Trying Something New!

Well today I like to call a learning day. Being that I am doing this whole low carb diet thing, I am limited to the food I can eat. That means no more pasta, pizza, or sandwiches. My meals need to consist of protein and veggies. This being said, I am a picky eater. There was a time when I wouldn't eat anything green. Strange I know, but it is what it is.

My mother came from a family where you ate what was put in front of you, and you ate it all. Growing up she swore she'd never do that to her child, but she was also under the notion that you should at least try something to know if you didn't like it. Well she had the unfortunate pleasure of marrying my father, who as a child had his meals specially prepared for him. My grandmother made 2 dinners every night, 1 for the family and 1 for my dad. My dad too was under the notion that if you didn't like something you didn't have to eat it. But where my mother wanted me to at least try it first, I learned that if I put up enough of a fuss, my dad would step in and exempt me from trying it. I used this power to my advantage many many times. If I didn't like the way something looked or smelt, all I had to do was say I don't like it, and my dad in his powerful, commanding voice would always come to my defense and say "She doesn't have to eat it". And to my mother's disappointment she would give up. I ate corn every night of the week because it was pretty much the only thing I liked. Where my brother would eat whatever you put in front of him, I ate 2 things, potatoes and corn. Of course I ate pretty much any protein out there, but my side dishes were limited to those two things.

As a young adult, I started to try some foods. Most of the time I tried these foods because I was at a friend's house and I didn't want to be rude. And you know what happened? I actually liked some of these new foods that I had sworn off as a kid. This all brings me to today, or rather two days ago.

My friend Beth and I went out to dinner. We went to a Japanese restaurant. In my stir-fry vegetables there was the usual suspects: onions, carrots, broccoli (which I now love) and an old nemeses...the green squash, also know as zucchini. Now my mother has been trying to get me to eat zucchini since forever, and I have spent sincw forever advoiding it. Honestly it never looked appetizing to me. But on the fateful night I accidentally ate zucchini. It was warm, smooth and full of flavor. Could this be? Could I actually like zucchini? The blinders have been lifted from my stubborn eyes, the culinary world has opened up a little bit more, hallelujah!! I can now officially say that at the age of 29, I will eat zucchini. Tonight, for the first time I made zucchini for dinner. And you know what? It was good!

Now that I have tried zucchini and liked it, I'm off to try something else new. There is no stopping me now...