Does Anything In This Life Make Sense?

I love butterflies.  They are one of Gods' most beautiful creations.  When I was little, I used to carefully sneak up behind them, gently grab them by lightly pinching their wings together and then run their little feet along the top of my hand or against my cheek.  (Of course, when I let go, they weren't always "able" to fly again, but I won't go there...)  Imagine my surprise - or shock was more like it - when I discovered what one of their favorite foods was last summer!  In the photo on the left, you can see 2 lovely butterflies (each a different type, by the way) feasting on something a horse left along a hiking trail.  Call me naive, but I always imagined they nibbled on the stamens of flowers or sucked on honeysuckle - you know, "pretty" things.  And they may eat those things too but, for variety at least, they seem to also enjoy - well - you know...

I often feel that when I suggest that someone try a new cuisine, like Indian or Ethiopian, or a vegetable like Brussels sprouts or okra, that they equate it to what those butterflies are eating (above).  I think of my friend whose husband literally will only eat beef and potatoes and realize that virtually everything I feed my family would be repulsive to him.  And it makes me sad.  With all the bounty God has given us and the myriads of ways in which to prepare them, how can anyone end up liking only beef and potatoes?  Our taste buds are wonderfully sensitive and are designed to distinguish between and savor a variety of flavors.  Our bodies require - not like, but REQUIRE - many different foods to function optimally.  So what makes a person like only 2 foods and simply abhor the thought of eating any others?  My mother made us eat everything that was placed on our plates.  And, even though you can be sure that I liked some things better than others, it did help me to learn to expand my boundaries - culinary-wise. 

The hardest thing I face in my line of work is getting people to try new foods.  And you can bet that when someone has diet-related health issues, it is because their diet is terribly unbalanced.  Being raised to eat whatever I was served, I was stunned to discover how many adults are really picky eaters.  So I'm going to take some of the most common "yucky" foods and try to remove the stigma surrounding them.

#1 - Tofu.  Come on guys!  How can you hate tofu when, in reality, it has no taste?  You stir-fry it, put it in a sauce, or blend it into a vegan quiche or dessert and it picks up all the flavors around it.  A lot of the time, you would never even know it was there if someone didn't tell you. 

#2 - Brussels sprouts.  O.K.  I'll agree that, alone, these little cabbage balls can be a bit bitter.  But slice them in half, saute them in a little lite butter and sprinkle them with crumbled turkey bacon (or other facimile thereof) and some Parmesan and - voila!   You have magically transformed something yucky into a delicacy.  Later this week, unbeknownst to my family, I am going to make a Brussels sprout casserole that was an award-winning recipe.  Don't worry - I'll share it with you all.  And, if I forget to do so then, I dare you to try it!

#3 - Bean Burgers - I have two recipes for them that we like a lot - one uses black beans, the other pinto beans.  Each has its own sauce and, when you serve them exactly like the recipe suggests, they are wonderful.  You'll be seeing both of these once Lent starts.

#4 - Curry.   There are many different kinds out there and, to me, all of them are DELICIOUS!!  I can see you not liking them when you were 5 years old and your taste buds were oh-so sensitive, but I honestly believe that if you hate all curries now, it is because you haven't tried them since you last watched and sang along with Sesame Street...

There are some foods that I think just shouldn't be eaten by any human being - like insects, tripe, or calves brains - but when we have been blessed with such an array of delectable foods, it just doesn't make sense to me that so many people have a diet that consists of maybe a dozen or so different foods.  When God gave His people manna in the desert, they complained because eating the same thing got boring day after day.  And on the other side of that equation, Eve had everything at her disposal in the Garden but just couldn't keep her hands off of that apple.  I think of basic human nature, and pickiness when it comes to eating, (at least as an adult) shouldn't be part of it.  I mean, if something as beautiful as a butterfly can eat horse "----", well, you can at least give tofu a try...

As always, happy and healthy eating!!