Changing Tastes

[siglinde99]

Do you find that what you like has changed over time? I know there are a few things I like better than I did as a kid, but mostly I have remained a fairly adventurous eater. There have been a few changes, though, and I wonder whether it is the food itself or how it was prepared. Today's example is okra.

When I lived in Brazil, I tried the traditional Minas Gerais dish of chicken and okra stew. I thought it was pretty loathsome because of the gluey texture. I haven't had it for years. However, a few years ago I made a spicy andouille sausage and needed something to use it in; the solution was a chicken and smoked andouille sausage dish that also had okra. This week, okra was on clearance sale so I bought 2 pounds of it. I didn't have any andouille, though, and didn't feel like making any, so I found a recipe for that Brazilian chicken and okra stew. I just tasted it and mm.mmmm..mmmm.... The okra had quite a lovely texture. Maybe I didn't cook it as long as it was cooked in restaurants in Brazil?

Comments

[carriea31.livejournal.com]

I think that like you, I have always been a fairly adventurous eater. I do credit my parents for that because they had a rule that I have carried on to my own son, who will now eat most anything without complaint. The rule was/is that you must eat at least one bite of something served at meal time, even if you thought you wouldn't like it. That way we learned to try things and learned to appreciate more things at a younger age. There are some things I learned to like MORE as an adult, but overall I've always pretty much been ok with trying and eating new things. I think one thing that really has grown on me over time is brussels sprouts. I love them now and when I had them as a child I remember thinking they really were horrible.

I've only had fried okra, no other kind. I can see how it could become pretty slimey if it wasn't cooked correctly.

[spikesgirl58.livejournal.com]

Or the okra was just held too long. It's not a patient vegetable. It likes to be served and when it isn't, it can get slimy. I like okra well enough, but I don't usually cook it because TBG cries when I do (he seriously doesn't like it). It's great that you gave the stew another try! I've often found that things you make at home, much better than the restaurant versions, mostly because you can adjust it to your tastes.

Hmm, I will eat oysters now, which was a big no can do as a kid, much to my Da's distress. Won't eat peanut butter as a rule (caution: never eat anything you really like before getting the stomach flu. Afterwards, you won't like it quite as much).

[siglinde99.livejournal.com]

Ah yes, the old stomach flu taste changer. I got it about the time my mother made me try fried green peppers. After 40 years, I have finally progressed to the point that I can stand it in my pizza, if I must, and occasionally add it to pasta sauce. If red or yellow peppers are available, I will use them instead.

[spikesgirl58.livejournal.com]

It's a serious game changer. I can do a peanut based dipping sauce now, but that's my limit.

Speaking of such, I saw powdered peanut butter in the store yesterday. Go figure.

[shyska.livejournal.com]

Nice to read your okra adventure. Reheating cooked okra seems to do it no good. That may have been the case with your first soup taste.

[jume.livejournal.com]

I've developed an aversion to too-sweet