For Ladies Only

At my work, we have a tea box that is randomly filled with the rejects from our donated food. Usually things are run of the mill, you get your earl greys, your breakfasts, your herbal greens. Today we have:

"Absolute Natural: Women's Tea"

Obviously, I was compelled to try it. What made this tea so lady specific? It looked pretty normal in the tea bag and smelled surprisingly like chicken bouillon and celery seeds. When I added the water, the ingredients separated out in a weird way, causing  a white powdery layer to form on the top of the bag that was a little disturbing. I forge onward.

The taste is surprisingly mild and herby- not salty like the smell led me to believe. A little bitter, a little spicy, very complex and a bit sweet. It tasted pretty wholesome while it was hot. But as it cooled it started to get more medicinal and kind of nasty.

I did a little research and found out it contains dong-qui, red dates, and goji berries. I found this on a forum about "natural breast enhancement". Apparently it helps keep your boobies big when you're trying to loose weight.

Dong qui, also known as Chinese Angelica, is a root used in ancient herbal medicine used to treat lady problems (PMS and Menopause), anemia, and fatigue. It's also traditionally associated with causing miscarriages.

Red Dates, also known as jujubes, are a natural sedative/ stress reliever. It's powers also include laxative, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, and wound healing properties. It is also a traditional contraceptive!

Finally, Goji berries , also known as wolfberries, are supposedly good for cardiovascular and ocular health. They are a well known trendy "super fruit."

So basically, this stuff is a witches brew of weird medicinal herbs. Also, kills babbys dead.

Get your own here!

Alles Zeit ist Brotzeit

One of my dear friends also went to Germany a few years back. When she returned, she was all about making pretzels. It was a compulsion I didn't quite understand then, but I do now.


FACT: Germans love pretzels. It is one of their big cultural icons. Germany, I think is the only place in the world where you will see a stroller with a plush toy pretzel hanging down for baby to play with (yes. I saw this.)

 FACT: Germans make the best pretzels in the world. Once you eat a pretzel in Germany- like a fresh one, right out of the oven, you will have a hard time enjoying other pretzels again. As another friend of mine, who recently returned from a historic tour of Berlin told it:

"The other day I was at the mall with my friends, and we got soft pretzels from Auntie Anne's. Seriously, afterward I was in a horrible mood. My friend was all 'what's wrong? This is so good!' Ugh. It's just not the same, we don't make good pretzels."

Now I too am spoiled. It's hard to say what makes them better. The skin is um, snappier? And the insides are softer? It's just better, ok?

I forgot to mention that these pretzels are also HUGE. Holding a giant beer and a giant pretzel makes you feel like a kid. Literally because you seem very small in comparison to your edibles.

Shroomin'

So I had a hard time starting up with these vacation-related blog posts, because the temptation to tell the whole tale in a linear way made me reluctant to launch into the juiciest tidbits that took place later on. But I'm going for it!

Fact: Germans LOVE Mushrooms. And more specifically, mushroom hunting. On the train, the deutsche bahn magazine had a pretty extensive article on the hippest new mushroom hunting gear. Boots, this knife:

ETC!

An even stronger indicator of this fungus lust took place one night when we were eating dinner in the Rathausglockel Hotel Restaurant. One of the other guests came in, apparently hot off mushroom collecting with an absolutely giant specimen, about the size of a basketball. She asked the kitchen to cook it up for her, and they seemed super pumped about it. Although, that all took place in German, so I could be wrong about what was actually literally said.

It's a pretty big deal there, I guess. In honor of that, I suppose it's only fitting that I cooked up a batch of my awesome mushroom soup last night. Why yes! I will share the recipe.

Ingredients:
1tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 onion, finely chopped
6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2.5 cups of chopped mushrooms (any type)
handful of flour
3 cups of broth (chicken or vegetable - your choice!)
parsley
salt and pepper

1. Combine the oil and butter in a large sauce pan.
2. Cook the garlic and onion in the buttery mixture until they are soft and transparent.
3. Add the Mushrooms and stir to coat them.
4. Turn the heat to low and cover, cook for 15 minutes.
5. Throw in the handful of flour and stir to thicken.
6. Add 1 cup of broth and stir to mix again. Once, thoroughly combined, add the rest of the broth.
7. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil for about 8 minutes.
8. Add parsley, salt and pepper to taste.

