"The Most Disgusting Food. Ever."

I went to Mongolia for 3 weeks in 1995. It was a high point in a love for that central Asian country which began when I was 16. I was interested in evangelizing the Mongols at a time when there were no Mongol Christians. And no missionaries. And a place that was almost impossible to get into. Much less preach the gospel.

Now Mongolia's different. Communism fell in 1991, in that sweeping wave of freedom that shook the world to the core. Mongolia's officially a Buddhist republic now, but freedom of religion is not a fiction. And there's a church. A thriving, growing church. Ulaanbaatar -- the capital -- has a Roman cathedral. Things have changed.

What has not changed is Mongolian food. When I was there, I lost 10 pounds. Let's just say that the Mongols were into Atkins before it was a trend. They eat meat and dairy products, and not much else. And they can't quite figure out why us non-Mongols are so set on vegetables. They are of the opinion that vegetables taste "dirty," (their phrase). Here's a recent update on Mongol cuisine. Just don't go if you're a foodie.