One of my favourite recent television shows was a series called Travel Man, which featured the UK comedian Richard Ayoade.
The premise was to watch two comedians (Richard and a special guest), experience the culture of a city somewhere in the world for 48 hours. Recognising the rising popularity of city breaks, they aimed to avoid tourist traps, give practical advice and soak in something of the local culture. They would take in some sights, sample some food and try out some more outlandish things before heading home. Somehow they edited all that fun down into 24 minutes.
The most enjoyable bit was always around food. One week, Kathy Burke would be relishing sheep's head, another Noel Fielding would be sniffing fermented herring and on yet another, Richard would be visibly apprehensive about the potentially lethal delicacy of pufferfish.
How to apply the gospel across cultures? Talk about shame
I still remember the weight of that brown envelope in my hands. My entire future seemed contained within those folded …