Changing Tastes

November 19, 2010

I am so sick of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches its not even funny. I'm currently staring one down as my only option for dinner on the train ride back to Misawa and although I'm starving and it's either this or dried squid from the Japanese snack cart, I just can't do it.

Seven months ago when I was recovering from having my gall bladder removed and there was very little I could eat, I developed a new taste for PB&J paired with a steaming bowl of chicken noodle soup. I don't know why but crave it and have it for lunch all the time. Cheap, easy and low in fat - it was perfect during the summer months when James was deployed. Even after he came home I'd have it pretty frequently - something he found highly amusing. He just couldn't understand why I'd be content to eat the same food a five year old would have for lunch. I suppose I found it comforting.

While we were in New Zealand, we decided to save some money on food by eating cereal for breakfast and making sandwiches for lunch. That way we were only eating out once a day. Since we spent so much time on the road, peanut butter sandwiches were the most logical choice because they don't spoil. At first it was great. But after two weeks of eating nothing but PB&J, I've lost my taste for them and it will be quite a while before that will sound good again.

I think it's funny how our tastes change over the years. People often talk about how the first time they take a sip of coffee or alcohol they think it's disgusting, but somehow they "acquire the taste" for it and now can't imagine life without Starbucks or a bottle of wine with dinner. Personally, I don't think I'll ever get over the horrible taste of either of those things, but my tastes are maturing a bit.

One of the things that has been a minor struggle for James and I since we got married is what to do about dinner. My mom is an excellent cook who learned from a couple of fabulous southern ladies, so we almost always ate dinner at home. Consequently, I grew up with a taste for her simple, flavorful home-cooking. If we went out it was usually for a special occasion, and often we'd end up at a chain restaurant with similar fare like The Black Eyed Pea. Or, if we were feeling adventurous, we might grab some Chinese take-out.

My parents probably would have branched out a lot more but my brother and I had a big fear of the unknown when it came to food. Somehow I never wanted to try anything different and couldn't see how anything could taste better than spaghetti or pizza. When we were traveling my parents would have to drag me and my brother into unfamiliar restaurants. But then as soon as we took the first bite our eyes would be opened to new and awesome possibilities. (I distinctly remember refusing point-blank to go into this strange place called Subway on one road trip until we literally had no other options. Now it's my go-to travel food. Can you imagine?)

James, on the other hand, grew up in Santa Barbara where they have lots of excellent, independent restaurants, and he had busy, hard-working parents who preferred to go out to eat. So his tastes were much more varied and sophisticated when we got married. I also feel like his expectations for what qualifies as a meal are still a problem when he's home for lunch. I'll often grab something quick like a sandwich or a bowl of ramen noodles. But for him that's not a complete or satisfying option. While learning to make us both happy has been an adjustment, it's great because he's always gently pushing me out of my comfort zone and helping me grow.

This summer as I've been learning a new and more healthy way to feed myself, I've developed a much greater passion for cooking. I have consistently been trying new recipes that I would never have attempted before - whether because they were too complicated or included ingredients I'd never worked with before. (Like garlic! Can you believe I've never cooked with fresh garlic until last spring?) It also doesn't hurt to have friends who are excellent cooks and show me new and exciting things to do with fresh ingredients.

This trip to New Zealand further pushed the envelope for me. We ate almost exclusively what I would once have written off as "fancy food" for dinner and it was awesome. In New Zealand they eat a lot of game and so I tried lamb and venison for the first time. They also had some incredible flavor combinations that I found both delicious and inspiring. So now I'm looking forward to going home and starting to expand our dinner repertoir. Obviously I'll still make the old favorites, especially when pressed for time. But new adventures await in the kitchen!

For now, anything sounds better than peanut butter and jelly... ugh.

P.s. - that sandwich I had with me on the train is still sitting on my top shelf of my fridge two weeks later. I can't bring myself to throw it away because that's so wasteful but I also can't bear to eat it!