Posted on by erniebufflo

learning to love…guacamole

I7338661312_63d3beb6dd_z‘ve made no secret about the fact that I find truly picky (adult) eaters pretty annoying. Having a few dislikes is normal for anyone, but picky eating has always seemed to me to be a symptom of a larger lack of adventurousness or total control-freakery, and it just gets on my nerves. I’m even annoyed by my own dislikes. Blueberries, mushrooms, and avocado have long topped my list of dislikes, and I’ve often wished I could just *like* these things. I make it a habit to try things I think I dislike on a regular basis, just to see if maybe I was wrong and I really try to like them. I’ve learned to like mushrooms in most things, as long as they aren’t the main focus of a dish, but I still don’t like blueberries in anything except pancakes (yes, this is different than in muffins, and no, I will not eat a blueberry muffin, no thanks). Thank God my temporary postpartum dislike of coffee disappeared after a couple of months.

The weirdest thing has happened with avocado. My husband LOVES it, and I’ve just never been a fan. I’d eat it in sushi, where it was more of a creamy element than an actual flavor, but pretty much any other preparation just didn’t taste good to me. Still, since my husband was such a fan, and since I do most of the cooking in our house, I often found myself making guacamole. I’d quiz him each time, wanting to know if it needed more cilantro or more salt or whatever, since I couldn’t just taste it and know if it was good or not, because it would always taste like yuck to me. Still, from time to time, I’d dip in a chip and give it a shot, just to confirm that I still hadn’t learned to love the guac. Which is what I did this week when…I loved it.

I think I’ve had guacamole three times since then. I may be getting kind of obsessed. It works out great that avocados have been 99 cents apiece at my local grocery store. And I just picked up 5 more. I am kind of afraid I’ll start hating it again if I don’t keep eating it while avocados are on sale! I guess this means there’s still hope for blueberry muffins and mushroom sandwiches. Maybe even beer! (Yes, I hate beer no matter how many times I’ve tried it. Yes, my husband is a home brewer. Sure would be nice to be able to give him feedback on his brews beyond “tastes like beer!”)

So, are you a picky eater? Have you ever had your feelings about a food change drastically? Do you periodically try foods you don’t like, just to see if you’ve changed your mind? Am I completely weird? (Don’t answer that last one.)

Image used with this post, Avocado, created by Flickr user realitysadream, used under a Creative Commons license.

10 Replies to “learning to love…guacamole”

  1. I used to be sooo picky, but it’s like you said, the more you try something there’s that chance your taste buds will adapt. I used to be funny about avocados as well and peppers, and now I’m obsessed! Funny how that goes. -Alicia

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  2. I’m pretty similar to you. I love trying new foods and I don’t like disliking something. Sushi is one I’ve always wanted to like but just couldn’t tolerate it. I finally like it! In fact, I sorta love it. It took me several years and 5+ attempts. I also don’t like avocados…. But I suspect an allergy bc of an itchy mouth and tummy ache whenever I’ve tried it.i might try guac again though.

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  3. I like everything. Even things I don’t love, I tolerate, for reasons similar to yours for trying things. Sweets are my only holdout; I used to loath almost every sweet thing from chocolate to cheesecake to caramel– now I selectively tolerate some, since pregnancy boosted my sweet tooth last year. The key, I think, is being a gracious dinner guest or host. I can deal with people not liking foods, but being outspoken about it or dictating the menu annoys the bejeezus out of me.

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  4. I’ve also learned to like avocados. Moving out west where they were much cheaper has helped the process along :) My husband and kids like them, so I buy a lot. My youngest loves to make guacamole.
    I’m fortunate to have kids that are pretty good and adventurous eaters. I would have a hard time with a super picky eater, but I think some people maybe really can’t help being that way, perhaps it is a sensory issue or something that isn’t easily fixed. There are probably many factors that are involved in what makes some kids good eaters and some kids the opposite.

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  5. I am so happy you have finally come to love avocados! I feel like life would be missing a crucial element if they were not a part of it, especially made into a guacamole and paired with tortilla chips!! I have not been a picky eater since my adult life took over but last month I ordered a seafood omelet and realized it had calamari in it–the entire thing, head with tentacles attached. I couldn’t bring myself to eat it no matter how hard I tried. I asked my two year old if she wanted to eat some octopus and she agreed! She ate two of them and told me they were good. I still couldn’t do it and accepted the fact my daughter was more open minded than myself. :-)

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  6. Avocados are weird. Personally I love them – in guacamole and on their own and however – but they have such a neutral flavor that it’s a bit strange, I guess.

    I’ve blogged about reforming my own picky eater tendencies. Now I’ll eat sushi, but still shy away from cooked seafood. It’s mostly a smell thing. My nose is so sensitive. If I catch the faintest whiff of fishiness, I’m DONE.

    I’m with you on mushrooms (I’ll eat them but don’t want to think about them) but blueberries are one of my favorites.

    I used to be absolutely opposed to onions. If I could see onions in food, I wouldn’t eat. Now I love raw chopped onion on, say, tacos, but still sometimes pick cooked onions out of food (if I’m alone). Old habits…

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  7. I can think of two: mushrooms and sashimi.

    I grew up loathing mushrooms, but then . . . at the grocery store one day, I had to buy them. Now I find certain dishes far less pleasing without them. Sometimes I eat them solo.

    The thought of sashimi grossed me out before I lived in Japan. Then, suddenly, I’d find myself sitting in my apartment thinking, “I need sashimi now.” I don’t eat it much now, but I am still fond(er) of it.

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