My Experience with Food
I never had a particularly discriminating palate. I would try or eat pretty much anything, except for ketchup and ranch. And yes, I realize how horribly weird and unusual that is for the stereotypical suburban white kid from America. If it is any consolation to those of you all out there who are mortified, I have come to like the two in very limited quantities in very particular situations. That aside, as a kid I grew up eating what normal kids ate. I loved macaroni and cheese. I spent practically whole summer vacations at my grandparents, swimming in their pool and getting out only to eat a big bowl of Kraft macaroni and cheese with an even bigger glass of milk.
|
![Picture](/uploads/6/0/9/5/60954725/milk-gif_1_orig.gif)
That was always an unhealthy obsession of mine: milk. It was never water, soda, or juice with my meals, it was always milk. Just got outside from playing and really thirsty? Grab some milk. I used to drink so much milk when I was younger that my dad would always joke about it being cheaper to buy a cow and milking it. While I no longer drink a gallon of milk a day, milk still and always will be a cornerstone of my diet. I can't help it.
![Picture](/uploads/6/0/9/5/60954725/published/pancakes-on-a-stick.jpg?1486514573)
My cousin and I spent a lot of time growing up together. When I was younger, I would find something that would blow me away and then just binge on it for the next couple of months until I got sick of it. One summer it was pizza rolls, the next chicken flautas from Taco Cabana, followed quickly by those breakfast corn dogs. You know, the ones with the breakfast sausage on a stick wrapped in a pancake that when combined with maple syrup provided a whole breakfast in a single bite? Yeah, those.
My parents, and in particular my grandpa and my dad really love food. They enjoy cooking it, trying new recipes, going out to unique restaurants, everything. They were the ones who brought me out of my shell when it came to food. By the second grade, my dad had expanded and refined my palate to the point that when my school decided to put together a recipe book for a fundraiser, all of the kids were submitting their favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe or their favorite hamburger recipe, but I decided that my favorite recipe was the Moroccan-spiced lamb and rice meatballs that my dad made for my birthday that year. While I can't imagine that it was a huge hit with the other parents and kids at the school, I am sure that it raised a couple of eyebrows.
![Picture](/uploads/6/0/9/5/60954725/published/aflac-duck.jpg?1486515361)
Sure I loved unique foods by this point, but I still had two transformative food experiences waiting for me. The first was when I went with my dad to visit his friend Oi (I hope I spelt that correctly). She was this really quirky Thai lady who my dad had known for years. She lived in Galveston where she grew her own peppers and herbs that she turned into this divine hot sauce that my dad would buy from her periodically. Wanting to show me her hospitality, however, she offered me some spicy beef with rice while she finished getting the hot sauce together for my dad. It was truly eye-opening. I could attempt to describe it to you, but anything I would say would simply demean the dish. All you need to know was that it was goddamn divine. As a result of this experience, my love for Thai food was born. Fast forward about six or seven years and I am in Chinatown with my dad. I had just finished a Track and Field competition nearby, and he had heard of a good hole-in-the-wall traditional Chinese restaurant nearby. By this point, I had made trying new things a sort of competition with myself. I was always trying to one-up myself and push my boundaries. I started to take a look at the menu and notice instantly that they serve duck tongue. Say no more. I had found my next challenge. When the food came out, I wasn't sure they had given me the right dish. It looked like just a bunch of small pieces of beef. However, the waitress assured me that it was correct. She was definitely correct. I went to take my first bite and bit straight into cartilage. The tongues were just that, the whole tongue including the cartilage that connects it to the lower part of their mouth. It was surprisingly delicious. A bit gamey, but spicy with a bit of sweetness. It was good enough that I went back a couple of times over the next couple of years and got the dish again. However, the duck tongue served to show me just how far I would go. If I was willing to try duck tongue, I was willing to try anything.
This is a motto that I have lived my life by: keep an open mind and be ready to say yes to new and exciting things. All of this exploration and pushing of boundaries has yielded immense dividends. I appreciate a wide array of food and am open to trying anything. I am a person who struggles to decide whether he likes foie gras, sushi, or peanut coconut curry with squid best. All of this has led me to my current major: Hotel and Restaurant Management. I want to take my love and passion for food and make a career out of it. Life is one big adventure, and to me, food is an essential part of that adventure.