Someone let you into their culture through a recipe. Eat it like you’re a guest, not a critic.

Food is one of the ways people hand over something they were raised inside. When someone cooks for you out of their own tradition, the dish is not offered for review; it is offered as an introduction. Ranking it against what you already like closes the door you were just invited through. Curiosity and judgment cannot occupy the same seat.

Try asking who taught them to make it before you say anything about how it tastes. Ask what it is eaten for, and when. You will learn more from that one question than from any opinion you could have offered.