Changing Tastes

I ate cottage cheese on a baked potato tonight.

Yes, this is such a significant piece of information that I felt I should share it with the blogging world. Never in my *cough* 34 *cough* years of life have I eaten plain cottage cheese (i.e. not disguised in a yummy recipe like lasagna or veggie pizza). It's always been the texture that has put me off. All those chunks just look like...well...puke. Then awhile back I made baked potatoes and my husband, the potato lover that he is, said he will only eat a baked potato with cottage cheese on it. I was intrigued so I tried a bit and didn't hate it. It was kind of good. Kind of cheesy. I love cheese! So tonight I actually bought cottage cheese to put onto a baked potato, and I had some broccoli with it. It was delicious! Regardless, I don't think I'll ever graduate to eating cling peaches or pineapple with cottage cheese. Gross. Plus, it makes me think of my days serving food at the nursing home.

All this got me to thinking how much my tastes have changed as I've gotten older. I have heard that taste goes in cycles, but it still surprises me. I think the first change happened when I was a freshman in college and for my first weekend away I visited my aunt and uncle. My aunt made succotash (corn and lima beans) and I couldn't get enough of the lima beans. I HATED lima beans growing up. I spent a lot of my life separating the corn from the lima beans. Another thing: tomatoes. Now, I have rules and regulations surrounding tomatoes and my friend's husband explained it by saying that I like 'fancy tomatoes' (i.e. fresh salsa, bruschetta, tomato and mozzerella salad). The fact that I even consider eating raw tomatoes is huge! This one probably started in my late 20s. And now...the granddaddy of all food hates: cottage cheese. It's all kind of weirding me out.

I like to think I eat a fairly diverse diet. Over the years my awesome friends have introduced me to new things. I remember my first time trying Indian food (which is now one of my favorites) and the time we went out for Ethiopian (which is not one of my favorites). I think they were warming me up for my move to a different country! You're forced out of your comfort zone and you have to make do. There are strange things on the menu and at the grocery store. I also really love to cook and am fortunate enough to have a husband who will eat any experiment I put in front of him. One of the best things when we were dating was when we were wandering around looking for a place to eat in Sheffield. We passed a Lebanese restaurant, which I love, and it took no convincing to get him in there to try it. He loved it as much as I did! I knew he was a keeper after that one!

So that's about it really. Yep...I ate cottage cheese and actually liked it. What could be next!? Oh wait, I just thought of it: liver. Blech, I hope not!