Yes. I’m a mom. And among our many mantras such as “settle down”, “wear clean underwear”, and “say thank you to the nice man” we have a wealth of commands and proverbs that pertain to the eating of foods. “Clean your plate”. “Children are starving in Africa”. “Eat your vegetables”. “Take at least one bite”. Amazingly, this wisdom often falls upon deaf and stubborn ears. They will not heed the mom speak. They mentally block it out. And we keep babbling on until our magnificent edicts degrade to no more than nonsensical naggery.
I don’t want that to happen with this post. Please don’t delete my meaning even though you’ve mastered the art of not listening to mothers raving about eating. Can you read these words without the ghost of some overly anxious family matron materializing on your shoulder with finger wagging and eye brows scrunching pushing an extra helping of sweet potatoes in your face? I know you can try. Hear me now: You need to try new foods.
It’s so easy to get in a food rut. We mindlessly stuff our gobs with whatever is convenient. We lose the joy of eating. Our palettes dull, meals become just one more motion to go through over the course of a mechanical and uninteresting existence. We think we know what we like. What we like makes us who we are. But how can we fully refine the notion of who we are if we stop trying new things and expanding our repertoire of experiences and enjoyances. (oooo I just birthed a new word.)
Trying new foods is one of the easiest ways to add that spirit of adventure back into a life that has gone bland. We have to eat. We don’t have to be boring with our food. Spice up your life by mixing it up. Activate your taste buds. surprise your mouth. Flavors on the tongue inspire a desire to venture off and be more daring in other areas as well. All of a sudden you went from the pits of blaaaaaaaaaaaa to becoming once again a fascinating person. This is your life, make it interesting.
Your mother will be so proud of that. And so will I. And I’m taking my own advice, I’ll have you know. I’m not just cyber blabbering bossy sentiments in your general direction. See that image of what appears to be electric pink celery? Yeah, that’s rhubarb. A new food for me. An ingredient I don’t really understand and want to enjoy on my own terms. I plan to make some freezer jam with it to put on my fresh bread. And I’m gonna use it on BBQ pulled pork. Fascinating. Here are the links. http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2009/06/rhubarb-berry-jam/ and http://chickensintheroad.com/farm-bell-recipes/crockpot-pulled-pork-w-rhubarb-sauce/
Get off your food duff and eat something interesting today.
tips and blips 