The start of every New Year is associated with feeble attempts to make resolutions; vows that are often guaranteed to last no longer than a glorious scoop of Solferino’s (38 Wellington Street East) pistachio gelato under the hot summer sun. Of course this fact doesn’t excuse one from accepting challenges. There should still be a willingness to step outside of one’s comfort zone, especially if it involves good eats. A New Year means new beginnings, and what better way to approach 2008 than to do so with a ready stomach. Listed below are 10 food related tests to tantalize the taste buds and open the palate. It isn’t difficult considering that there are 12 months in a year. Really, that’s less than one feat to conquer per month. By the end of the year, the budding foodie residing within will truly be able to stake claims of having been there and done that.

Challenge #1: Set aside one full day to go out “fooding.” A food-filled day can be planned or spontaneous. For the novice, I’d recommend starting off in one of Toronto’s eclectic neighbourhoods before venturing to cross city tours dedicated to one theme (i.e. a bread tour, pastry tour, chocolate tour, or even a gelato tasting tour). The latter is not impossible, in fact, quite fun, just as long as you have an empty stomach, a full tank of gas and a group of food-enthused friends.

For instance, a day may start with a delightful morning coffee run at Manic Coffee (426 College Street), followed by a just-baked almond croissant from Bistro & Bakery Thuet (609 King Street West), its plain butter cousin from La Bamboche (4 Manor Road East) or a fresh baguette from Pain Perdu (736 St. Clair Avenue West) - the latter being my first choice. Stop and peruse the shelves of a kitchen supplies store like Kitchen and Glass Place (840 Yonge Street) or Dinah’s Cupboard (50 Cumberland Street) to pick up some rare item for the pantry. Next, head to a pleasant little place around the corner for a hearty bite before picking up some sweet treats from The Desert Lady (20 Cumberland Street), Pusateri’s (57 Yorkville Avenue) or j.s. bonbons (163 Dupont Street). After that, step into a neighbourhood bookstore, such as The Cookbook Store (850 Yonge Street), to flip though a couple rare finds. Succumbing to the grumbling stomach that protests the lure of food images from Ferran Adrià, Thomas Keller, or Pierre Hermé, seek out the area’s favourite bistro for dinner. Crown the evening with the sweets purchased earlier and reflect on all the day’s delicious finds.

Challenge #2: Try an exotic fruit whose scary outward appearance or reputation hides a delicious treasure. A visit to K&K Tropical Fruit (298A Spadina Avenue) to purchase an amazing mangosteen, pale-fleshed dragon fruit, and/or the hairy looking rambutan may be an amusing way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon. Make an event out of the whole experience by inviting friends over for a fruit taste test. Who knows, a durian lover might exist amongst the crowd!

Challenge #3: Offal is far from awful. Wrap your mind around the thought of tomato stewed tripe from Coca (783 Queen Street West), or a delectable bowl spilling over with braised bovine stomach, lung, kidney and spleen at your favourite Chinese noodle shop such as House of Gourmet (484 Dundas Street West). Fish maw (aka stomach) is silky and rich; jellyfish, just like crunchy rubber bands! I find much pleasure in braised duck’s tongue akin to those found at dim sum restaurants like Dynasty Chinese Cuisine (131 Bloor Street West, Second Floor). It might be time to call up that friend who eats everything and drag her to Via Allegro (1750 The Queensway) for their signature “heads and tails.” There’s no better way to bond than to share a platter containing a roasted pig’s split head, its tail, and a piece of its belly.

Challenge #4: Consume something controversial. That way you can be the centre of attention at the next company wine & cheese. Did someone say foie gras? How about a bite of horse meat? Although uber pricey, if you are able to access some ethically harvested shark’s fin, you’ll find that they are firm, and gelatinous! Which leads me to question, who else besides Paul is willing to truck it out to Soon Lee (629 Markham Road)to pick up some fetal duck eggs?

