A Matter of Taste
In the James Bond movie “Octopussy”, Roger
Moore, a.k.a., 007, is captured by the villain, an Afghan prince named
Kamal Kahn. Seated at the dinner table with his evil host, James Bond
is revolted by the stuffed sheep’s head glaring at him from his plate.
In gastronomic horror he watches Kahn twist out one of the creature’s
eyeballs and gloriously pop it into his eager mouth. Bond refuses to
partake claiming he “loses his appetite when he’s stared at.”
The foods that people choose to eat or not
to eat is an interesting subject of study. If humans developed in a
vacuum, free of all external influences, we would probably consume what
naturally appealed to us. There are underlying biological reasons,
(biochemistry, genetics, taste bud anatomy, etc.), that create
individual differences in taste preferences. If we were without our
feelings we might choose our victuals much like Spock, the emotionless
Vulcan of Star Trek: based purely on nutritive value. But we have not
grown up in a vacuum nor are we passionless automatons.
We become accustomed to certain foods based
on our life experiences. People have a natural reluctance toward foods
and food combinations that are unfamiliar. My father loves veal cutlet
and loves eggs, but place the eggs on the cutlet, (as in the classic
German dish wiener schnitzel), and he recoils and makes a face. I make
a delicious salad from mixed greens, asparagus, and potatoes topped by a
green onion dressing. My mother, who likes potatoes, didn’t eat them,
simply because she “never heard of putting potatoes in a salad.” Go to
the Internet, put “salad with potatoes” in the search box, hit enter,
and watch reality contradict her experience. But that’s not the point.
It’s not objective reality that matters; it’s her reality that
matters.
If my anti-potatoes-in-salad-mother grew up
in Southeast Asia, she’d be eating fried rats and insects. But one
needn’t traverse half way around the globe to encounter unusual foods.
Growing up in northern NJ, my Italian friend’s father would bring home a
goat at Christmas. He would eat numerous parts of the animal including
the brains. I certainly have my own limits. I sautéed veal kidneys to
perfection in cooking school but I refuse to eat an organ involved in an
animal’s urinary process. I did however try the frog’s legs and yes
they do taste a little like chicken. My mouth was saying “Hmmm, not
bad”, but my brain was saying, “IT’S A FROG!” If kidneys or frogs legs
had been a staple in my childhood, I probably would feel differently
about consuming them.
During a trip to Montreal years ago I
treated myself to a top notch French restaurant each day. I had wild
boar, caribou, and ostrich and enjoyed them all. These delicacies are
mildly adventurous at best. They were all reminiscent of tender beef
loin and being an ardent carnivore, it wasn’t a great leap. I tried the
escargot but my reaction was the same as the frog’s legs: tasted good
but IT’S A SNAIL!
Some people avoid certain foods for
religious reasons, their value system, or for health concerns. That’s
understandable. But some also avoid certain foods purely out of
misinformation. I’ve encountered individuals, who believe black pepper
sticks to your appendix, eating peanuts after sundown causes
stomachaches, fluids shouldn’t be consumed with meals, eating sugar
causes diabetes, and schizophrenia is due to a vitamin deficiency. And
then there’s the minority whose sanity needs to be questioned. One
fanatical woman I knew was incensed about the “evils” of sugar. One day
after her church services the local school teacher was handing out
lollypops to the children. This woman actually ran through the parking
lot snatching the candy from the children’s hands.
Avoiding certain foods because of your
values or your health is one thing. But when foods are avoided simply
due to a lack of experience, erroneous information, or mental
aberrations, then we are placing arbitrary, irrational, or unnecessary
limitations on the joys life has to offer. I am not recommending that
you start frying grasshoppers, (as in Thailand and Mexico), consume
mountain oysters, (steer testicles), or drink seal blood, (like the
Eskimos). But I am hoping you will be open to analyzing and expanding
your dietary gamut. I don’t think putting an egg on a veal cutlet, or
eating potatoes in a salad is a radical course of action.
Expanding your culinary horizons provides
three benefits:
1) If your diet is already
restricted for health purposes or your value system, then you may need
to increase your repertoire to combat boredom and monotony.
2) There are many foods high in
nutritional value outside the scope of our usual regime. (Spock would
agree with this one).
3) Finally, and this is my
favorite given my hedonistic orientation, broadening your palate will
result in greater pleasure. The more things you like, the more you can
enjoy the simple act of eating.
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