bottles we didn’t think anything of it. She asked if we wanted sweet or dry. My DH answered immediately sweet. I was surprised by this and said dry (so we could share). DH and the woman asked “Are you sure?” I was like, “Yeah.” Then DH turned the bottle around so I could see. There were 2 lizards floating in the bottle. The owner looked at me with a smirk and asked again.
I was trapped.
I had to say “yes.”
It was the worst stuff I’d ever ever ever drunk in my entire life. It tasted like what I imagine formaldehyde would taste (to which my DH says, “Well, yeah, the lizards were preserved well.”)
Ronlyn on 23 Apr 2007 at 11:03 am #
Oh MY! I’m not sure I could have eatten that.
While backpacking through Europe I decided it’d be fun to try a traditional dish everywhere we went. After having a barmaid explain to me exactly what haggis is *bleh* and how it was prepared *double bleh* I decided to skip on that. Until we hit norway and I was offered leutifisk (?sp) I decided the haggis wasn’t so bad then.
That’s the worst I can think of. I’m not too much into dares, but that’s because I lack certain inhibitions, I’ll try practically anything (that’s not illegal or life threatening) once.
Sabrina Jeffries on 23 Apr 2007 at 11:19 am #
Eww, eww, ewww! I’m not a fish-lover either, although I would have done exactly the same thing in that situation. I hate being shown up. My parents once ate monkey brains in North Thailand . . . cooked right in the skull! Ugh.
I actually LIKE haggis, and I’m not generally put off by being told what a thing is or how it’s cooked (I LOVE black pudding, which is really just cooked blood, and I’ve eaten tongue happily a time or two). But I loathe mayonnaise. In anything. Makes me gag.
Oddly enough, I can’t think of ever doing something on a dare . . . or being dared to do anything. I have such a boring life now. Sheesh!
KMB25 on 23 Apr 2007 at 11:38 am #
Ok, so I have one Eewww story and one kinda funny…I’m quite the daring girl, ha ha!
My Eeewww story was when I was in France for three weeks participating in a chamber music camp while in college. We stayed at this beautiful hotel in the French alps in Pelvoux (sp?..it was pronounced Pel-vu) and as part of the package we ate all of our meals there as well. I ate all manner of things new and weird and french, including fish that still had the head on and the bones (I learned how to de-bone a fish that night…but that’s not the grossest part). One night for dinner we had something very different than we had before. It looked like sausage, and I can’t even pronounce the name of it…but it was NOT regular sausage. It was actually the intestine of the cow…which, I was informed, was taken out of it’s ’sleeve’ cleaned and then stuffed back in and cooked. I can’t even describe how bad it smelled. The girl next to me, who was my roommate and relatively daring….to be cont.
Ronlyn on 23 Apr 2007 at 11:43 am #
After just chatting with a couple of girlfriends about an upcoming wedding, I’m convinced I’ve worn some bridesmaids dresses that were dares.
Let’s see, there was the orange one…or even better, the white with pink poka dots, and don’t forget the matching hat! oy.
KMB25 on 23 Apr 2007 at 11:43 am #
Well, my roomie took one whiff of that thing and promptly left the table at a dead run to go throw up….I was a little more game, but my stomach was turning as I smelled it. I even managed to take one bite as our piano professor from the college (who is french) was watching us….he was laughing of course! As I chewed that one bite, it just all became way too much, my stomach started to turn and I ended up gagging and really couldn’t eat any more of it. At least I tried…unlike my roomie. Although dessert was great that night…if there’s one thing the french know how to do, it’s DESSERT!!!
My funny story was when I was triple-dog-dared while on a beach one night (of course it was late and we had a six-pack of beer) to throw off all my clothes and go jump in the water. It was my cousin who dared me to do this of course, and being an adventurous sort, did it…after getting her to agree to buy me a plane ticket to visit her! She is such a bad influence on me!
~Kim
Karen Rose on 23 Apr 2007 at 11:57 am #
Ahh, the triple dog dare bridesmaid dress. Once I wore one with a bow on the butt. I used to think there was somebody on the planet that would look good with a bow on the butt, but now, I know there isn’t.
And, ahem, the BRIDE who forced that particular abomination is a sometimes POSTER here at the Goddess Blogs, hhhhmmmm. Altho she’ll say I forced her to roll sliced luncheon meat for the deli trays at my wedding reception, which she thinks makes us square.
