I’ve found that the only way to grow as a cook and gardener
is to try new things and stretch myself.
This results in eating some meals that I try to forget and killing
plants. Last week, I tried two new dishes at two
restaurants that I enjoy and regularly frequent and I absolutely hated the food. Only my manners prevented me from asking for some
lemon water or soap to wash out my mouth.
Revulsion is a strange and fascinating response that is best
shared. As a teenager, our high school
marching band went on tour to Victoria Island for a parade. I remember the day that we spent exploring
China Town. A fellow student, a trombone
player--if you can imagine, purchased a box of sugar cane juice and almost spat
it out after trying it. He exclaimed,
“This is awful! Do you want to try
it?”
And the box made it’s way around
the entire bus and we all squinched our faces up in disgust and only afterwards
did someone read the box and point out that it had passed it’s expiration
date. Ahh…that explains it, we all
nodded together. Whenever I taste
something awful, I always offer to share the experience. Fortunately, it doesn’t happen very often.
I went out to lunch with my friend, Jill, last Monday and I
led her astray when I suggested that we try the Spanish Posole for lunch at
Roots Restaurant. I’ve been wanting to
try Posole after volunteering with a lovely lady from Spain that told me all
about her cooking style as we weeded, and she said that Posole was her
specialty. So, when the young man on the
phone at Roots, told me that Posole was the lunch soup special, I felt
compelled to try it. I took pictures of
the dish and took my first bite and thought to myself, ‘ewww!’. But, I tried to smile politely at poor Jill. I really do hope that she forgives me. It tasted like over boiled chicken with bland
bits of hominy and unbalanced spice. It
tasted brown and weird. Not my thing at
all. Poor Jill. I ordered their fantastic creme brûlée to try and make it up to her.
And then on Saturday, My Pirate and I dropped by Sushiland
for like the millionth time. I’ve been on a
wild seared salmon and miso soup kick that even has the sushi chefs shaking their
heads at me in bemusement. Susie, the
hostess, hugs me when I come in. This is
getting embarrassing. Anyways, there we
were eating our sushi, when the gentleman beside us asked for sea urchin. I’ve always wanted to try sea urchin!
So, I ordered the fresh sea urchin. And it arrived quivering on my plate looking
like the insides of a slug cut in half, with the definition of a monkey
brain. I threw it back, and it coated
the inside of my mouth like raw liver with a strong bitter seafood flavor and I
just couldn’t escape it. People like
this stuff? Absolutely revolting. And as I tried to chew my way through and
swallow it, I offered My Pirate the other bite.
And he took it, the poor chump.
So, we both sat there trying to politely mask our revulsion. We laughed in the car all the way home.
What new dishes have you tried lately?