Discovering those tasty surprises

By Linda Petersen
Posted 3/15/17

Being a picky eater was not an option when I was growing up. Our menu was very limited, and I ate what was put on the table; meat, potatoes, and a token amount of veggies. The meat was usually steak, chicken, ham or pork chops, but the potatoes were

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Discovering those tasty surprises

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Being a picky eater was not an option when I was growing up. Our menu was very limited, and I ate what was put on the table; meat, potatoes, and a token amount of veggies. The meat was usually steak, chicken, ham or pork chops, but the potatoes were always mashed. Every day, 365 days a year, decade after decade. My dad, who had some mental health issues, loved mashed potatoes. I grew to hate them and was thrilled when I got married and we could make what we wanted for meals.

While at a Christmas Party last holiday season, my scrumptious prime rib came with mashed potatoes. Ugh! Not those again! I gamely smiled and chatted with the people at our table while forcing a forkful of the mushy stuff into my mouth. Pleasantly shocked, I loved them, and we have been eating them intermittently since then.

My mother often chose Brussels sprouts as a vegetable, and I grew to hate their bitter taste. There was joy as an adult in not having to eat another little green cabbage thingy. That is until chef Hubby tried an experiment with them, using a new recipe where they were fried in a pan with bacon and onions. Delicious! How could I have hated them all these years? My worst veggie has now become one of my favorites.

When I was just out of college and went for a job interview, the pleasant receptionist offered me a cup of tea. Usually enjoying the beverage with plenty of milk and sugar, I was flummoxed when she handed me a cup of pinkish hot water. This was just at the beginning of the herbal tea phase and I had never seen anything similar. Sitting there professionally, dressed in a suit, legs crossed daintily at the ankles, I took a sip of what looked like it could be something good. It wasn’t! In the first place, spearmint would be my preference over disgusting peppermint, and this was the latter. Secondly, it was too bitter without sugar and drinking it made me gag. I looked around for some milk or sugar, but none was to be found. I sat there in that high backed chair surrounded by floor length windows, a few chairs and end tables and nothing much else. (I was hoping for a potted plant, which would appreciate a little scented watering.) Alas, I felt obligated to drink it down, and did so quickly before I realized it was hot, which doubled my hatred for all teas herbal. Tetley, Salada, or even store brand black Pekoe tea has been my “go to” hot drink. Certainly not coffee, of which I couldn’t stand the smell having been enveloped by the aroma 24/7 while driving with my dad during one of his frantic cross country journeys. Imagine my surprise recently when we ran out of tea bags with the exception of a box of lemon and honey green tea that had come in a gift basket. With no option in sight, I reluctantly brewed a cup, and found it to be awesomely delicious, (with sugar, of course.) I thought of all of those wasted years of tea enjoyment ruined by that one hot, nasty tasting, sugarless, peppermint tea!

I ran across the use of avocado in sandwiches and salads while visiting my son in California many years ago. Ugh, I’d think looking at it. Kind of like those mushy potatoes of my youth, the same likeness as hummus, only worse because it was green! No avocado and no hummus for me! That is, until it was mistakenly put into my taco at a Mexican restaurant. Hmmmmm. Not much taste, but certainly not awful, (unlike hummus which remains on my “don’t like to eat” list no matter what flavoring they try to put into it!)

I admit that I’ve been stuck in my ways as far as the foods in my repertoire. I look forward to experimenting and being more adventuresome. Liver was the only food I absolutely refused to eat as a child, even as I sat there for hours at the table with my mom waiting for me to finish. With so many old tastes recycling into new tastes, I can’t wait to see what new variations of liver there are!

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