I have never been a fussy eater, unlike my brother who used to be forced to eat one pea for every year of his age, which is not so good since he hit 30. I eat fish warily, and don’t care for offal, but none of this is abnormal.
In my twenties, I acquired a taste for olives, largely thanks to house-sharing with an Italian who cooked everything with loads of olive oil. It makes me very happy to have acquired this taste, because olives are lovely, and I can think of lots of good ways to spend a Saturday afternoon, but sitting in a bar with a bottle of wine and a plate of olives is one of them.
In the last few months, thanks to Pete and his predilection for sag paneer, I have started eating spinach. At first it was just the highly spiced stuff, and only in combination with that deliciously bland fried cheese; but slowly, bravely, I tried some baby spinach leaves in my rocket salad. I think I may have eaten them before, without realising what it was.
I’ve discovered a whole green world of new flavour and texture that I’ve never experienced before! Menus suddenly have a new section on them: it turns up in cannelloni with ricotta cheese, on muffins underneath poached eggs, mixed up with all manner of interesting things in Indian restaurants. I feel like a new kind of food has been invented just for me.
So, olives in my twenties, spinach in my thirties, and I fully expect to be joyfully consuming tripe by the middle of the next decade.
December 13, 2004
Spinach
There are so many foods I thought I didn’t like and it turned out I did later on that I try most things several times before deciding I don’t like them. I also retry things I don’t like every few years in case I suddenly do.
Spinach rules. I still don’t like olives though, no matter how many times I try green or black ones.
Olives are great. You can suck on them. Or chew them. Or justlick them.
Spinach was my ‘discovery’ of my 20s.
I’m thinking olives might be one for my 60s as I can’t stomach them at all.. ick ick ick.
Does this mean you’re going to make my spinach-corn-chowda?
I could, Dan. Will the recipe be on your weblog?
I put the recipe here on Uborka a few weeks back when you were fishing for vegetarian ideas. But yes there may be some culinary entires on my blog. I do aspire to be Adrian, after all.
If anyone finds the spinach-corn-chowda recipe can they let me know? Ta muchly.
Here it is (courtesy of Destructor):
Corn & Spinach Chowder
Take a whole bunch of fresh spinach, fry it in a little olive oil (it shrinks dramatically so you’ll need a LOT. Now throw in a can of corn, a few handfuls of grated cheese, and (this is the kicker) a pot or two of corn-flavoured baby food (this gives it a better texture). You now end up with a strange looking soup, but it’s absolutely delicious, especially if you season it with pepper and tabasco sauce.