The Year of Asparagus

I’ll be the first one to admit it—I’m a picky eater. I’m not proud of this fact and I didn’t set out to be this way, but it’s who I became over the last 60 years. I sometimes wish I was more like Rick, he’s like Mikey, he’ll eat anything! 

Whenever we go out to eat, it takes me forever to decide what I want to order. I look and look for something that I know I will like. Most of the time, I’ll find something only to read how it’s cooked or what accompanies it and there will be something about it that I’m sure I won’t like.  There’s nothing worse for me than ordering something that I end up not liking. 

Rick, on the other hand, will frequently look for a menu item he’s never tried before and then order it just to see what it tastes like. So far as I know, he’s only been burned once—when he ordered chili relleno’s stuffed with crawfish at a Mexican restaurant back in 2007 when we were living in Baton Rouge. It was the ONLY time Rick didn’t finish his meal. The smell of the crawfish mixed with the Mexican smell just about made him sick. I was surprised he ate half his meal! 

I have been burned many times—the food tasted too spicy, I didn’t like the sauce on top, the chicken (or whatever) tasted funny, they didn’t remember my request of no butter or no sour cream or no guacamole on my plate anywhere, etc. With me there is always something. I eventually labeled myself a high maintenance diner.  Waiters beware! 

Sometimes I blame this on my mother, but in reality I know that it’s not her fault. She did the best she could to provide us with nutritional meals. When I was a young child, there were some items on Mom’s menu that I didn’t like very much. One meal in particular was fried eggs over easy with creamed spinach. Can you imagine the runny yokes and creamed spinach running together? Scary!   

Another was liver. I would chew and chew until it became pate in my mouth but I would not swallow it.  I would tuck it away in the side of my cheek and take the next piece in. Often I would be the last person at the table looking like a little chipmunk.  Eventually, Mom would tell me to spit it out and go to my room. Ahh, memories!! 

I haven’t tried any new foods in quite a while.  Mushrooms came on my list of things I will eat back in the early 70’s followed in the 80's by broccoli and cauliflower; zucchini came much later in the 90’s.  This year, 2012, is the year of asparagus. 

I went to a wedding last Saturday. The wedding reception was held at the Del Frisco’s restaurant in Charlotte, NC—very fancy and very chic. The menu was salad, steak or fish or chicken, asparagus, mashed potatoes and dessert. 

After the waiter placed my steak in front of me, he asked if I would like some asparagus. Hmmm. I thought about this for a few seconds. You see, I don’t eat asparagus. Why? Well, they look funny, like little trees and they’re mushy (or so I thought just by how they looked) and I don’t do mushy. I didn’t want to draw attention to myself so I told him to put just two stalks on my plate.  

Now that they were on my plate I said to myself, “What the heck! Step outside of the box and try something new.” And you know what? I liked them!! They were in a buttery sauce and had sliced almonds on top and not mushy at all! They were yummy! Lucky for me, the waiter put down a whole plate of them right in front of me so I helped myself to seconds. 

I gave myself a big pat on the back for trying something new that day and I know my sister-in-law Debbie will be proud of me also. She’s always telling me to broaden my palate and try new foods. Maybe it was her I heard whispering in my ear: Patty, try the asparagus. They’re good. 

Gee! All those non-asparagus years gone that I can never get back. What a waste. Oh well. What’s done is done. I can only look to the future. I’m not saying that asparagus has changed me for all foods.  I’m still a picky eater.  But just maybe I won’t be so close minded the next time I’m presented with the opportunity to try a new food.  

Brussel sprouts. Lamb. Kiwi. Salmon. Artichokes. Eggplant. Escargot. Avocado. Who’s next? 

♥

~ P