Until a recent Christmas party, a few of my friends had never heard of boiled custard 'til a guy showed up with a big ol' jug of it.  The words alone  - "boiled custard" - sound like a reason to go to the doctor.  But the person who brought it said it was one of his holiday traditions, so I poured myself a cup and found out that it tasted like melted ice cream.

Another friend of mine spent Thanksgiving with a family that spread fatback on its bread.  Fatback, for those of you who are already feeling uneasy, is literally that:  salt-cured fat from the side of a pig.  Some folks eat it like butter.

Now hold onto your lunch, 'cause this is about to get rough.  A woman I used to work with enjoyed a holiday helping of possum pot pie, as in a pot pie with possum.  She said it was pretty fattening and not nearly as enjoyable as tuna mousse.  I've heard of the mousse you eat for dessert and the mousse you put in your hair.  But mousse filled with fish sounds like a reason to try another restaurant.

Do you have any strange holiday foods or traditions you'd like to share with us?

Carl Azuz, Anchor