MELISSA HALTERMAN/Arizona Daily Wildcat Ki-Moon Kim, 23 and from Tucson, enjoys a dish of alligator at The French Quarter on East Grant Road.

Exotic dishes can be a 'Fear Factor' experience for the faint of heart

This year, axe the candy corn and try something even more fitting for Halloween. A few places around Tucson offer menu items that rival some of the tasks in "Fear Factor." Here are a few scary foods and the places you'll find them.

Alligator Tail
The French Quarter, 3146 E. Grant Road, offers battered and fried alligator tail ($5.99) complete with three dipping sauces. Though it seemed scary at first, I liked the idea of switching around the food chain and giving the human the chance to eat the alligator. Cut into unrecognizable pieces, I was able to pop the pieces into my mouth without a shudder. Expecting it to taste like chicken (what doesn't?), I was surprised when the meat tasted light and mild, like fish. I'd get that again, Halloween or not.

Eel and Octopus
What better place to test out unusual food than a sushi joint? At Sushi Cho, 1830 E. Broadway Blvd., Suite 148, you can order straight from the sushi chefs. I decided to try the octopus and eel. Both were cooked, though the octopus didn't look like it. I thought if I wasn't careful, one of its tentacles would reach out and grab me. Needless to say, I wasn't a big fan of the octopus. Besides the presentation (beautiful but frightening), the meat lacked a rich flavor and felt chewy. The eel, on the other hand, was drenched in a sweet sauce and melted in my mouth. A little fattier than most fish, the eel tasted bold and full, definitely a dish I would order again.

Menudo
Menudo's Mexican soup ($4.50 for a cup) features tripe, or the lining of a cow's stomach. I admit I am a beef lover, a true carnivore at heart, but I just couldn't get through this soup. It had a clear broth - I chose the less spicy white version instead of the red option - and hominy, treated corn kernels that puff up when cooked. The presentation at Las Cazuelitas, 2615 S. Sixth Ave., was beautiful, with bowls of chopped cilantro and scallions, plus oregano, limes and spicy red pepper flakes to add to taste. I'd say give it a try to be daring, for this is a favorite dish for many. As for me, I went for the menudo and stayed for the chips and salsa!

If you don't feel like going out on Halloween, you can always spice up your ghoulish gala with your own frightening foods. Try putting dry ice in the "punch" for a smoking brew, garnishing deviled eggs with sliced pimento-stuffed olives for the eyeball look and crushing Oreo cookies mixed with gummy worms for an earthy delight!