It's a really easy recipe and really does bring out the wonderful earthy tastiness of mushrooms. The broth is really flavorful and hearty. The Deutsch would be so proud! Na Klar!

Extra Credit: Guide to Edible Mushrooms of New England

Blessed are the Cheesemakers

Seeing how wonderfully simple it is to make goat cheese on Serious Eats has totally rekindled my desire to adopt a milking goat for the yard. In addition to getting sooo much delicious cheese, it would make it so poor Paul would never have to mow the lawn again! I would say that that is a pretty solid win-win. Plus, we would get great fertilizer for the garden out of the deal? Are there any downsides? Maybe a few, like this being a lot of work, and having to mate them to get the milk...... but I am ignoring that right now!

This could be me!

Localvore in training

Last month was strawberry season, and the local strawberries from around us were so unbelievably good. It has very much made me realize that some foods are not worth eating unless they are fresh and in season. I feel the same way about Corn. There's plenty of ears down at the Big Y, but I've been completely abstaining until I can get a fresh ear from a nearby farm. It really does make a difference in quality and taste.

Since we're so lucky to live in area that actually does grow a ton of food, I'm feeling more dedicated to the the notion of using what we're lucky enough to have at arms length. With that in mind I've printed out this handy chart and pinned it up in my cube at work.

While I have enthusiasm for this now....I am concerned that I may waver when it's winter and there's nothing around to munch but roots. We shall see!

What and a What now?

I was in the grocery store recently and meandered by this is the freezer section:

Pizza....AND cookies? I was literally standing there staring at the freezer case giggling at the silliness. It's like a product The Onion would make up....or something out of a dystopian future dreamed up by Garfield the Cat.

As I thought about what was going through the mind of the hair-brained Nestle executive who dreamed up this product, something wicked sad occurred to me. This goes beyond the sorry state of nutrition choices in this country, it reveals the profound lack of culinary knowledge people have now. It's pretty genius actually; The only time many people use their oven nowadays is to heat up pizza or pre-made cookie dough. It's capitalizing on our laziness and fast-foodivor natures in a weird, sort of predatory way.

Would you buy this product?

Wonkzilla

Big Y's organic line, "Full Circle", has biodegradable cutlery. It's a cool idea- disposable forks and knifes that are made out of plant starches, so you can throw them in the compost pile instead of a landfill. In theory this is awesome.

In practice, well...One minute I'm enjoying a hot n' tasty burrito. The next I'm getting poked in the mouth by a Tim Burton-esque monstrosity! Apparently heat is this inventions only weakness...

Benchmarks

Spring is here y'all. Proofs:

1. Ample Daffodils in the yard.

2. We cooked dinner out tonight on the grill.

 

We had steaks and aspargus. Our complementary beer was the good as always Allagash Dubble.

 

3.New spring slip-on shoes.

I decided to get some sweet Tom's as my shoe of choice. For those who aren't in the know, Toms is a shoe company that donates a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair that is purchased. They're definitely wooing the "vote with your dollar" crowd. Along with my penchant craft beer, daily ponderings of literary tattoos and my burgeoning love of anime, these shoes make my transformation into an insufferable hipster functionally complete.

So far, I really like them! They're very comfortable and extremely breathable, so it's not gross to wear them as they are intended (ie: no socks!). I like how they're the most basic looking shoe you can imagine, which means you can dress them up or down. They are a lovely replacement for my poor ol' naturalizer flats that died over the winter.

Let's hope for a continuation of this sunny, 70 degree weather!

Smelly

I'm not really one for perfume. And in fact, my workplace has a "fragrance free" policy that would prevent me from wearing any anyways.

However, I would consider spraying some of this on myself: Tetley has made a new tea scented perfume. Since this is my typical morning fare already, the smell could pass unnoticed on the cube farm.

Check out the sexy packaging:

This fine lady is Tina, one of the "Tea Folk".

These cartoon people were used to promote tea in England in the 70's-90's. Putting her on the bottle is apparently quite retro and tongue-in-cheek
 
.

And that, my friends, is one weird slogan.

Breakfast Revelations

SO if you're anything like me, sitting down in the morning and having a nice hot breakfast is not an option. I prefer sleeping till the very last possible second and then running out the door in a panic, thank you very much!

I found two awesome quick breakfasts though lately that are frankly off the chain.

