I used to be a picky eater, but years ago I decided that I wanted to like more food - - that life would be better if I actually enjoyed foods that I would otherwise have to suffer/avoid.

I started by putting small amounts of different ingredients in my dishes (when it made sense) and I quickly developed a taste for all of them.

(Only found out later that this was a great way to do it as your microbiom directly impacts your cravings).

Onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, olives, pickles, brussel sprouts, oysters, mustard are all things I now genuinely enjoy.

Asparagus! I hated that shit when I was 12. And now I can’t wait for asparagus season.

• Brussel Sprouts: I tried them in a salad and fell in love with them instantly. Now they’re included in every roast. They have to be fresh, because the frozen ones can just be mushy. And those little, crispy, flavorful leaves that fall off are just 🤌🏾
• Tomatoes: I won’t just bite into one, but I’ve been making them more prominent in my dishes. I mostly stick to the sundried variety, haven’t been able to eat them raw.
• Mushrooms: I love them so much I don’t understand why I hated them.
• Some Cheese: I general, I still would say I don’t like cheese, but I’ve become more forgiving of mozerella, which was unheard of when I was a child. It’s the only cheese that broke through.

Still don’t like bacon though 🤷🏿‍♀️

I heard that stuff like green vegetables are unpalatable to children because they taste more bitter to them.
As you grow up you become more insensitive to those flavors and start tasting the other compounds that you actually like.

Onions

Guldens Spicy Brown Mustard. Dad was from Brooklyn and loved it, as I kid I just wanted the neon yellow stuff all my friends had. Now, many years later, I always have it in my fridge.

Olives. I still am not a fan of black olives, but I’d eat an entire jar of green.

Corn! Wait, no, still hate it.

Anchovies on pizza. Just a couple though, like fish sauce, a little goes a long way.

grits. the way my mother made them when I was a kid was plain and kind of unpleasant. I add sausage and cheese to mine.

I hated strawberries growing up. I would do anything and everything to not eat them. As an as adult I finally tried them again and loved them. It turns out I just hated low quality or not ripe strawberries

Italian cured ham, I used to hate the taste and texture, but now, it’s great!

Some different vegetables and mushrooms.

Brussel sprouts used to be truly awful, made me literally wretch. Now I eagerly make and order them as a bar snack.

To be fair there are two reasons beyond my changing tastes for this. First, my mom liked to steam brussel sprouts whole and serve them with margarine, salt, and pepper, now I generally cold sear them or roast them in the oven with much better seasoning. Maybe even some bacon pieces and blue cheese mixed in. Second, brussel sprouts did actually change over time to get less bitter and awful since I was a kid.

Pumpernickel & rye breads. Maybe it was the “brown bready thing must be chocolate” mentality of a kid or maybe just that it wasn’t white bread. But damn if that isn’t the most delicious shit for toast, bagels, and sandwiches.

Hummus. I have some textural food aversions. Mushed up doesn’t usually cut it and so I 100% judged hummus on its look and smell. I gave it a shot a couple of years ago and I can’t get enough of it. It took me until I was like 45!