And So It Begins...

Let me start off by saying a few things: 1) I'm not a writer, 2) this is not an Anthony Bourdain fan site (although I have read his books and I watch his show religiously), and 3) above all, I love food.

This is my journey to becoming a so-called "foodie." My mother was (and still is) a wonderful cook. Growing up, she always spent hours preparing the classic family favorites - Pot Roast with noodles, Beef Stroganoff, Chicken Parmesan, Spaghetti and Meatballs, etc. All wonderful and all made with a lot of love.

That being said these dishes defined and subsequently pigeonholed my taste buds. I was forever a picky eater and wasn't willing to try new things growing up. I don't like fish, my nose would wrinkle at the sound of "pork chop," lamb was OUT of the question, veal - no way, sushi - forget it, Indian food - gross (you get the idea). Coincidentally, all things that my mom didn't cook and to this day doesn't eat. My father on the other hand, eats most things or at least will try anything once (even more so if my husband says "It's good. Try it."). My younger sister was eating (and loving) escargot at the age of 3 but DEFINITELY not me; they reminded me too much of the slugs in our backyard - even if they were drowning in buttery goodness.

A perfect example on my limited desire to try anything new. While in college, I had gone to visit a dear friend at school up in Boston. She, having always been someone who loves food, took us to a Thai restaurant that she was totally in to. Needless to say, my palate and I were very nervous about going because we were afraid that I wouldn't be able to find anything that I'd like on the menu. I wasn't familiar with Thai food, only my family's local, "2-from-A, 2-from-B, 1-from-C" Chinese restaurant. I actually asked our server what the closest thing on the menu was to "Chicken and Broccoli in Brown Sauce". I'll never forget the looks of disbelief by all parties at the table - including our server! My friend was mortified and to this day still brings up this memorable dining experience. I don't remember what I ate that night but I'm willing to bet that it was a chicken dish in some sort of brown sauce.

That is but one of many examples of my limited exposure to the world's culinary delights. I have gotten better (many thanks to my husband), but I'm not where I want to be.

This is where Anthony Bourdain comes in. As I mentioned previously, I've been a big fan of his for a while now, having read all of his books and watched every episode of "No Reservations", I really admire his ability to adapt his palate to all of the various countries he visits. He never says "No, I won't try that." The man had his first oyster at the age of nine while vacationing in France! He just dove right in. I'm not saying that I'm going to eat raw seal or snake or insects any time soon but I'd love to be able to get through a box of sushi, eat more oysters than my husband, consume and enjoy some form of non-bacon pork, or be able to drink something other than Bud Light and white wine - but that's a post for a later date.

So, going forward, I will ask myself "What would Anthony Bourdain do?" every time I cringe at the thought of eating something new - or cooking something new for that matter - and just dive right in. Hopefully this will help me on my journey to become a better eater, and an even bigger lover of food.