1. Lender's Frozen Bagels.

Pop these directly into your toaster from your freezer. They come out tasting like they are from a bakery. Really! These frozen ones are much much better than ones from the bread aisle (I'm looking at you, Thomas'), because they have a nice crisp crust and are much chewier. More than just a thick, round piece of regular bread. I Toast 'em up while I brush my teeth and them eat them in the car.

2. Emerald Breakfast on the Go Trail Mix

These are even quicker, and actually relatively healthy too. Granola, nuts, berries and yogurt raisins. Yum Yum! I'm semi-addicted.

Does anybody really take the time to eat/make breakfast anymore? On the weekends perhaps!

Buffalo Gal

My dark past as a picky eater isn't really a secret. I've recently realized though that getting a late start on trying all the gastronomic masterpieces of the world has actually allowed me to enjoy new foods more. My latest favorite that I thought I hated?

Buffalo Wings!

For a while I was just intimidated by the sheer spiciness of them, and also my suspicion of blue cheeses. But this football season got me to try them with a new, more tolerant pallet. I've since discovered that they are in fact, unbe-friggin-lievable. I am now much more excited about the fact that Paul works mere foot steps away from Amherst's notorious chicken dynasty, The Hangar.

To really experience this wonderful spicy deliciousness, perhaps I should venture up to the National Buffalo Wing Festival this fall. Last year, over 70,000 people attended and devoured over 33 tons of chicken!

 It would be really cool to go, you'd get to try top-notch barbecue from over 30 restaurants from across the country. And hey, maybe I'll even throw my hat in the ring to become Ms. Buffalo Wing (a grand honor!).

One aspect of the fest that I really don't see myself joining in on though is the annual Blue Cheese Bowl, where contestants bob for wings out of a kiddie pool of blue cheese.

I think I'll just eat mine daintily, k, thanx!

Happy Robert Burns Day!

Today is the day that Scottish folks and poetry lovers celebrate the life and times of Scotland's celebrated native son, Robert Burns (duh).

Born in 1759, Burns is the man responsible for that lovely "Auld Lang Syne" we sing on New Years. He was also a Freemason, and named "Poet Laureate" of the Mason's Lodge in 1787. This probably explains why Masonic lodges are pretty much the only place you go for a "Burn's Supper" here in America.

Yes, a "Burn's Supper" is the traditional way to celebrate Robert Burn's day. These dinners are built around wearing kilts, reading poems, lots of toasts with Scotch Whisky, and to eat:

Haggis! (duh.)

Would you try this infamous mixture of sheep's heart, liver and lungs? I think I'll just stick to celebrating with the Whisky.

To a Mouse... By Robert Burns

Small, crafty, cowering, timorous little beast,
O, what a panic is in your little breast!
You need not start away so hasty
With argumentative chatter!
I would be loath to run and chase you,
With murdering plough-staff.

I'm truly sorry man's dominion
Has broken Nature's social union,
And justifies that ill opinion
Which makes thee startle
At me, thy poor, earth born companion
And fellow mortal!

I doubt not, sometimes, but you may steal;
What then? Poor little beast, you must live!
An odd ear in twenty-four sheaves
Is a small request;
I will get a blessing with what is left,
And never miss it.

Your small house, too, in ruin!
Its feeble walls the winds are scattering!
And nothing now, to build a new one,
Of coarse grass green!
And bleak December's winds coming,
Both bitter and keen!

You saw the fields laid bare and wasted,
And weary winter coming fast,
And cozy here, beneath the blast,
You thought to dwell,
Till crash! the cruel plough passed
Out through your cell.

That small bit heap of leaves and stubble,
Has cost you many a weary nibble!
Now you are turned out, for all your trouble,
Without house or holding,
To endure the winter's sleety dribble,
And hoar-frost cold.

But little Mouse, you are not alone,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes of mice and men
Go often askew,
And leave us nothing but grief and pain,
For promised joy!

Still you are blest, compared with me!
The present only touches you:
But oh! I backward cast my eye,
On prospects dreary!
And forward, though I cannot see,
I guess and fear!

Mighty Mini Popovers

Sunday is a good day for Baking!

I decided I wanted to make something bread-like. Popovers caught my eye in "The Joy of Cooking" because they were simple (only 5 ingredients) and actually pretty easy. The hardest part of making popovers is not being able to peek at them in the oven, for fear of cataclysmic collapse.

