I've avoided escargot for years. They have just seemed, well, slimy and being a texture person, I just couldn't do it. But after talking to several people about the actual texture, I went for it on our final night in Paris as we dined at La Petite Chaise which also happens to be the oldest restaurant in  Paris.

A perfectly lovely dinner began with a flourish of the sizzling snails being served doused in garlic, butter and pesto sauce, bubbling in their individual casserole dish.

Hmmm, the whole table was watching so I figured I'd pop one in and it would be down the hatch. No problem, right?

I swallowed the first one whole, and it was a bit disappointing as all I tasted was the butter sauce. So I decided to give the second one a bit of a chew.

Crunch.

What was that?

Was it shell?

Was it some unknown snail part I really didn't want to identify?

No, it was half of one of my molars.

Yep, that's right, I bit down on my second snail ever and lost half my tooth!

Of course, it's not the snail's fault and they were actually quite enjoyable and delicious. But I was so disconcerted, I hardly noticed the rest of the snails. But now the first time is over and next time I'll try my darndest not to lose a tooth in the process!