This can be especially true for expats who have just moved to a new country with a new culture and foods that are unfamiliar. Perhaps there are suddenly spices surrounding you that you’ve never seen before. Maybe certain foods you used to love are now not often used or even banned in your new country.

Unfortunately, in this case, there’s a much better chance of getting yourself to enjoy and appreciate your host country’s foods than the country suddenly changing its entire food culture. Because of this, it is important for expats to know how to begin with new foods.

• Try everything once- You may be feeling like a picky child again, unwilling to try certain things because of their look or smell. But with an entire country worth of food, it is unlikely that you won’t be able to find anything you like. Tell yourself you’ll try one bite of anything that is offered. If you dislike it, you don’t need to push yourself or force yourself to finish, but perhaps a new favourite is lurking under the surface.

• Give a cooking class a try- This is doubly helpful if you are in a country with unfamiliar ingredients. Sometimes things are not as they seem, and a cooking class is a perfect way to familiarize yourself with local ingredients and get a chance to try new things in one shot. Better yet, you’ll be gaining skills on how to prepare local foods that may translate into new skills for all your culinary efforts.

• Don’t go it alone- The best way to find great new foods is through recommendations. Go to lunch with friends, agree with your significant other to try something new for dinner, make new foods from a local recipe book for your kids. Surround yourself with opportunities to delve into the new and unique

• Have fun! The most important aspect when trying new foods. You certainly won’t like everything you try and that’s inevitable, but don’t let yourself get down if you’re nervous of all the new options at your disposal. Take it at your own pace and think of each new food as an adventure.