I started following this blog during the April A-Z Blog Challenge and have stuck with it. Today’s post rang a bell for me. I tend to like routine, comfortable things, and simple foods.
I grew up in a lower middle class family in New England. My mother didn’t like to cook which I suspect came from her never really being taught. She was an orphan and grew up in foster homes. So our food was simple fare like casseroles, goulash, beans & hot dogs, and hamburgers. Canned soup, canned corned beef hash, and canned Dinty Moore Stew were other options. If a big dinner was being cooked, like a roast, it was my father who cooked it.
I never had fried chicken until I was 16 or 17 and went on a day trip with my boyfriend’s parents. I never had a taco until I was in my late 20s. I never had a pizza with anything more than cheese until my mid 20s. Simple foods…
I have expanded over the years. My pizza now has everything on it, I’ve added a couple of Chinese and Cuban dishes to my likes. Even jerk pork was enjoyed on a cruise. Some of my food expansion was thanks to a former co-worker. We often traveled out of state on the same projects. He knew my aversion to trying new foods so before he’d order, he’d ask me if I had ever tried a dish before. If not, he’d order it so I could try it. That’s how I discovered my love for good calamari. Thank you, Lynn. You are missed.
Not trying new things isn’t just food related. I tend to be overly cautious about new activities as well. I don’t consider myself to be an adventurous person (some would argue that since I toured the country solo on my motorcycle as a 58 year old widow, and I moved to Ecuador for two years with my current husband, but these were all well researched and overly planned activities).
This explains my over planning and researching for our two month European vacation. I have committed to trying different foods, at least a taste. Europe should be interesting!
My husband is my encourager and the cruises help me experience new things. If I don’t like the food I ordered, I can ask for something else. I can pick and choose activities at various ports around the world. That lets me have some control, and control is a topic for another day.
Do you like to try new things?
Thanks for sharing. When I was growing up my mother never cooked our dinners until I was about 11. My father was a CIA trained chef and he cooked for us…right up until he got a job that had him cooking breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Then he only cooked for us on the weekends. I learned what I refer to as defensive cooking because my mother was a horrible cook (a wonderful baker, though.) Back then we were required to eat everything that was on the plate, even the rock hard pork chops my mother made. When I had a son, I had one rule at mealtime. You didn’t have to eat any food that you hated but you had to at least try it once before you decided that you hated it. It’s a rule I still live by because you never know if you’re going to find a new food or recipe that you’ll love.
We had to do the taste thing and I did it with my kids. Except for one item. The three of us begged and begged my mother to buy us Maypo cereal (thanks to the ads). We had no idea it was a hot cereal. She bought it and made it. We had to eat the whole bowl. Period. LOL!
I feel the pain in my belly!
Not too fond of trying new foods. I am very picky and there are many things I dislike that most people love–cheese (except mozzarella and American), mushrooms, avocados, shell fish of any kind…Love trying new activities and visiting new places.
I’m with you, I dislike avocado and most seafood (I do love fried clams). Mushrooms have to be hidden (like in a pizza with everything). Good for you on the trying new activities and visiting new places (cruising satisfies my new places).
I eat almost anything from a basic breakfast to Sushi. But one thing I can’t eat is coconut. I can take the flavour in a curry but can’t stomach the thought of actually eating the coconut itself
No sushi or curry for me, thank you. And I do love coconut. LOL! Aren’t we all glad there is a wide variety of food for our wide variety of tastes?