That Delightful Moment Where Your Predicted Disgust Turns Out To Be Untrue

Finally! A literal post title that you don't need to read a couple of times or know an obscure song lyric to get what I'm going to write about. This time, the title of my post is exactly what I'm about to talk about. That Delightful Moment Where Your Predicted Disgust Turns Out To Be Untrue.

So anyway, post-title-ramble over. Now I start talking about what I said I would. Do you ever get an overwhelming sense of dread when you are faced with a dish of unfamiliarity that the biggest foodie might just decline? I have, many times, from my mum's cheese tart (that has a place up there with DP's Most Disastrous Family Dishes) to that Vietnamese soup in a bowl bigger than my head (my head is average size). The words you'd usually associate with these instances are Disgusting and Revolting. But I just think it's just overcoming your natural fear of strange, unknown things that we're all born with (as the wonderful Calvin* of Calvin & Hobbes proves here).

*this image isn't mine

But I didn't bother to go along the long road to the Blogger homepage to talk about such normal things as food disgust. That's not what The Dramatis Persona is about. I talk about unusual things in everyday life. That Delightful Moment is not the initial unfamiliarity, but the discovery of something new; a much more interesting feeling. In fact, about 80% of the many times I've been faced with unknown nutrition I've in the end said "Actually, it's quite nice!" (ironically, I think that's something my cartoon blog addition Calvin has never said). And THAT, my friends, is the feeling I really love. The discovery of a new substance to be added to the Approved Food list I think makes you that tiny bit more mature in a way. And I've got a lot of proof of that; I'm a lot less fussy than some of my friends (I have this distinct memory of a primary school trip to France where I was the only one who dared to touch the cold ham and tomato salad - it was alright actually!). And I think that food resilience is due to being faced with new discoveries every day.

My most recent try-it-you-may-like-it (yes, I know that's from Green Eggs And Ham - a lot of childhood memories are popping up here!) dinner was on Monday, when my mum made celeriac and beetroot gratin (a Guardian Magazine recipe), which is basically those vegetables in a cheesy cover. Cheesy sauces and celeriac didn't really sound my sort of thing, and the appearance of the dish didn't improve that view. But I now count it as one of my favourite dishes! While the cheese sauce wasn't particularly desirable, its soft taste complemented the crunch of the vegetables in a brilliantly delicious way. And to prove that you can't judge food by its cover, I have some pictures!

The grattin - this image isn't mine

And the original celeriac - also not mine

Thanks for reading, and I hope I inspired you to be more adventurous with your food!
-DP :)

PS I'm sure those of you active on the blogosphere like me will have heard this from a million other blogs (I have on at least five), but Google Reader and Google Friend Connect are shutting down on the 1st July. This means you won't see blogs on your Blogger dashboard any more, so if you don't want to lose my blog and any others you follow, I suggest you start an account on Bloglovin' or another blog following site (the blogs you follow can be imported!) ASAP. I have, it was very easy :D

PPS On a happier note, my family and I are going to Texas and New York for the Easter holidays, and I can't wait to blog from over there!