HA! Bows on the butt my Aunt Fanny, I grumble….
But bride friend of mine, I still love you, butt bows and all
Karen Rose on 23 Apr 2007 at 11:58 am #
And the exhibitionist triple-dog-dare, KMB25.
Now this is getting interesting! LOL.
Helen K - LIZARD? Ewwww. I live in FL and we get these cute little lizards that scamper merrily about. I can’t think of drinking anything they’d been floating in. Ewwww.
I had blood pudding in Ireland and blood sausage in Germany and reindeer in Burgundy wine sauce in Finland. I think Finland wins. Hands down.
cookeemama on 23 Apr 2007 at 12:34 pm #
Urk! I believe I will pass on all of your dares. Heck, I’ve lived in PA Dutch country for 31 years and have never had one bite of scrapple. Which doesn’t hold a candle to some of the stuff you all have ingested.
I hope my lunch stays down. Ewwwww.
Stacy S on 23 Apr 2007 at 12:51 pm #
You rock Karen.. There’s no way I could ever do that.
Karen Rose on 23 Apr 2007 at 12:57 pm #
As a footnote to this story, “T” had to go back to Japan a few months later. She’d lost a good bit of weight on the first trip because she wouldn’t eat anything. So she packed herself a box of non-perishable rations and had it sent to the hotel where she was staying so that she’d have food when she arrived.
In the box were crackers and peanut butter and - I kid you not - cans of TUNA FISH. That still makes me laugh.
And thanks to all who think me brave
Like Sabrina, I really just don’t like to be shown up!
DebMarlowe on 23 Apr 2007 at 1:04 pm #
Karen you are a WOMAN! Breathing? I sympathise with your motivation, but I don’t know if I could have eaten all of it, or kept it down.
Clearly I need more adventure in my life!
gannon on 23 Apr 2007 at 1:14 pm #
Sabrina, I like haggis and blood sausage, too.
Kim, you are one brave woman! I think I would have been like your roommate and hauled ass as soon as I saw and smelled the cow intestine! Don’t think I could have taken even a tiny bite. EWWW!
Karen Hawkins on 23 Apr 2007 at 1:35 pm #
(bowing) You’re a true goddess, Karen R!
Me, I will try dishes-I-do-not-know, but nothing has been revolting enough for me to remember it. And I’ve never worn a bow-on-the-butt bridesmaid dress, either.
Ah, I’ve lived an uneventful life. I think I’ll go outside now and eat a lizard.
SuzyQ on 23 Apr 2007 at 1:50 pm #
Karen R, you are a brave girl. I would have gagged!
I have done some pretty stupid things on a dare. There was the time I was down the shore with my friends and they dared me to pretend I was drowning so we could meet the cute lifeguards . . . Funny part was later that night on the boardwalk, we overheard some people talking about “the girl that almost drowned”.
TheNightPoet on 23 Apr 2007 at 1:56 pm #
haha I can’t think of a triple dog dare I’ve ever had to do. I remember as a kid when my friends and I would have slumber parties and sometimes end up playing truth or dare. But the dares we did were silly ones. Nothing like what Flick had to do on “A Christmas Story”. That’s a great movie by the way.
haha My couin-in-law had a bow on the butt for her wedding dress, Karen. It was the most horrible wedding dress I’ve ever seen. I’m sorry, but it’s true. Not only did it have the BIG bow on the butt (I’m not exaggerating here either), it also had ruffles on the bodice and was just hideous when you saw it. I had to hold in my laughter when I saw her walk down the aisle. It was bad. lol
Andrea
KMB25 on 23 Apr 2007 at 2:02 pm #
gannon…I remember it being the worst possible food I ever could have tried. I kept picturing them trying clean that stuff and then stuff it back into the sleeve…the smell alone….oh dear god, I can’t believe the french actually LIKE that dish!!
I think the thing that made up for it was the crepe restaurant across the street…they were awesome! Also, like I mentioned before..dinner sucked, but desserts were ALWAYS awesome
Karen R…as for the beach dare…hehe…I won a plane ticket didn’t I?..and well, I have to say, the beach was pretty deserted and there was no moon that night…except my own..hehe. (sorry, I had to put that out there)
~Kim
Karen Rose on 23 Apr 2007 at 2:15 pm #
My DH once ate scrapple on a triple-dog-dare from an 87-year-old great-grandmother. Not his g-gmother. It was our neighbors who every holiday had this huge family reunion. The g-gmother loved my DH because he had a garden and put up his own canned veggies and pickles. The old lady dared him to eat the scrapple with a twinkle in her eye.
