Being Adventerous

Growing up as a kid I do not remember ever going out of the lines of my comfort foods. Trying new foods was not something I enjoyed and it was rather painful to attempt anything that looked different than what I was used to eating. Foods that I had eaten early in my childhood were tastes that I lost or did not remember as I become a pre-teen such as fish.

New food scared me because I had occasions where I tried new food and ended up with a stomach ache and one time I ended up going to an emergency clinic because of some type of stew my mother made.

That is the type of incident that has scarred me for life in addition to the comments of "Are you feeling alright? Let me take your temperature." or "What is wrong with you, trying something new?" While they may seem like minor comments, they are ones that I carry with me to this day  and made me uncomfortable with trying new things. It was easier for me to say I did not like the food than explain that I had never tried it before. 

Over the past few years I have found that the biggest factor for me in trying new foods is the company that I am surrounded by. If it is someone who will not make the snide comments, then I am more comfortable and apt to try something new. I even have two close friends who I spend a majority of my time with and they know if, when they ask me if I ever tried <insert food> and I give a long hesitant pause, it means I have not. There is no getting away with lying and say I tried it and do not like it. 

It has taken me a short time to realize that I need to branch out and start eating foods that I never thought would be healthy or satisfying to me in my diet. Going beyond my horizons and incorporating foods that are tasty. I am realizing that while I will not like every new food that crosses my path, I need to try them for the experience. 

Some of the foods I have tried are... Jicama, salmon, tilapia, asparagus, sauerkraut, kieshka, bobka, matzoh, pomegranate, basil, barbecue sauce, all different types of beans, root vegetables.. ect. The list is really endless and my mind is always blown.

While in my list there are a few things that I do not like, there are certain things that I am in love with, like beans. There is an endless amount of recipes that you can use with beans and I enjoy trying these recipes to see what kinds of flavor and tastes I get from them.

I used to associate trying new things as being a negative. Yet, over the past few months and with the help of some non-judgmental friends, I have begun to embrace adding new things to my food palette. Every time I am with them, there is always a new adventure in foods just waiting around the corner and I look forward to it each and every time.

What is something new that you have tried that you may never have heard about or thought you would like? Do you have people who give you similar snide comments that stops you from trying new foods? Are you scared of trying new foods?

☺Ashley☺