Matter of Taste

by Mark R. Vogel

During a trip to Montreal years ago I treated myself to a top notch French restaurant each day. I had wild boar, caribou, and ostrich and enjoyed them all. These delicacies are mildly adventurous at best.

They were all reminiscent of tender beef loin and being an ardent carnivore, it wasn't a great leap. I tried the escargot but my reaction was the same as the frog's legs: tasted good but IT'S A SNAIL!

Some people avoid certain foods for religious reasons, their value system, or for health concerns. That's understandable. But some also avoid certain foods purely out of misinformation.

I've encountered individuals, who believe black pepper sticks to your appendix, eating peanuts after sundown causes stomachaches, fluids shouldn't be consumed with meals, eating sugar causes diabetes, and schizophrenia is due to a vitamin deficiency.

And then there's the minority whose sanity needs to be questioned. One fanatical woman I knew was incensed about the "evils" of sugar.

One day after her church services the local school teacher was handing out lollypops to the children. This woman actually ran through the parking lot snatching the candy from the children's hands.

Avoiding certain foods because of your values or your health is one thing. But when foods are avoided simply due to a lack of experience, erroneous information, or mental aberrations, then we are placing arbitrary, irrational, or unnecessary limitations on the joys life has to offer.

I am not recommending that you start frying grasshoppers, (as in Thailand and Mexico), consume mountain oysters, (steer testicles), or drink seal blood, (like the Eskimos).

But I am hoping you will be open to analyzing and expanding your dietary gamut. I don't think putting an egg on a veal cutlet, or eating potatoes in a salad is a radical course of action.

Expanding your culinary horizons provides three benefits:

1) If your diet is already restricted for health purposes or your value system, then you may need to increase your repertoire to combat boredom and monotony.

2) There are many foods high in nutritional value outside the scope of our usual regime. (Spock would agree with this one).

3) Finally, and this is my favorite given my hedonistic orientation, broadening your palate will result in greater pleasure. The more things you like, the more you can enjoy the simple act of eating.