He did it - and promptly got sick. I got out of that dare - I was pregnant with our oldest and all the women clucked over me.
My sister used to pretend like she was dead on the side of the road on a dare - to get people to stop. She is now a responsible mother herself - despite herself!
Helen K on 23 Apr 2007 at 3:04 pm #
LOL Karen, like you and Sabrina, I just don’t like to be shown up.
The lizards weren’t little or cute though. I think the worst part was my DH wouldn’t share his drink with me. The owner had given him a ‘naughty’ glass and so I wasn’t allowed to see. I didn’t care, I just wanted to get rid of the taste. I still shudder to think on it. But I kept it down and bought a chocolate bar on our way back to the hotel.
I also like blood sausage, so maybe that’s not saying much? Oh I and love love love marzipan which my DH thinks is the worst stuff on the planet. But revenge is mine, both our kids love it too.
I don’t know if I could have eaten the intestine though. Kudos to you, Kim. I once traded a dish with a fellow diner in Wales because the lamb dish I had smelled so bad, but then again, no one was smirking at me sure I wouldn’t touch it…
catslady on 23 Apr 2007 at 3:23 pm #
I love things like escargot, calamari, anchovies and even liver but I’m afraid I could never eat a fish that was gasping for air. Have you ever thought of trying out for Survivor? lol.
Julia London on 23 Apr 2007 at 3:27 pm #
Hey! Before you people start dissing wedding dresses, remember that some of us were married in the 80s! (well, the first time, anyway…). Some of us had no choice but to don hideous wedding dresses because THEY (they being the wedding dress industry) convinced us those dresses were stylish! Remember Princess Diana? My wedding dress was just a smidge less poofy that that, and there were shiny beads and big ruffles and a hideous, HIDEOUS veil.
Needless to say, the second time was very understated and there wasn’t any damn veil.
Thank you. I feel better having gotten that off my chest.
Judy F on 23 Apr 2007 at 3:43 pm #
Karen Rose you are a goddess. I could not have eating that on a dare. Very sensitive tummy.
I don’t think I have been dared very often. Just the usual to smoke a cig. (didn’t like it) After a few drinks approach a hot guy in a bar.
Karen Rose on 23 Apr 2007 at 5:20 pm #
I got married in ‘86 and Julia is right. The style was lots ‘n lots of ruffles. The entire back of my gown, waist to my 4 foot train was cascading ruffles. I loved that gown.
But still, a big honkin’ bow on the butt, that was too much.
So Judy F - what about these hot guys. You taunt the goddesses with your teasing. REVEAL.
Pretty please
And Helen - a “naughty” glass? I’m thinking, I’ve beer served in boots, but I’m trying to think of what could constitute a “naughty” glass. Perhaps it was the adornment. A phrase from a limerick maybe?
julia london on 23 Apr 2007 at 5:52 pm #
I have to agree, Karen. Butt bows are just not done, no matter how poofy the style. But there were plenty of them in the 80s, LOL. And the sleeves! Ohmigod!
Yeah, Judy F, cough up those pics.
And speaking of intestines, my grandmother, rest her soul, ate raw onions like apples and loved menudo. I come from some tough as nails stock and yet I am so squeamish when presented with moving fish or lizards. Eeeewwweee!
DebMarlowe on 23 Apr 2007 at 6:27 pm #
OMG, Julia, I wish I had known your grandma! She sounds like a riot. Menudo! Now “At the shoopping maaallll!” is going to be the soundtrack running in my head!
Judy F on 23 Apr 2007 at 6:59 pm #
I don’t have any pictures of my youth in bars. LOL Half the time I got way to tongue tied.
My friends used to dare me to play video games with guys they wanted to get rid of at the bars. I used to be a killer at Ms Pacman and Gallacia. Jeesh I am dating myself.
As far as pictures of me with hot guys I do Have one with James Denton.
Kelly Ann on 23 Apr 2007 at 7:10 pm #
You are all brave women, I will try anything once as long as it doesn’t consist of intestines, organs or blood! I hate the smell of it, makes me gag. I like sushi too, but I’m not sure I could eat anything that was still living! I’d cry for sure just to see it laying there, but I would have tried it in your situation. I’m not sure I’ve been dared much, I guess because I didn’t have to be dared to do it. That sounds bad, but it’s not, I promise!