These are so yummy though. Crispy and Chewy and Delicious.

Start by preheating your oven to 450 degrees. Grease you muffin tin and sprinkle the cups with sugar - or parmesan cheese- or flour.

Mix together until smooth:
1 cup milk
1 tbsp butter
1 cup flour
1 tsp salt

Beat in, one at a time:
2 eggs (beaten)

Your batter should be thick but soupy. Pour into the muffin cups, 3/4s of the way full.

Bake for about 15 minutes, then lower the temp to 350 and cook 20 minutes longer (again-no peeking! The suspense!).

After taking out of the oven, make a small slit in the tops to help steam escape.

You should end up with a light and crusty treat! In the spirit of the local popover queen, Judy, we ate ours with yummy apple butter from Brookfield orchard. So good! A victory for simplicity!

Vegetari-yum

It's been a LONG time since I blogged about what I've been cooking. It's too bad, because I've made some pretty yummy stuff this fall/early winter. I really felt like the dish I made last night was exceptional though, and I wanted to share it!

CHILLI TOFU ENCHILADAS!

This recipe was one of the best tofu-centric dishes I've ever had. Something about the way you prepare the soy is just so so right. Plus the dish is loaded with fresh veggies to give you an immune system boost going into the wintry illness season. There's a lot of chopping to do though, it's a good recipe to make with a partner or group.

Serves 4, Modified from "The Vegetarian Bible"
 4 Tbsp Flour
1 Tsp Paprika
3 Tsp Chilli Powder
8 oz. Firm Tofu, in 1 inch cubes.
1 Onion, finely chopped
1 Red Bell Pepper, Chopped
2 Cloves of Garlic, chopped
1 Jalapeno Pepper, seeded and chopped (optional)
1 Avocado, Peeled, pitted and cut into 1 inch strips
1 Tbsp Lime Juice
2 Tomatoes, chopped
1 cup Shredded cheddar cheese
8 Flour Tortillas
Sour Cream
Salsa

1. Preheat the oven to 375.

2. Mix together the flour, paprika and chilli powder. Bread your tofu cubes with the mixture and fry in oil until they are golden brown. Remove the tofu from the pan and drain on a paper towel to remove excess oil.

3. Add a little more oil to the pan and saute the onions, garlic, red pepper, and (if you're feeling bold) jalapeno until they are just starting to soften (About 4 minutes). Remove from pan and drain excess oil.

4. Take your avocado pieces and toss them in a bowl with lime juice. Gently mix in your tofu, cooked vegetables, chopped tomatoes and 1/2 your shredded cheese.

5.Put about 1/8th of this filling mixture into each tortilla, and top with a dollop of sour cream. Roll up your enchiladas and place them seam-down in a large baking dish. Cover the entire dish with your favorite salsa and the rest of your shredded cheese.

6. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and brown. The recipe suggests garnishing with cilantro to serve, but I skipped that.

Oh my goodness, these are so good. They're also surprisingly filling, given that they're mostly vegetables. And the colors in this meal just look so vibrant and fresh, it just plain looks delicious too. Highly recommended for the recently converted or experimenting vegetarian. A+!

Fish are Friends, not Food.

On our first day in Baltimore, we went to the national aquarium. It really is a world-class museum. The exhibits went beyond being just informative, they were visually stunning and some were just plain innovative. They had a few that were like walking into a giant terrarium, incorporating native plants, animals and birds into the habitat. They even adjusted the climate of these exhibits, to make you feel totally immersed in the environment.

It was a fun way to spend the day. My favorites were the lion fish, the dolphin tank, and the seahorses. I had least favorites too....

3 Scariest Creatures at the National Aquarium

1. Southern Stingrays, 6 feet long. Totally thought the people swimming in the tank were going to get Irwined.



2. Blind Tetras. Little fish that are born with eyes but lose them weeks into life.


3. Mud-skippers, evolution's most indecisive freak.

If you are ever in Baltimore, I would say that this is the best thing to see. We spent the whole day there and enjoyed it greatly.

That night, we drove out to the Broadway Diner for dinner - featured on "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives"



We got an unbelievable amount of delicious food for cheap. The portions are huge, and it made me sad we didn't have a fridge in our hotel room. It's a neat place, an intersection of fine dining and greasy diner in a surprisingly complimentary way.

Scoundrels!

