Harmony, you bring up a very important point! You run the risk of insulting people if you won’t eat what they serve to you.
I learned the very valuable lesson of asking what the meat was AFTER I’d finished eating in Mexico. If you don’t know what it is (and don’t think too hard about it) it’s a lot easier to eat something unfamiliar. When you know, your upbringing and societal norms can make it difficult to choke down.