A Year of Living Dangerously ...

The date was 1/1/2004.  I thought about what I might want to do for my New Year's resolution.  I couldn't face failing yet another resolution to lose weight.  So, I made the following resolution:

"I resolve to spend the entire year trying foods I always said I would never eat."

Yes, I was a picky eater growing up.  I liked ketchup but wouldn't dream of putting a tomato in my mouth.  I turned my nose up to mushrooms as I gingerly pulled every tiny tidbit out of my food before putting the bite in my mouth.  I hated fish unless  it was Fish 'n' Chips. I had a bad experience with spinach where I threw it up on someone so the  mere thought of eating spinach was enough to make me gag.

It was time to face this part of me that I had safely snuggled against and guarded.

So, I did just that.  Amazingly, it was the one New Year's resolution I truly did keep.  I tried tomatoes on cheeseburgers and in burritos.  I tried spinach both raw in salad and cooked.  I tried artichoke by itself and also in my sister's Spinach and Artichoke dip.  I ate Salmon for the first time.  I tried mushrooms - both raw and cooked.  What did I learn?

Well, I learned that I absolutely LOVE Salmon if it's well-done.  That revelation led me to trying other fish and I found I love Halibut, Mahi Mahi, Tilapia, Cod, Pollock ... wow, I love fish. Also, I like tomatoes well enough to add them into my diet, however, I would never eat one like an apple.  I've seen some people salt a tomato and go for it and that just grosses me out.  I like spinach raw in a salad but really don't care for it cooked.  That said, I could eat my sister's Spinach and Artichoke dip by the gallon.  Who knows why?  I don't, but it's delicious.  I hate artichoke otherwise though.  And, I really, truly, to my core hate mushrooms raw or cooked.  They disgust me and you couldn't pay me to eat them ever again.

The moral of the story?

Take a look at the foods you eat.  Think about the foods you always swore you'd never eat. Take a year to live dangerously and try these foods all over again.  You may find new favorites ... or confirm that you truly do detest something.  But, give it a shot.  You might be surprised!

Challenge of the Day
Take a year to live dangerously and redefine your food palate!