I do not now hate every last bit of produce and will in good time enumerate the palatable ones in this space. But the vast majority of those things grown in the ground, on the vine, or on the tree I have despised over the years.
I don’t believe I hate any food at the moment. It’s more about the probabilities nowadays. What I will ‘probably’ eat. What I will search out to eat. A little recent history: the past couple of years I have been trying to push out my mental boundaries and have succeeded in trying a number of new things, confirming along the way what I suspected.
I have been missing out.
Apples, oranges, and raisins taste really, really good. So does tomato that isn’t in a sauce form. Guacamole, I have learned, is crazy-good when it’s prepared well, and I know what the fuss is about now.
Learning to cook, expanding my culinary horizons, has also forced me to stare my aversions straight in the eye.
What Grown Diaries represents is a formalization of this process, sharing with whomever wants to follow along my journey. To reinforce it, perhaps, or even participate. Bottom line, it isn’t enough for me to tolerate certain foods, or to avoid others for no good reason. I don’t want to miss out any more. Life is, to dip into the old cliche basket, short.
I want to know why people get excited when asparagus is mentioned. I want to get in touch with my German and Irish heritage, and figure out why someone of that genetic makeup can barely stand cabbage. I would like to look forward to actual slices of tomato. I would like to pick more fruit off of trees and eat it.
On purpose.
My initial plan for the Grown Diaries is simple: each post will represent my trying a fruit or vegetable that in the past I hated, or one I have never tried. How this will work exactly will take care of itself, as this isn’t about formal rules or elaborate review systems. It might be a single raw item, or it might be prepared, or it might be incorporated into a dish with other ingredients. I might take a picture, or I might just describe it.
I am giving the Grown Diaries project its own section on the Celsius1414 website, separate from the main article sections, as well as turning it into a full-blown blog, with accompanying comments, etc. While it is distinct from the rest of the place and will have its own feeds and community, if you’ve happened across these Diaries from somewhere else, I invite you to have a look around. Links are in the sidebar; the Omnibus page lists all the articles on the main site.
Also, I would love it if you would like to share your own stories, either in the comments as time goes by, or by sending me a link to blog entries on the subject. I’ll try to link to others as appropriate.