When it comes to vegetables, I am approximately four years old. Up until a few years ago, I would only really eat broccoli, carrots, corn, beans, potatoes, and occasionally squash or peas. Mushrooms were okay on pizza or in the form of my mom's stuffed mushrooms. Other than that, it wasn't on my plate and it certainly wasn't going in my mouth.
There are foods that I say that I don't like but have no actual memory of eating. Where did I learn to hate beets? Did I ever even taste a beet? If I did, I don't really remember it. Or was it the smell? Or the way my moms hands were always stained red from slicing them up? Recognizing that I may not be eating something for no discernible reason is only the first step in the process. This realization does not automatically release all of the fears and disgust I have for beets, but it can serve as a catalyst for making an attempt to taste one.
Honestly, it started with brussel sprouts. I have no recollection of eating brussel sprouts, being served brussel sprouts, or even seeing a brussel sprout in my childhood. I think the only reason I knew they existed was from TV, and all the TV shows were of kids not wanting to eat their brussel sprouts. Then one day, my roommate cooked them as a side dish with dinner. Lightly steamed, tossed with butter and salt and pepper, they were delicious! Like little baby cabbages! Crunchy and buttery and wonderful! Brussel sprouts joined my list of approved vegetables and I made them whenever I could get my hands on some. Not everyone was a fan of the simplicity. My boyfriend would always eat one or two, then roll the remaining sprouts onto my plate (which wasn't really a problem for me...). That is, until I found this little beauty of a recipe. That recipe will make anyone in the world love brussel sprouts!
Finding a local farmers market has been a huge bolster to my vegetable intake. Everything just tastes better when it's local and fresh! I added asparagus to my repetoire when I discovered that they were not bitter when you wrap them in prosciutto and pan fry them! Now I'll eat them lightly steamed with salt and pepper as well. Cauliflower roasted in the oven with a little curry powder and olive oil? I'll eat an entire head of cauliflower like that! Mash it up and it's a great potato substitute.
The most recent addition to my palate is tomatoes. I consider this a particularly amazing feat since tomatoes have been on my hit list for the longest and produced the most heinous of faces and intense picking apart of my food. It started with a taco. I put a few chunks of sweet cherry tomatoes fresh from the farmers market on and took a bite, half expecting to turn around and spit it out into the garbage. It was good! They were sweet and cool and juicy, a great contrast with the salty beans and spicy meat. Now tomatoes can be found in my salads and on my burgers. Most of the time they are eaten, with the exception of those really bad restaurant tomatoes.
Learning to try new things has been challenging. Overcoming the immediate reaction of disgust is immensely difficult, and it often requires a large amount of willpower to continue the action of eating the vegetable in question. Sometimes I just don't have it in me. But more importantly, sometimes I do. I'm gaining the resolve to set aside my preconceived notions and attempt to taste something for the first time all over again, and to form a new opinion.
