When it comes to food, I have a ton of picky-eating habits that started when I was young - and they've never made sense (even to myself). Case(s) in point:
- I LOVE tomato soup, but I HATE tomatoes (even though I was born in New Jersey).
- I love the smell of a steak on the grill, but hated eating beef (until last summer and the amazing burger I ate at some friends' home).
- My favorite sandwich for elementary school was soft white bread with ketchup and yellow american cheese. Cold. No meat.
- An acceptable substitution was a bologna roll-up. So a non-sandwich sandwich.
- Or peanut butter and butter (but not jelly).
Because of these odd-ball issues with food (including a huge distaste for anything seafood that we generally acknowledge as an untested allergy), I didn't spend a lot of time in the kitchen. I always found something in a recipe to "ruin" it for me... and it honestly never occurred to me until recent years that... I could CHANGE the recipe! *gasp* Who knew?!
As an adult, I've managed to figure a few things out about my odd food choices.
- I'm bothered by textures
- I love the taste of real strawberry... but I HATE the little seeds. They make it impossible for me to enjoy a fresh strawberry.
- I have learned to love a burger if it's not too hard or tightly packed... but I hate them when they are tough (though I suspect that I'm not alone on this one).
- I don't like crunchy things in my soft foods... even if I like the crunchy things in general. Do NOT put peanuts in my brownie... but I can gorge out on peanut butter (creamy only).
- If I could make all my brownies be "middles", I'd be in heaven. Do not bring that "all edges" pan anywhere near my kitchen!
- If I have a negative food experience memory, it is completely in charge... even if my tastes have changed. It is very difficult for me to try something again if I've had a bad experience in the past. But I'm challenging myself on this one...
Learning things like this has been part of my adult experience in the kitchen. And it's why I've started writing about food. I'm no foodie in the typical sense; you're not going to find the cutting edge techniques or fancy-dancy ingredients here. That's not my goal. But maybe a fellow picky-eater (or the parents of a young one) will find some inspiration to figure out where it comes from and what the underlying issue really is. I think I might have been less picky growing up if I'd known how to explain what my issues with food were.
This week, I'm inspired to share a little "Behind the Scenes" for next weekend's recipe. I want to show a little about how I get nerdy about adjusting a recipe... and adapting for my own tastes. I'm going to make a variation on a traditional pierogi. Before I cook, I need to shop... and before I shop, I need a shopping list!
This recipe could go SO many different ways depending on the choices I make. (Choices?! In a recipe?! Unheard-of!! Or.. well... totally normal for everyone else but me, apparently.) I thought it might be good to give a little peek into my process of picking the ingredients for a recipe!
Each day this week, I plan do a quick post on the 4 major ingredients in my recipe (blue cheese, potatoes, bacon, and flour) and how I'm going about making the choices for THIS version.
The choices I make for this recipe are specific for this situation. I can (and do) make other choices for other things.
Stick around and learn a bit about how I practice in my kitchen!
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