I have found foods which I love. Even though I didn't like all of them at first bite. Such as yogurt.
Yogurt
I didn't like yogurt the first time I tried it, as a student in London. My boyfriend, Bob, told me, "Try yogurt sweetened with fruit." Yes, that was the secret to starting yogurt.
Eventually I came back to natural yogurt. Progress. Now I love natural yogurt and prefer it to yogurt with bits and unnatural colours. Admittedly, plain yogurt is sour. I like the creamy, Greek style yogurt. Not the set yogurt.
What about fresh fruit? Sweet tastes.
Peaches
I had the same setbacks with unfamiliar fresh peaches. Peaches came later. First we had bananas.
Bananas - the perfect food?
As a child, post World War 2 (I am a baby boomer), there was rationing until 1952. My mother talked for years about it: "I had to join a queue to buy bananas. In the queue I got talking to another mother." They became lifelong friends.
Bananas. Perfect. Except for that skin left behind.
But the food which disappointed me was peaches.
Peaches - Perfect Peaches?
I recall was being told about how delicious a fresh peach would be. I was used to tinned peaches.
My first peach was a great disappointment. It was not sweet like the tinned peach. It was white instead of bright orange. It was not cut into neat slices. It was not soft - you had to gnaw at it, though the skin. It was big and heavy for my little hands. Worse still, the juice got all over my nose and mouth and down my clothes and over my hands.
Then when I was a teenager we went to Italy on holiday. For dessert, we had fresh peaches. No effort by the chef to make something interesting to look at, or a filling pudding. It was summer.
But everybody in my family said they loved the fresh peaches. So I tried peaches. Okay. So far so good. Then disaster struck. A worm - in my peach. Aagh! A year must have passed before I forgot and tried again.
Naturally, now I feel the opposite. Tinned peaches? Artificial colour. Too much sugar added. Not fresh. I do inspect them carefully and wash them for myself and others.. I am now back to fresh peaches.
Another challenge I recall was durian.
They say that the Chinese eat anything. They chop their food up so it is easy to pick up with a pair of chopsticks.
No fighting through steaks with knives, holding up the conversation, distracting you from eye contact with others at the table. No knives which could be used to threaten others. Like handshakes, designed to prove you have no knife in your hand, the chopsticks prove you are not about to attack. You could probably have a fight with chopsticks, but they don't look as threatening as a steak knife, not the same threat as a knife.
Durian - Dreadful Smell But Delicious Taste
What other foods have I grown to like? Durian, a flavour like chestnut and banana and eggs combined. I first tried it as durian ice cream. Mm! I love durian in ice cream or dessert or cakes. I don't go for smelly, yucky fresh durian. But I like it as a flavouring.
Therefore, I would not be upset by the smell of a fresh durian. Durian is known as the king of fruit. But it is banned on the MRT (railway) in Singapore.
What about sour flavours? Pickled cucumber. Olives.
Olives
Olives - as a child, I would not eat them. Now I like them. You pay more for the ones without stones, and for those which have contrasting colour stuffing such as red pepper in green olives.
Tomato
Cooked tomato. I can now tolerate them.
At university I encountered Indian food for the first time. My two girlfriends took me to an Indian restaurant. They and the restaurant owner suggested, "Try a biriani. It's rice with vegetables or chicken on top. You can have sauces and spices on the side." I loved the biriani. Nowadays I try something more adventurous, unless I am faced with a menu which has red chili signs alongside all the other dishes.
To deal with spicy Indian food you have three solutions: water, rice, yogurt.
Purple Boiled Eggs
Purple eggs, Chinese style, cooked in tea. Highly recommended. I ate three.
Therefore, I was willing to try salted duck egg.
Salted Boiled Egg In The Shell
But salted duck egg! Like eating solid salt. Much too salty.
I went onto the internet to ask Chinese friends: How do you eat salted eggs?
They told me with porridge made from rice or other cereals, or in soup. Or just with rice.
Finally, I added it to green beans and broccoli, baked beans, and lentils. I turned the microwave to one to two minutes, three times. Finally, it was edible, in fact I ate to the last morsel, liking it more and more.
The Moral Is ...
Ah, now I know. Now, you know. That is the joy of trying new foods.
If At First ...
If at first you don't succeed, try again.
Don't Try The Same ...
Another saying springs to my mind. From Einstein. Don't try the same thing again and expect different results. You have to vary the experience of a food just slightly, add fruit, or cake, sugar, or salt, or cereal, or soup, or water, or freeze it, or heat it, or put it in a sandwich, or try another colour.
I still have three more salted eggs in my fridge. Hm. Another chance to expand my repertoire.
Question: 'When Did You try something new?'
I recall a popular question asked during Toastmasters International meetings, during the impromptu speaking sessions called table topics. (Impromptu speeches - long ago taking topics from papers face down on the table top.) The question is: When was the last time you tried something new?
My latest answer would be: Salted duck egg.
What was the last new food or experience you tried? You either have a joy, or a dramatic story.
About the Author
The next meeting is a Language Workshop by Angela Lansbury, native English speaker from London, England. Wednesday March 2nd at 6.45 pm login for 7 pm start. The workshop with include some British English and vocabulary from America, Australia, New Zealand, and India. Also a look at common errors and easy ways to remember spelling and sentence structure.
Also enjoy the usual features of a Toastmasters' International Speakers' Training meeting, a chance to introduce yourself, speak on the theme of the day, hear speeches, and evaluations of speeches. Contact us for the Zoom ID and passcode. Note the date in your dairy and set your alarm. And tell all your friends and family. Be sure to be there!
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