Calling a truce with your vegetable enemies
As a child, what vegetables did you hate? Broccoli? Lima beans? Spinach? When was the last time you gave them a try? Our taste buds change as we grow. Even if you remember despising a certain vegetable with a vengeance when you were young, that doesn’t mean that you’ll still hate it now.
I grew up disliking spinach, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and eggplant. But what a difference a little time can make… Spinach is now one of my very favorite veggies in the world, and roasted Brussels sprouts taste heavenly to me (I’m still not a fan of them boiled, though). I learned to love eggplant during my junior year abroad in Italy, and wondered why I had ever disliked it to begin with. I’m still not broccoli’s biggest fan, but occasionally I really enjoy it (plus knowing how good it is for me helps, too).
So if there are still vegetables out there that you are avoiding based upon a long-ago memory of dislike, why not give them another try? Try out a new way of preparing them, or order them up at a fabulous restaurant. You might be pleasantly surprised by the taste. And if not, well, at least you were adult enough to try.
Which vegetables did you hate as a child? Do you still hate them now?
I can’t think of any veggies I hated as a kid… well, I can, but they’re things I’ve tried again, and still don’t like. I recently tried beets for the first time in years and, yup, still not my thing.
I don’t think I’d ever eaten brussels sprouts before this week, and they’re amazingly delicious.
I’m in the process of trying to learn to like eggplant. The texture is my problem – either it’s undercooked or it’s falling-apart mush. I sautee or stir-fry most of my veggie dinners… maybe that’s not gonna work.
Broad beans – I wouldn’t go near them for about twenty years after being forced to eat them as a kid. Now I’m not sure what all the fuss was about
My other half is slowly getting to grips with broccoli though I wouldn’t say that he actually enjoys it yet
I used to hate broccoli, spinach, bell peppers, mushrooms, potatoes.. the list goes on! Now I love pretty much all of them. I haven’t ever tried brussel sprouts and my partner tells me they’re disgusting. I’m definitely trying them this year though. I don’t care what he says.
Oh what a great post Jul. I wish more people would do this. I get so many clients telling me “I hate , but then they haven’t tried it in 20 years. Or alternatively they hated the vegetable when their mum used to boil it to death.
There’s a lovely series of posts over at Half of Me called lick the produce, where the blogger is trying new fruits and vegetables – it’s one of my favourite blogging projects.
I hated green peppers as a child. My mom would make these stuffed green peppers and I remember always tearing them away and just eating the stuffing. I even remember how bitter they tasted. I also disliked them in my salad or sandwiches back then.
Just recently, my mom made the same recipe and the peppers tasted great. Now I eat them all the time. Odd how I can still remember how bad they tasted but now I get a completely different flavor from them.
Gal
Great post!! I’m 38 years old and have found that even in the last couple of years my tastes have changed a great deal. Just two years ago I would not touch radishes or cantaloupe, especially cantaloupe. When I tried them again this year, I discovered I now quite enjoy them. There are still a few veggies and fruits I just can’t get into, but maybe that will change in time as well.
So funny you should bring this up! After hating and avoiding watermelon for most of my life, someone brought me half a watermelon this past weekend. I had no choice but to eat it. It’ll never be a favorite fruit, but it wasn’t bad!
My favorite veggies as a child were brussel sprouts and spinach. I even asked to have spinach in lieu of a birthday cake one year. Veggies I didn’t like were zucchini and green peppers. I have had both plenty of times since, and though I’ve made my peace with zucchini, I still find green peppers to be pretty icky. But red, orange, and yellow peppers are among my faves!
Cool topic. I never hated any veg as a kid, apart maybe from olives, if they can be considered as veg. I eat them now. But what I discovered in my 20’s is coriander and a few years later with many trials along the way, I still find the taste simply repulsive. I just cannot explain it…