Methinks the neighborhood chipmunks have been taking liberties with my pumpkin! Cads!
This has never happened to me before...I guess I just picked a particularly delicious looking pumpkin, because Paul's is untouched.

South Hadley's got some houligan rodent gangs!

More like, Big Sigh

Yesterday, when I was driving home, I swung by the nearest Big Y to buy groceries for the week. Working hither and thither and yon has given me the opportunity to go shopping in quite a few different local Big Y’s. This was the first time I had ever visited the one in Northampton, and it was quite the experience. I don’t think I’d ever been in Big Y so nice. The entryway had wood flooring, and instead of numbered lights on the checkout, they had decorative lanterns, each one boasting black construction paper silhouettes of pumpkins and ghouls for Halloween.

I couldn’t help notice the huge difference between this store, and the one I went to when I was working in Ware. It was almost like two totally different brands of store. While the Northampton Big Y has high ceilings and lots of bright, natural light, the Ware store has a feeling of dinginess you just can’t shake. The biggest and most noticeable difference though, is the way food is arranged and marketed in the store.

The Amherst store, which I go to most frequently, has twice the amount of fresh, local produce as the Ware store does. In the Ware store, canned vegetables make up one half of an aisle, and candy is on the other. Imagine trying to take a kid down that aisle to get corn and cauliflower, with all those sweets staring them in the face. It’s like a prescription for a temper tantrum. This basically sums up the situation, but the discrepancies are stark and many. Amherst has a takeout counter with brick oven pizza and rotisserie chicken. Ware has a grab and go section that is a cooler with some of the grossest looking sandwiches I’ve ever seen surrounded by displays of fun size chocolate bars. Northampton has a sizeable selection of fine wines and microbrew beers. Ware has more than one aisle for soda.

It kind of goes hand-in-hand with what I was talking about earlier this month. Healthy eating habits are learned, not instinctual. And it’s hard to imagine teaching yourself a new, healthy diet when the fruit snacks are in the same section of the store as the fresh fruit (yes, really). I’ll admit too, that I found myself coming home with more junk food than usual. Treats that I’d usually skip over dominated the end of aisle displays, and were strategically placed near healthier options. It was hard not to notice. So I guess the question is: why is a struggling community with so many people on government food assistance mitigated to such unhealthy options?

It’s sort of a chicken and egg situation. Are these aisles organized this way because of the shopping preferences of the community, or is the community buying these foods because of their strategic placement in the store. Either way, it’s clear that Big Y sees it’s stocking practices in terms of dollar signs, not diet.

PS: I'm supposed to add a disclaimer that these are my personal opinions, and do not reflect the opinions of the food bank of western MA.

Picturesque

So, I've been lucky enough to snag another job that involves getting out of the office and doing some hands on outreach work. My new temp position in the Brown Bag program at the Food Bank gets me driving all over the 3 counties of western MA. Yesterday I visited by far my favorite town yet: Shelburne Falls


The town has two claims to fame, outside of being wicked beautiful.

1. The Glacial Pothole rock formations

2. The Bridge of Flowers, which is a beautiful, free community garden that just happens to be suspended across the Deerfield River.

Betheny, the food bank intern and I got lunch at that little pub that you can see on the left of the picture, over looking the bridge. I got grilled cheese and spinach and mushroom soup. It was a delicious addition to the first day that really felt like fall. We walked over the bridge on the way back to the car and it was positively exploding with Dahlias of every color. You can really tell they take care to plant the flowers so there is something blooming from April to October.

The village is just nestled in this little mountain valley, and full of these neat metal suspension bridges. The town center is surprisingly active too, given how isolated Shelburne is. There were lots of neat little artsy shops and independent cafes. No wonder Bill Cosby lives here. I am hoping to get back again soon!

Oh SNAP

I was on facebook and I saw this status update from a girl I barely knew from high school. We used to be in girl scouts together, but I don't think I've said two words to her since 2nd grade.

"Still fuming about the lady at the grocery store in front of me who made me late to work because of her food stamps issues.... $200 in groceries (mostly snacks and junk food)..that the state of CT paid for..and she looked pretty damn capable of working. But anyways...back to busting my butt at work and helping sick people. Proud to say that I work hard and earn everything that I have!"

All her fuming has gotten me fuming. Her judgmental attitude and assumptions are really terrible, and I'm getting really sick of this tired argument that people on governmental assistance don't deserve kindness or understanding. I wanted to call her out on this, but the sheer abundance of supportive comments with obama blaming platitudes made me resigned to sighing and coming to write out my response here.