The most horrid thing that I’ve eaten (and been dared to eat) recently was by my naughty man. He swares (as does his family) that it’s the best sandwich ever. You should not read this Sabrina, it will make you sick. Mayonnaise and sliced banana’s on simple white bread. It’s not even right to put those 2 things together. Sometimes, he even adds peanut butter!!!! YUCK! I did try it and couldn’t even swallow it was so bad!
colinfirthfan on 23 Apr 2007 at 8:18 pm #
I am the most un-adventerous soul when it come to food. I will not eat anything raw. Will not eat fish and definitely not ANY shell fish (hey , it tastes fishy).
I will most definitely gag and throwup if I had to even smell any of the food mentioned here. I would scream and run if I saw lizards in a bottle.
I can’t even get close to a glass of scotch because I hate the smell. I drink little to no wine. I love fruite margaritas and thats about it!
On a dare I will do things like climbing up on the roof of my grannys house using a vine and urging my younger cousins to follow me. I wil squeeze through windows, jump off roofs etc…
Erica Ridley on 23 Apr 2007 at 9:18 pm #
I love this story, even though it continues to gross me out. =)
I’ll have to think of something I’ve done on a dare… I used to be infamous for acts of momentary insanity as a teenager, but apparently I’ve grown stodgy lately.
As soon as I think of a good story, I’ll post!
julia london on 23 Apr 2007 at 9:26 pm #
Deb, ROFLMAO! There are some malls on the south side of San Antonio where menudo probably is sold at a kiosk, hahahahaha……
I never could get over the onion thing. I would gape at her in horror. And then she’d say, “Um-um, that is a sweeeeeeeet onion.” Seriously!
Helen K on 23 Apr 2007 at 10:24 pm #
LOL Karen, my DH just busted himself. I was telling him about this blog and he asked if I told you all about the lizards. When I said I had, he asked if I told you about the naughty glass. I said I was about to post an explanation.
It was a glass then when emptied had a naked pic on the bottom(?) of the shot glass. At the time he told me it was ‘just a naked lady’ and I wondered what the big deal was. (I can’t remember but I think she was clothed when first placed in front of him - not that I could see, from my side it was a glass like mine)
Tonight, he says, “Yeah, tell them it was page 378 from the Kama Sutra.” (he was making up the page - I think
When I said, “I thought it was just a naked woman?” He replied, “No, it was- - uh, I don’t remember.”
Now he maintains it was long ago and he can’t remember a thing.
Uh huh. I believe that.
Karen Rose on 23 Apr 2007 at 10:37 pm #
Helen - cough, cough - Sometimes discretion really is the better part of valor.
So does anybody out there have a copy of the Kama Sutra to look up p378? (not me, just imagining it puts me in traction)
TheNightPoet on 24 Apr 2007 at 1:58 pm #
haha I didn’t even think about the dresses from the 80s, then again, I was a kid then. lol But you’re right, that did seem to be the style back then, didn’t it?
lol That’s funny about the Kama Sutra thing.
Andrea
P.S. I have to ask this, I’ve been wondering for quite a while now. What does “DH” stand for? lol
Karen Rose on 24 Apr 2007 at 2:18 pm #
I thought it was “DEAR HUSBAND” but have since learned it’s “DEAR HEART” or your significant other.
TheNightPoet on 25 Apr 2007 at 11:04 am #
hehe Thanks Karen.
I figured the “h” stood for husband, but I couldn’t figure out what the “d” stood for. You’ve solved all my wondering thoughts about what it could possibly stand for. hehe 
Andrea
darkshire007 on 23 May 2007 at 11:47 am #
Most of the “dares” I have participated in are not fit to write about :} but I do remember one at a sushi bar in Salt Lake City. My girlfriends dared me to order something called a Clam Shooter; so I did. Then it took everything I had to eat it. It was a clam (served raw like an oyster) with a raw quail egg, raw fish and veggie slices for adornment. It was the grossest looking thing I have ever seen. But I ate it; and didn’t think I would keep it down. Water helps; you can eat anything if you have enough water to drowned it in!
MizMacgyver on 25 May 2007 at 3:59 pm #
darkshire007 (love your name by the way-how did you come up with it and has it anything to do with Lord of the Rings?) You have gotten to travel so much, are you in the military?