Yum(?)

Lining the top of the plate is muktuk - the white fat attached to the black skin. Below the muktuk and to the right are pieces of the tail. Right in the center of the plate is a piece of intestine. The two dark pieces to the left of the intestine are meat. And those three pieces on the bottom of the plate are a mystery.

The day after a whale is caught, it is customary for the family to hold a feed. The whole community is welcome to come in and eat whale. All parts of the whale - the muktuk, the meat, the heart, the intestine, the tail, all of it. Each part is served in a separate bowl - meaning there's a big bowl of muktuk, a big bowl of intestine, and so on. It's served with rolls, tea and coffee, and salt. One is supposed to sit down with a plate, grab pieces of whale, slice each part with a knife or ulu, and eat it with your hands, sprinkling salt on each piece. The women of the family are in the kitchen cutting of the whale and putting them in totes and then into little bags for people to take home, like goodie bags. As soon as I entered the house, one of these goodie bags was pushed into my hand, the contents of which is displayed in the above picture. At the house, I tried more muktuk, some of the heart, and some more of the meat. I took small pieces and sprinkled salt on each bite. This is my third time now eating whale and I just don't know if I'll ever actually start liking it, but I'm always willing to try.