Many years ago when my husband and I were dating, I was making something using pine nuts. Emile told me that he didn’t like pine nuts. It’s not that I didn’t believe him, I was surprised. Because during our courtship, he’d proven himself someone who enjoyed different foods and trying new things, but frequently stuck to the basics. Meals were usually Meat/Veg/Pot affairs, fast food, quantity versus quality and generally totally different from my childhood and cooking style. I asked him when he’d actually eaten pine nuts. He couldn’t remember, but he restated didn’t like them. I put them in the salad anyways because I can’t fathom why anyone wouldn’t like them. He could pick them out (after retrying them of course from his previous mythical tasting) and I liked them.
Turns out Emile loves pine nuts. Not the price – because he is cheap. Nor the caloric denseness – because he is focused on weight loss currently. But they are now one of his favorite additions, because let’s face it, pine nuts are so so good.
I’ve had my things too. I didn’t like bell peppers for years, and then one day I ordered a greek salad (not one of those that have lettuce – a real one) and decided to actually eat the peppers. And you know what? They were good. (why someone who doesn’t like tomatoes, peppers, or olives would order a greek salad is a question I cannot answer – probably the promise of feta cheese).
Also, bananas. Somewhere along the line, I decided I didn’t like them, or I had to be in a banana mood. What the hell is a banana mood? I don’t really even know myself anymore. Now I know bananas are delicious – all the time.
I am always hoping that not liking tomatoes is a thing too, but from time to time I keep tasting that strange bitter fruit just to check. And you know what? I still hate the taste. One day I will be able to enjoy a BLT. One day.
When you are selling your house, you avoid doing messy things. So, when someone invites you to dinner, you go. Even if you don’t like the people very much. But fortunately, in this case, we do like the people. So, it wasn’t much suffering to keep our kitchen clean to eat free food with friends. As I have previously blogged, I am a picky eater, so when people invite me for dinner, I try to eat what I get (exceptions: fish and tomatoes and anything else that could be considered a side dish like olives).
This particular night we had barbequed pork loin, grilled bell peppers, broccoli, goat cheese and greens salad and a strawberry and rhubarb crisp. Normally people look upon this menu and think “excellent” (well except the vegetarians/vegans, but . .) I did too, with one exception.
Every year I hear people about go on and on about rhubarb season. That and asparagus are the first spring products available here in Ontario. People have these giant rhubarb patches and they are often trying to give it away, and there are those who happily take it all and bake every rhubarb item they can think of. I do not like rhubarb. I don’t like the grainy texture. And the flavour.
But I was a guest in someone’s home, I hadn’t had desert in a while and they were serving it with good quality vanilla ice cream (you know, the one with the flecks of vanilla bean in it). I decided that for courtesy’s sake and ice cream I would suffer through the rhubarb.
June 3rd, 2012 Extra-Ordinary: Why Rhubarb isn’t actually that bad. Hmm. In fact, it’s pretty darn good. And with strawberries and ice cream and crumble topping, Holy Toledo!
The Daily EO 