POULSBO — Preparing for the first bite of lutefisk was like preparing to get shots at the doctor’s office. I wasn’t sure how bad it would feel, and I didn’t know what kind of adverse reaction my body would have.

It’s easy to consider backing out from trying the white fish when there is nothing between someone preparing to eat it but a plastic fork and free will. But I’m not one to back away from trying a new food easily. So I dug in.

The lutefisk was not as cooperative on my fork as I expected, sliding off easily. Or, maybe, my hands were shaking too much to keep the gelatinized fish on there.

As I moved the fork and fish closer to my mouth the smell, well, wasn’t overwhelming.

Biting down on the fish, I quickly realized that lutefisk doesn’t exactly need to be chewed. It falls apart fairly easy — melts in your mouth, not in your hand. And the taste wasn’t nearly as fishy as I had expected.

To be fair to all those lutefisk connoisseurs, it should be noted I was eating a Pre-Cooked Lutefisk Dinner from Marina Market (it comes with a placemat with lutefisk facts and a “Love that Lutefisk” napkin). I microwaved it as per the instructions.

Lutefisk, peas and mashed potatoes. Could have used some pepper. But the taste of the ’fisk was nowhere near what I had expected based on others’ stories and Garrison Keillor’s jokes. I ate it all, no problem.

The only hold up about lutefisk: It has the texture of a gelatin dessert, only instead of a fruity flavor, it’s fish. Dye lutefisk red, serve it in a big bowl to guests and they will never know the difference, at least until they get a whiff.

What was most enjoyable about my microwaved lutefisk dinner was spreading mashed potatoes over the fish before taking a bite. Halfway through the meal, I read on my placemat that lutefisk can be eaten with a white sauce or melted butter on top, so the mashed potatoes and butter helped.

I enjoyed my lutefisk dinner in the Herald break room. The smell wafted from the break room to the office. You’re welcome, colleagues. You’re welcome.

Eating a half-pound frozen dinner is not something I would typically do. However, there was an overlying reason Herald Editor Richard Walker and I dined on microwaved ’fisk: For more than a year, we have discussed entering the Lutefisk Eating Contest at Viking Fest. We planned to enter last year and for some reason did not. This year, it’s on — as long as we get to the festival early enough to sign up.

The eating contest, which will be preceded by the Oyster Eating Contest May 19, is going to have some tough competition. Last year, Victor Dew ate 7 pounds to be crowned the 2012 champion. Seven pounds.

Seven … pounds.

Among his many roles at the Sons of Norway and Viking Fest, Tony Smallbeck prepares the lutefisk for the eating contest. New Day Fisheries will bring in about 50 pounds for the contest, he said.

Last year, Smallbeck cooked about 30 pounds to fulfill the needs of contestants; he came close to running out. The lutefisk is cooked that day, just before the contest, he said.

Contests seem to last longer when the weather is cool, according to Smallbeck. That makes sense. Eating warm lutefisk on a hot day doesn’t seem as refreshing as a cool lemonade — close, though.

When it comes to eating food weighed in pounds, the odds are not on our side. Nevertheless, the contest will be a spectacle. Especially if two community journalists — eager to take their taste for lutefisk to a higher level — are sitting at that table.