Saturday, March 03, 2018

Strange Tastes

Just thinking about taste this morning and how different we all are. What is a strange taste to one becomes perfectly normal to another. And vice versa.

Sue likes maple flavour in things, like ice cream, for example. Shauna (daughter) likes it in coffee-type drinks, like maybe a latte. I like maple syrup on pancakes or French toast only and decidedly don't prefer it otherwise. Why I like it in one form and not another, I know not.

Danica like plain vanilla ice cream, and while I don't mind it, I prefer chocolate. Meanwhile, if vanilla is all that we have in the house, Sue usually won't bother with it. If we stop for an ice cream cone somewhere, she will invariably order Pralines and Cream or something close to that, while I will always get something chocolaty, like Rocky Road.

Neither JJ nor Danica will accept gravy on the turkey or potatoes at Christmas dinner. It grieves me a little that they will never experience Christmas dinner that same way that the rest of us do.

Speaking of turkey, I love the skin of a roasted bird. But I can't think of anyone else in my circle who shares this taste. We went out for rotisserie chicken the other day, and as usual, Sue discarded the skin, and as usual, I snapped up her discards. I think the best taste is in the skin.

We are a bit like Jack Spratt and wife, except I am the wife to her Jack Spratt who can eat no fat. She will almost gag on something fatty as you might find in a steak. Meanwhile, I usually love the fatty bit as long as it isn't gristly.

She likes white wine while I prefer red. She wishes that she could like red more as it is said to be healthier, but she just can't.

She likes veggies. I don't. For a long time, I lauded her for eating raw carrots with almost every lunch because they're so good for you. Eventually however, it dawned on me that she actually likes raw carrots, so I needn't praise her at all for this (although she definitely deserves my praise for an infinite number of other attributes). The only way that I really like carrots is if they are roasted and soft and no longer taste like carrots, and it amuses some people if I say that I don't like a dish of carrots because they still taste like carrots.

But if we serve roasted carrots to the kids, particularly JJ, it becomes necessary to offer him plain raw carrots instead, and he always always always prefers them this way.

Speaking of JJ and others in the family, he will enjoy munching on a whole hard-boiled egg. But I can hardly stand to look at someone eating a hard boiled egg. Meanwhile, I like eggs scrambled or fried, but he doesn't. Neither does Danica. Funnily enough, I can accept an egg salad sandwich, which is just a boiled egg chopped up.

We were out at a restaurant with extended family. My brother-in-law shocked me when he ate his veggies first, before they could get cold. There is almost nothing less appetizing to me than plain, boiled veggies on a plate. I can stomach (barely) some boiled veggies if they are smeared with butter, but except for corn, it's still a bit of a struggle for me.

I wish I were different because those veggies are good for a body, but I can hardly manage them. However, when veggies are cooked what I call properly in the right dish, I can enjoy them quite a bit. I have made a nice, tasty veggie lasagna for example. If Sue smears a cheesy crust on cauliflower, I don't mind it, but broccoli is still problematic even baked with cheese. I can manage it, but I for sure don't love it.

We have the kids and Sha for supper almost every Monday, and I was shocked recently when Danica had a second helping of garden salad. Raw. No dressing. This almost disturbs me. lol


13 comments:

Shammickite said...

I'm with Sue on the Pralines and Cream ice cream. Definitely!
And also with the fat... yuck, don't like it. In fact I don't really like meat much, and yes, I prefer veggies, especially with some cheese on top.

Jenn Jilks said...

It is interesting different tastes. I'm with you on the skin!
I did a fun recipe for brussel sprouts the other day, quatered andsautéed with bacon and spices! Yum! We need to eat more green veggies... Last night it was pizza!

Vicki Lane said...

I, too, adore the roasted or fried skin. And I prefer my carrots raw -- though we had some roasted parsnips last night that were really yummy -- roasted along with a chicken, I should add.

Marie Smith said...

It’s all a matter of taste. AC.

Joanne Noragon said...

Sue's choice in ice cream is second only to mine--Hershey's chocolate and peanut butter. Hard to find.

Mage said...

Perhaps they will be healthier, but I agree about boring foods. Yes, to gravies, sauces, and chocolate in any form. :)

troutbirder said...

This is a sore subject with me as recently Mayo Clinics "acid reflux" Department pretty much banished everything I really like to eat from my diet and conversely... oh you get it. Ugh!!!

MARY G said...

Only chocolate is "real" ice cream. I have dreamed about chocolate on vegetables too. Tastes are fascinating. Unless you have to end up cooking a second meal to cater to them.
The grandkids may take to gravy as they grow up, though. Amazing how the tastes expand as that happens.
Fun post! Thanks.

MARY G said...

What Joanne said. Best ever ice cream!

Mara said...

I agree with you on the fat and the skin of chicken/turkey: so much more flavour than the rest of the meat. I am not into chocolate ice cream though, nor chocolate pudding so much, although I love chocolate.
As for veggies: love them! Carrots can be raw or cooked and yes, they have to taste of carrots. The only things I dislike are broad beans (can't get them here in Norway, pfew) and mushrooms.

Christina said...

I enjoyed reading this and I am glad to see that it is not just my own family that has such varied tastes. Half of my children eat salad without dressing - I find it weird. It is almost impossible to have a meal in our house that everybody likes. I like raw vegetables more than cooked but i do eat most. I am quite fussy but nobody notices because I do most of the cooking. Scrambled eggs make me shiver and I cannot eat lamb. I dislike seafood but tolerate fish.... I would love to drink red wine but it gives me a rash. Funny that, white wine is no problem. I just wrote about a recent cooking experience, it was not a success...

Kay said...

I am the only chocoholic in the family. I simply cannot understand why neither of my children love chocolate. My daughter always gravitates to vanilla. Why?

Jim said...

Catching up on posts! Vanilla Bean ice cream with hot fudge sauce does it for me every time. I can eat most veggies, cooked or raw. I prefer my turnips raw, and love edamame, and any other bean, except green beans, leave out the broccoli and cauliflower, please unless they are raw. Never put spinach on the table, or I will be totally grossed out! I like red wine a lot more than white. White always reminds me of vinegar for some reason. And my red has to be a sweet red, none of that dry wine for me,red or white.
Yes, our tastes are different. My kid's are a lot different than mine even though they were raised with the same food that I ate. My grand's are even different that their parents. Funny, isn't it?