I don’t remember when it happened and it’s kind of insidious. But from childhood on up I’ve been told “veggies taste bad but they’re good for you so you should eat them” and “fruits are kind of bland.. and you really don’t want to eat them.. but they’re good for you and you should eat them”.
The “good for you” tag got added to foods and somehow they got moved into the “yucky tasting but I have to” category of food… and I started avoiding them. I say “I” but really I think it’s “we”. A lot of America has been avoiding fruits and veggies because they’re “have-tos”.
This had lead to such oddball behavior as buying a piece of fruit (or a bag of veggies), letting it sit on my desk (or in the crisper) for 4 days (or a week).. and then throwing it away because it’s gone bad. Or even better.. when I finally buckle down to eat the “yucky” food I am constantly surprised when it’s tasty instead of “yucky”.
I think I need to be more vigilant of these little brain farts and stop avoiding “good for me” food just because I -think- it might taste bad. Instead I need to more consistently remind myself that fresh food tastes yummy.