Challenge #5: Eat something that has questionable sanitary origins. Now I’m not recommending for anyone to challenge the standards issued by our city’s fine fleet of food inspectors, but there are some eclectic delicacies which may have some reaching for the sani-spray. Take for instance chicken or duck feet, cow tongue, pig trotters… or even Toronto’s famed street sausages that are grilled in the midst of airborne dust, dirt and an excess of exhaust fumes (I shudder at the thought of this health hazard). If given the opportunity to try raw milk or even raw milk cheese, don’t pass it up! Swallow’s nest (aka “swallow’s spit”) is a delicacy found in high end dessert soups that can be ordered at Liu’s 1 Restaurant (Unit 29, 3255 Highway 7 East, Markham) and is noted to be good for the skin and eyes.

Challenge #6: Try foods that taste good because they have gone bad. Not one to promote botulism, salmonella or e.coli, I’m speaking of food stuff whose preparation involves spoiling. Besides cheese, sauerkraut, tofu or vinegar, how about ethnic finds like kimchee? Ok ok, how about properly aged beef? That is guaranteed to be tender and full of flavour. Just buy it from a reputable butcher (and don’t eat the mould). For the vegetarian, stinky tofu or natto is not too hard to swallow - just avoid deep inhalation or playing too much with the food.

Challenge #7: Speaking of edibles left to go bad, how about trying some foods meant to spoil the consumer. Frying is an art embraced by our neighbours to the south, and perhaps a craft that should be reconsidered given our current health craze. Can I interest anyone in a deep fried Mars bar, Snickers, some Oreo cookies, or cheesecake on a stick? Cold ice cream is delicious under a hot battered cap. How about using real butter for a change? It’s not all that bad when taken in moderation.

Challenge #8: Foods that bears a strong resemblance to strange alien-like creatures are a worthy find. Does the thought of trying sea cucumber, baby octopus, or geoduck clam churn your stomach? How about fish roe - those little beads packed full of briny goodness that pop in your mouth? For those who are more adventurous and haven’t yet heard the sweet siren’s call of custardy uni (aka sea urchin gonad), get thee to any respectable sushi bar and place an order please. Cooked seafood lovers will love unagi, aka barbequed eel, moist and delicate filets that are slathered with a sweet blanket of unagi sauce.

Challenge #9: Rediscover the joys of cooking from scratch. This might be a difficult suggestion for busy bodies that are ruled by their PDAs and are constantly on the go. Does the thought of making homemade bread, cookies or cakes send you scurrying to your local mega-mart? Imagine the scent of the yeasty risen dough or sweet toasty aroma of white chocolate macadamia nut cookies wafting from the oven. Given the growing trend in convenience foods, 2008 maybe the year to drop the boxes of cake mix or prepared slab cakes from the supermarket and embrace the inner baker. Enrol in a course at George Brown and find pleasure in making personal creations from that long forgotten room called the kitchen and cook with appliances beyond the microwave.

Challenge #10: Add spice to your life by experimenting with unfamiliar seasonings involving dried seed, fruit, root, bark or vegetative matters that dwell on grocery store shelves. Never found a use for sweet cardamom? How about pungent and earthy tumeric? If saffron is the most expensive spice in the world, then the fact that turmeric has been used as its inexpensive substitute might have many giving new appreciation toward this root. Trivia question: What’s the difference between black, green, white and pink peppercorns? Answer: The latter is not a pepper! A similar approach to try new-to-you spices can be applied when dining out. Berbere is key in Ethiopian cuisine such as that found at Ethiopian House (4 Irwin Avenue) and masala is found on many Indian menus including Debu Saha’s Biryani House (25 Wellesley East). New taste sensations await at many of Toronto’s wonderful dining establishments, the question becomes what to try first.

Which of these suggested food challenges will you address first in 2008? I think it’s time to eat my own words and step outside for one of those street vendor hot dogs I hear so much about…

Renée Suen is a graduate student at the University of Toronto, specializing in cardiovascular sciences. She has an insatiable appetite and can often be found searching for the tastiest and best dishes in the city with her camera. You can follow her dining and cooking adventures at her Flickr site.