1. You're furious at this lady because she made you late, because she had problems with her food stamps. Do you think she was happy about that? Do you think she wasn't embarrassed by the hold up she was creating, that she wasn't ashamed that she couldn't buy her own food otherwise? If you were rolling your eyes and sighing do you think she didn't notice?

2. So she bought junk food. So what? Are people on SNAP not allowed to eat the same food as the rest of us humans? I think there are 3 reasons people on supplemental food programs buy processed foods.
*Because there isn't a lot of nutritional education in low-income areas, and many people are raised on packaged foods. Most people are not aware that you can use your food stamps to buy fresh produce at farmers markets, and many low income areas do not afford this opportunity.
*Packaged foods have a longer shelf life than fruits and vegetables, so there is a certain guarantee that their food will not be wasted.
*These junk food and snack have the highest calorie density to dollar ratio. Buying junk food simply allows people to get more food for their dollar, thus masking the most of the food stamp money they are allotted. This food isn't nutritionally good for them, but until locally made organic whole grain bread is cheaper than pop tarts, people are still going to make cost effective food choices over healthy ones.

3. Your snide comment about this woman's ability to work is stupid. How do you know she doesn't have a job? Being on food assistance doesn't mean you're unemployed. And PS, the unemployment rate is over 10 percent right now. This woman could want to work with all her heart, but can't find the opportunity, especially if she's a menial laborer.

4. Good for you that you work hard in the medical field, but not everybody can afford to pursue a college degree, for financial or personal reasons. One would think that a person who spends all their time caring for those in need would be a little more compassionate. Earning everything you have is a little bit easier when you start off with the advantage of wealthy parents and ethnic advantages.

I dunno. I understand that it can be frustrating to perceive somebody taking advantage of the system. I used to see it all the time at the CDC. But if this lady is getting $200 worth of food stamps ( the average monthly benefit in CT, where she lives, being $135), she probably has a good reason...

It grows on you...

In my childhood, I was somewhat of a picky eater. I had kind of unusual tastes for a kid, like loving raw vegetables and shredded cheese for snacks. I also didn't eat sandwiches for several years, because I didn't like when things had too many flavors at once. I guess the best description was that I had was like a taste for simple foods, a restricted palate.

Once I left home for college though, I became much more open to trying new foods. I quickly learned that things that I was afraid of trying, or that I assumed would be gross were actually wicked delicious. One food experience that really stood out for me was when Paul first got me to try Clam Chowder. I was convinced that I hated this soup, because I thought the idea of eating clams was kind of icky. Clam Chowder also has a weird, unique smell to it that can be off putting at times, particularly if you don't know what clams taste like. The minute I tried it though I regretted missing out on all those years of chowder eating, and full heartedly admitted that it was delicious.

Some other foods though, took me multiple tastes to realize how great they were. I guess there are just some flavors that you have to get used to. My acquired tastes include:

Chamomile Tea - I always found the flavor to be too medicinal, and I went through a phase where I couldn't eat or drink anything that reminded me of cough syrup (I'm looking at you, grape popsicles). I've been drinking a lot of bedtime tea lately though, and it really gave me a liking for the flavor. Now it's one of my favorite kinds of tea.


Feta Cheese- Feta and I got off to a bad start. When I worked at the Hatch, I had to restock the feta for the greek food station. I had never really encountered Feta before, so having to handle a giant block of it, submerged in a tub of water, was a little much. I was grossed out. Lately though I've enjoyed this cheese in pasta and sandwiches. I got over our bad first impressions.

IPAs: Almost nobody likes IPAs the first time they try them. They're very bitter, and completely different from Lagers and Ales. I remember quite distinctly saying that I'd never like IPAs. But lo and behold, they are now my favorite type of beer. I think that as you try more and more beers, you start to crave the flavorful taste of Hops in you beverage.

Sushi: I remember gagging the first time I ate sushi. I left the restaurant thinking I'd never eat it again. Strangely enough though, I started craving sushi not too long after that. I think it's a meal that makes you feel fulfilled after eating it. I initially just liked the satisfied feeling I got after eating raw fish, but then I moved on to actually really liking the flavor. Now its just about the only way I eat fish.

Strange how your tastes change!