This is a story about acquiring new tastes. This is a story about being adventurous.
This is a story about an avocado.
In my recent post for
Mexican Inspired Stuffed Sweet Potatoes I linked back to
THIS post about how I didn't used to like sweet potatoes but how I have come to love them. When I read that post before linking to it I was surprised to find that at the bottom I said I was working on avocados and tomatoes, and I also said to ask me how it was going in a year. The funny thing is that I said that one year and 3 months ago, and guess what? I like avocados now!
Avocados are all the rage these days. I find it strange how a food can be trendy, but it can. Avocados, kale, quinoa, and goji berries are proof of that. I have understood for a long time that avocados are good for you, but what I didn't understand is why anybody liked them. I'm not easily bothered by textures so that wasn't a problem for me, but the taste was a problem. I simply didn't like it. I couldn't (and still can't) pinpoint what exactly it was that I didn't like about them, I just thought they were gross. I didn't even like guacamole loaded with other flavors because I could still taste the avocado.
Well let me tell you - things have changed! I really wanted to like them so I could further broaden my produce intake and get more healthy fats into my diet, so I began to try them out in different ways.
First, I tried a smoothie. It had fruit in it that I thought would cover up the taste enough, but no. That was not going to be the way I eased myself in. I then went straight to almost plain. I sprinkled lemon juice and salt on a couple slices and cumin and salt on another couple slices. that was okay, but I certainly didn't picture myself going out and spending a dollar on one of these things because I could say it was
okay.
What ended up getting me hooked was guacamole. I had tried it before as I mentioned above, but after trying it enough I started to like it. That was the first thing I had with avocados that got me to go back for seconds. I know a lot of people (and restaurants) that make good guacamole so I began to try it everywhere I went. And after a while I started to realize that I might actually like the taste of avocado, not just all the spices that were added to guacamole. After realizing this and putting my suspicions to the test, I can now say I am an avocado lover!
I went from tolerating guacamole with cumin, chili powder, onions, corn, black beans, etc. to loving half an avocado with a spoon.
I did this simply by trying, trying, and trying again.
Some other ways I enjoy eating avocado include:
Diced with chips. This is kind of like having guacamole but super fast since it's just diced. The chips are Beanitos brand black bean chips.
Toast with mashed avocado and an egg - Delicious! I love this for breakfast or lunch.
So I'm noticing a trend with myself. With sweet potatoes and avocados I introduced myself to them with dishes where their flavor was barely noticeable, but in time I grew to love them the most for their true, plain flavor with very little (or nothing) added.
I hope this inspires you to try new foods, even those that you have tried and disliked before. If you don't like hot dogs there's no need to try and change that, but yummy and healthy foods like avocados, salmon, and blueberries all deserve another chance.
