Anyway, I was unable to do much blogging. (I hate typing 2,000 words on my iPhone.) But that is now going to be remedied. I promise here and now to post a blog every single day until I go out of town again - which will be this afternoon around 4pm when I go to Gainesville.
I have begun to wonder what exactly is going on with my taste buds lately. It kind of caught me off guard. Over the last nine weeks, I have begun to like foods that I never would eat. In fact, I like some of them so much that they have become new favorites. The only time I have seen this happen in a person is when they are pregnant. I have heard about pregnant ladies desperately craving foods that they detested. Of course, they usually blame it on the baby. "The baby wants asparagus. The baby likes turnip greens. The baby wants donuts." (That last one is probably not just the baby.) I remember on the show Friends, when Phoebe got pregnant, her babies "wanted" meat - quite a problem for a vegetarian.
I think that my taste buds were so numb and damaged by my constant reliance on sugars, fats, and carbs that they had no idea that some other things actually taste good. I know that once you eliminate sugar, you realize how overly sweet everything is. This morning I had a "fruit on the bottom" Stoneyfield Farms blueberry yogurt that was is in our fridge. It was almost like candy it was so sweet. I now eat plain yogurt with no sweeteners in it and add fruit. Honestly, I prefer it. I can't even stomach juice or Gatorade any more - they are so sickeningly sweet. I think that my tongue is just now learning how foods should taste when they aren't coated in sugar, preservatives, breading, or cheese.
It isn't just one food either. It is up to about a dozen. Here are some of the more glaring examples.
- Pickles. I absolutely loathe pickles. For years I refused to eat at Chick Fil A because they gave you a hard time when you wanted your sandwich without pickles. I hate it when people sneak pickles or relish into stuff. I even have a piece of flair on my facebook that says "Pickles are cucumbers soaked in evil." But, about a week ago, I was at Ted's Montana Grill and they put a bowl of pickles on the table. Usually I shove them away in disdain, disgusted with the mutant cukes being pushed onto us. But this time I tried one. And then another. And then I ate most of the bowl. The next day, I went back to Ted's. (Hey, my friend Charles and I love Ted's.) That bowl of pickles didn't stand a chance. Heather ordered a pickle the other day, and I took a bite of it. It was good - but it had too much of a mustard taste. And then this past week in Orlando, I went to 4 Rivers Smokehouse (the most amazing BBQ place I have found yet). They have fried pickles as a side - and they were delicious. (And it wasn't just the frying - there was hardly any batter and the pickles themselves were great.) I now am trying to figure out which pickles I should try from the store. Weird.
- Meatloaf. I have always hated meatloaf. This was one of those foods that made me turn into a massive whiny griper as a kid. And as an adult. A few years ago, I found a meatloaf that was okay. And then at McAllister's Deli, I tried their meatloaf sandwich and it was very good - but part of it was the marinara and cheese. The other day I just decided to make it out of nowhere. And it was fantastic. I even had it for lunch three days in a row. I'm not really sure what changed it - except for I found a recipe without ketchup. Either way, I thought it was great. And I also liked Boston Market's meatloaf when I snitched a bite off Heather's plate. This is very weird.
- Salmon. There has always been one rule when it came to me and fish. I don't like fishy fish. I like tuna, mahi mahi, chlean sea bass, haddock, cod, grouper. But I can't stand fishy fish. And the number one example was salmon. I hated salmon. It was a non-negotiable food. Then the other day I went over to Erik and Tiffany's house for dinner. Erik was making Salmon (which I hate) and shrimp (which I can't have). So he made me a skirt steak. And then he made me try the salmon. "Here's a little piece. At least try it." I did. And then I ate the whole piece. I actually liked it better than the steak. Today I actually checked the prices on salmon in the Publix meat department. What is happening to me?
- Pork Chops. Pork has always been a no go meat for me. I hated it. Just ask my mom. Nothing got me more upset than pork. Yet, if it weren't for pork, I doubt I would have made it through this food effort. I had discovered pulled pork a few years ago (thanks to my good friend Brad Crawford - look for a story on this coming soon). But I still avoid pork chops and pork roast. Even when I started this whole thing, I made a pork roast that I couldn't stomach. But, lately, I have become a lot more forgiving. I bought a pork loin and made pork chops a couple weeks ago. I have pork roasts in the freezer. I bought a huge Boston Butt Roast today for a future effort. I think this is one of those foods where I have learned how to make it well, which makes all the difference.
- Tomato Soup. Shoot, I would go so far as to say soup in general. I've never been a huge soup fan. But I have started making soups. And one of the biggest surprises is how much I like tomato soup. I've had several different kinds in the last two months. And I've liked all of them. I make it frequently now. I guess I had never found a good tomato soup. The stuff in the cans is disgusting. But fresh tomato soup is amazing.
- Squash. Veggies have never been my friend. But some veggies are bigger enemies than others. There are a few vegetables that I refuse to eat. Brussel sprouts, beets, squash, lima beans, okra. These are disgusting to me. So, imagine my surprise as I have begun incorporating various squash varieties into our food. I always have been partial to zucchini - especially in zucchini bread and zucchini boats (zucchini hollowed out and stuffed with lasagna fillings). But I actually order it now. I've gotten yellow squash several times. And I went so far as to make butternut squash soup the other day too.
- Lima Beans. Yeah, you saw in on that list, didn't you? My dad loved lima beans. My mom, and the rest of us, hated them. Every so often, my mom would make my dad a little pot of lima beans and us something different - just to make him happy. They were just one of those foods that inspired retching. Well, my recent frequenting of BBQ joints has introduced me to Brunswick Stew. For those of you who have never had it, Brunswick Stew is a mix of pork chunks, tomatoes, corn, and lima beans. Tomato soup with pork, corn, and lima beans? How about a complete strike out. Not any more - it is really good. I plan on making some with some of the pork roast I have in the freezer. And I will include lima beans - because they are actually very good.
- Plain Yogurt. I have always liked yogurt. But I would never eat plain yogurt. It was like drinking straight seltzer water. It tasted like it wasn't finished yet. But, as I have well documented on this site, yogurt is one of my biggest crutches. Every morning I have plain yogurt with fruit I add to it. No sweeteners or flavoring. Just plain yogurt. And I love it. Throw in there the plain Greek yogurt we use all the time, and plain yogurt could be the MVP of my battle to kill Darth Fatso.
Pretty strange, huh? I wonder how many other things will change before I'm done. I already am finding certain tastes more prevalent now - preferring vinegar based sauces and dressings, having no desire for citrus. It still is weird to find myself making or ordering a food that until this year I wouldn't have even wanted in the house. I know that people will often find their tastes changing as they get older. And I have found that to be true. I used to hate onions; now I use them in most things I cook. I never drank skim milk until I was 22. I only ate American Cheese until I was a teenager. But the rapid nature of these taste changes can only be attributed to the way my sense of taste has been freed by breaking these food habits. Either that, or I'm going to be reeeaaally curious as to how to get this kid out.
If you want a sweet pickle, try Del Monte Organic: Sweet Bread and Butter. I have not been to Whole Foods or other such places to find sweet pickles made with real sugar instead of HFCS.
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