The time had come.

My wife-to-be and I had been dating for several months, and she obviously thought the time had come to see if my intentions were honourable. The ancient ritual would be invoked. I would be subject to that baptism of fire:

SHKEMBE

My love would be put to the test in true Bulgarian fashion. The location was Monike, the legendary Bulgarian restaurant in Jaffa.

The fiendish plan started with an innocent, “You really should try the Shkembe soup. ”

A harmless suggestion, you might think, and I readily acquiesced. I’m never fussy when it comes to food, and was happy to try this most traditional of Bulgarian dishes. I‘m sure there had been a mischievous twinkle in the waitresses eye as she took our order, with my wife-in-waiting returning a conspiratorial glance.

But nothing could prepare me for what was to follow.