I used to eat some really weird stuff. I suppose some of it was even alive when I ate it- or rather swallowed it–oysters, anyone? Some of that weird stuff I still eat. Others, I just stopped.
And then, there was that stuff that I’ve never liked, don’t like now, and will never learn to like in the future. Here’s the list:
1) Brussel sprouts
I love Brussels and all it stands for (I haven’t named my blog European Mama for nothing), but its sprouts totally and definitely suck. Now I know that they can be delicious if lovingly roasted in an oven with morning dew that has been collected at 1.23 am and over which magical spells have been performed but I remain unconvinced whether that stuff is actually meant for human consumption.
2) Seafood
With the exception of fish. Fish, especially soft white flaky fish is delicious. And I like shrimp. Shrimp is fine. But the remainder of all seafood stinks, and often has thousands of legs that need to be removed, and did I mention the eyes? It also makes me a little bit sick. My father used to make paella which was delicious up to the moment where he added a whole frozen bag of seafood… stuff in there. From that moment on, the paella stunk of seafood. What a waste of perfectly good paella. Seafood is overrated. Just give me a steak.
3) Milk
I’m not allergic to milk, probably just slightly intolerant (I get belly aches from milk). I can tolerate it in low quantities in cooking (I can definitely drink a cup of my own chai tea), and have a deep love for all kinds of other dairy products like cheese and kefir, no matter how runny they are and how much they stink. I just don’t like drinking regular milk. Especially hot milk. Hot milk is the stuff nightmares are made of. Seriously.
4) Innards
My father once made haggis and I helped mince all the organs: the heart and liver, and the lungs. It was quite interesting to watch (because when do you get the chance to actually see animal organs?) and when ready, didn’t taste as bad as I had expected it to. But with the exception of liver, I haven’t touched any innards since. Oh, I forgot that my mom’s beef tongue in a wonderful creamy sauce with almonds and raisins is pretty good, too. Otherwise, no innards for me, thank you very much.
5) Coffee
I love the idea of drinking coffee. I love the smell of coffee. But the actual taste of coffee and the lack of sleep that comes with it? No thanks. I guess my relationship with coffee is like my relationship with alcohol: It’s not that I’m against it, it’s just that I need it to be really good quality and what’s available around here just will not cut it, so why even bother drinking this? I’m a tea drinker in my heart and soul, so I’ll take a tea, dear.
6) Quinoa
I know, it’s supposed to be so healthy, so wholesome, so good for me and stuff. And I just don’t like it. It’s not the texture, the texture is interesting. It’s the taste. Again, I know that properly prepared, I’d probably learn to like it, but why even risk that? I’ll just keep eating my kasha; the taste is so much better and it is just as healthy.
7) Alcohol
For the last 5 years, I’ve been either pregnant or breastfeeding. I hardly ever touch alcohol these days. Sure, I may have a beer here or a cider there, but the hiatus between “here” and “there” may be something like a year. I never drank much to begin with, didn’t miss alcohol when I was pregnant or breastfeeding, and see no reason to try it again. Also, I don’t like wine, and drinking stronger stuff just doesn’t make any sense to me.
It’s just gross. And, just as with coffee, it needs to be really good quality, especially when it comes to wine. I don’t need alcohol, except to cook with it. That’s, ladies and gentlemen, a good use for it.
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There is plenty of food that I didn’t like before and now do like very much, such as olives and even broccoli. And I’m trying new foods all the time–the sweet potato has been a revelation to me. I’m just not in the mood for forcing myself to eat something I know I won’t enjoy.
And I think that’s OK.
