@BenM, What's your take on century eggs?
I haven't eaten any, though i've seen them on rare occasions in asia.
As far is i understand they're usually presented in slices, cut in a similar way to how the parts of an orange are divived. The egg white should be a bit jello-like, with very little taste to it. Considering the composition of egg white that would be expected when you dehydrate it under increasing pH.
The yolk, however, is a different story. It should be something rather pungent, due to breakdown of proteins in there, as well as the precense of organosulphur compounds.
The process of making century eggs is comparable to that of making "lutefisk" in scandinavian countries: in that case dried, salted fish (which most people would not find offensive) is inclubated with an alkaline solution. This also creates a jelly like texture as with the eggwhites, but combined with a very pungent fish odor, which would probably be too much for most non-nordic pallets.
It all IS about how you percieve a foodstuff though. Western people will be inclined to feel that things like balut, century eggs or lutefisk are spoiled products. Their smell reminds us of how our food smells when it has spoiled over time. Fungus in or on cheese is a very similar thing though: it happens when it goes bad, and few people would consider eating a piece of Gouda cheese with fungus on it. Doing so is not recommended though, since if this happens unintentionally, it could be a strain of fungus that produces toxins, although most actually do not.
Another interesting ingredient is fermented shrimp (trasi), commonly used in asian cuisine, thai and indonesian in particular. While it is absolutely foul smelling pure, it makes a very good flavouring for many savoury dishes. Most westeners that have a bit of a taste of exotic food will happily eat meals that contain it, and in combination with the other spices not get the idea that the food is spoiled. I personally like it in some dishes, knowing perfectly well what it is.
In fact, it is an ingredient used to widely people that have severe food allergy to shrimp can be surprised by an onset of symptoms from eating someting seemingly unrelated as a cracker or salad.