Sorry PETA, but whales are yummy!!

This May i had the amazing pleasure of visiting the Scandinavian country of Norway. Norway a country known for its amazing mountains and Vikings more than for its cuisine was an experience never to be forgotten. During my stay in Norway i had the oppurtunity to not only experience the big city life of Norway in Oslo but also the small countryside in northern Norway. My travels took me to the The Lofoten Islands, to a small lovely quaint fishing village of Henningsvar. Henningsvar is surrounded by the ocean and is known for the amazing codfish,halibut and salmon. Minke whales have also made there home in the Northern coast of Norway. Though very few nations still allow whaling or whale hunting due to the influence of the ICW(International Whaling Commission), whale hunting is still a big Norwegian tradition that is maintained with minor regulations and restrictions. In fact while in Henningsvar i was challenged by my Norwegian boyfriend to taste whale or "hval". I was a little shocked that he would challenge me to eat an animal that was considered adorable and cuddly. Didn't Norwegians see Free Willy or Whale rider? How could they eat Willy and not feel not the least guilty? Whale in Norway can prepared in many ways. I saw a menu at Fiskekrogen in Henningsvar that offered whale carpaccio served with arugala, goat cheese, pine nuts and olive oil. I had the adventure of having a whale steak. Apparently the best way to have a whalesteak is medium rare. It is cooked simply by frying on both sides with light butter and served with the Norwegian staple potatoes. As seen above i also had mine cooked medium rare, but being the Latina that i am i ordered mine pepper encrusted. Sadly Norwegian food is a little bland for my taste and not much spice or strong flavor is added to most  food. After asking God ,PETA and Greenpeace for forgiveness and taking a deep breath i took a nice size bite out of the hval and was pleasantly suprised! Folks whale didnt taste like any fish ive ever tasted!In fact it didn't taste like fish at all!It had the flavor and texture of a pricey,meduim rare steak that can be found in any of New Yorks' high end steakhouses! It melted in my mouth like butter and with a little kick from the encrusted pepper i forgot i was eating Willy! I realized pretty quickly that whale is the "other red meat" in Norway for a reason. Whale though as common as hamburger and salmon in Norway is controversial and pretty much a delicasse anywhere else.It can only be found and bought in Norway and some places in Japan for a hefty price. I am glad to have had the "adventure" and to have proven to my boyfriend that he indeed has an open-minded gutsy girlfriend.