Calling a truce with your vegetable enemies
As a child, what vegetables did you hate? Broccoli? Lima beans? Spinach? When was the last time you gave them a try? Our taste buds change as we grow. Even if you remember despising a certain vegetable with a vengeance when you were young, that doesn’t mean that you’ll still hate it now.
I grew up disliking spinach, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and eggplant. But what a difference a little time can make… Spinach is now one of my very favorite veggies in the world, and roasted Brussels sprouts taste heavenly to me (I’m still not a fan of them boiled, though). I learned to love eggplant during my junior year abroad in Italy, and wondered why I had ever disliked it to begin with. I’m still not broccoli’s biggest fan, but occasionally I really enjoy it (plus knowing how good it is for me helps, too).
So if there are still vegetables out there that you are avoiding based upon a long-ago memory of dislike, why not give them another try? Try out a new way of preparing them, or order them up at a fabulous restaurant. You might be pleasantly surprised by the taste. And if not, well, at least you were adult enough to try.
Which vegetables did you hate as a child? Do you still hate them now?
Tags: vegan, Vegetables, vegetarianRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Vegetables
8 opinions for Calling a truce with your vegetable enemies
Jaime
Sep 26, 2007 at 1:20 pm
I can’t think of any veggies I hated as a kid… well, I can, but they’re things I’ve tried again, and still don’t like. I recently tried beets for the first time in years and, yup, still not my thing.
I don’t think I’d ever eaten brussels sprouts before this week, and they’re amazingly delicious.
I’m in the process of trying to learn to like eggplant. The texture is my problem - either it’s undercooked or it’s falling-apart mush. I sautee or stir-fry most of my veggie dinners… maybe that’s not gonna work.
Sophie
Sep 26, 2007 at 6:53 pm
Broad beans - I wouldn’t go near them for about twenty years after being forced to eat them as a kid. Now I’m not sure what all the fuss was about :-) My other half is slowly getting to grips with broccoli though I wouldn’t say that he actually enjoys it yet
Emmie
Sep 27, 2007 at 7:49 am
I used to hate broccoli, spinach, bell peppers, mushrooms, potatoes.. the list goes on! Now I love pretty much all of them. I haven’t ever tried brussel sprouts and my partner tells me they’re disgusting. I’m definitely trying them this year though. I don’t care what he says.
kathryn
Sep 27, 2007 at 8:36 am
Oh what a great post Jul. I wish more people would do this. I get so many clients telling me “I hate , but then they haven’t tried it in 20 years. Or alternatively they hated the vegetable when their mum used to boil it to death.
There’s a lovely series of posts over at Half of Me called lick the produce, where the blogger is trying new fruits and vegetables - it’s one of my favourite blogging projects.
60 in 3
Sep 27, 2007 at 6:10 pm
I hated green peppers as a child. My mom would make these stuffed green peppers and I remember always tearing them away and just eating the stuffing. I even remember how bitter they tasted. I also disliked them in my salad or sandwiches back then.
Just recently, my mom made the same recipe and the peppers tasted great. Now I eat them all the time. Odd how I can still remember how bad they tasted but now I get a completely different flavor from them.
Gal
Cassie Young
Sep 28, 2007 at 7:09 pm
Great post!! I’m 38 years old and have found that even in the last couple of years my tastes have changed a great deal. Just two years ago I would not touch radishes or cantaloupe, especially cantaloupe. When I tried them again this year, I discovered I now quite enjoy them. There are still a few veggies and fruits I just can’t get into, but maybe that will change in time as well. :)
rachel
Oct 1, 2007 at 11:50 am
So funny you should bring this up! After hating and avoiding watermelon for most of my life, someone brought me half a watermelon this past weekend. I had no choice but to eat it. It’ll never be a favorite fruit, but it wasn’t bad!
My favorite veggies as a child were brussel sprouts and spinach. I even asked to have spinach in lieu of a birthday cake one year. Veggies I didn’t like were zucchini and green peppers. I have had both plenty of times since, and though I’ve made my peace with zucchini, I still find green peppers to be pretty icky. But red, orange, and yellow peppers are among my faves!
Céline
Oct 3, 2007 at 11:02 am
Cool topic. I never hated any veg as a kid, apart maybe from olives, if they can be considered as veg. I eat them now. But what I discovered in my 20’s is coriander and a few years later with many trials along the way, I still find the taste simply repulsive. I just cannot explain it…
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