I just overheard a coworker saying “Oh, I would never try that in my life!”, in a discussion of food. (This was about consuming a steak cooked less than medium well). It made me wonder what life is like for those who refuse to try new food, especially those who refuse to try mundane things like fried shrimp.
Why limit yourself? It seems like such a closed-minded way to view food. Help me understand?
Mushrooms were completely disgusting to me until I realized it was white buttons and baby bellas that I hated. I discovered that what I really liked are enokis, shiitakes, and especially oysters. There’s a world of difference in flavor and texture, and I still have to use them in the right meals.
If I could recommend one thing, the next time you make a sauce (I’ve found marinara sauce on pasta works well):
When you tear it by hand and add it to sauce, the flavor is incredibly savory, and you don’t feel the texture at all because it tears so finely.
Huh. I have also always thought I hate mushrooms, but thinking about it now, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a mushroom other than champignon available as an ingredient anywhere. I never even realised until now that champignon is not just what we call edible mushrooms in Dutch, because every time someone refers to eating mushrooms, it’s champignons.
Maybe I should try some different kinds.
Albert Heijn has good mixes of other kinds of mushroom, very easy to make a pasta with if you also get one of their fresh sauces.
Same. Turns out I like every kind of mushroom except the crimini family, which taste like someone left a NERF dart out in the mud for six years. (Similarly, canned black olives are an abomination but every time there’s a fancy olive on a charcuterie board I like it.)
Canned black olives are the single ingredient I can think of that totally ruins a pizza for me flavor-wise. I’ve discovered I even kind of like mushrooms on pizza – and that it’s maybe the one context where I’m fine with baby bella. Shit, I’m even kind of okay with green olives on pizza.
Canned black olives are one of the three Hell foods to me along with chicken liver (odor) and cottage cheese (texture).
–You don’t know you don’t like ice cream until you’ve tried every kind. -Hobbes
Ah but that’s the thing, if I know there’s mushrooms in a dish I will not be able to put a single morsel in my mouth. There must be some psychological aspect to this but I swear, it’s like I’m physically unable to bring the fork to my face.
I do wish I liked mushrooms and eggs because people rave about them and they’re so versatile, it’s very frustrating.