Of Tastes
by Kwiznos
(Silver Spring, MD)
In the collection of memories of a child, food seems to always be the subject of observation. The child sinisterly waits until the adults in the kitchen turn their backs to steal a spoonful of cookie dough. Or instead the devilish child drags a chair to reach those insanely delicious sweets at the top of the shelf. Then, when that child eats those mouth-watering goodies, he devours his fingers in delight. That is until Mother has found him in the closet eating those painstaking, for-donating-to-charity mint chocolate chip cookies. Oh how cruel that wooden spoon was to his poor bottom! Yet the adventure, the adrenaline rush to get the first taste of home-made ambrosia was the child's satisfaction on his taste buds. As the great author Mark Twain himself said, "Adam was but human -- this explains it all. He did not want the apple for the apple's sake, he wanted it only because it was forbidden." Adam was the beginning of all discord, starting the journey to exploiting all the tastes in the world.
In this same collection of memories that this child is exploring years later, he remembers the childhood games he played with his friends. But nothing was more invigorating than the time the child had his first taste of blanched broccoli. Mother was insistent that her son's health depended on this vile green plant. Although, he would much rather eat a box of lit matches as he had seen on TV or his chocolate cake shaped eraser, which turned out to be tasteless. But as a courageous hero encountering his biggest fear, this child wanted to know the properties consisting of this miniature tree. So he took his first bite. Chewed it slowly, letting the steam take over the inside of his mouth. It wasn't bland, or sweet. It wasn't savory or bitter either. With a bit of salt, it tasted pretty good. His taste buds couldn't exactly recognize this new flavor, but registered it as a new specimen. His experience with broccoli was just like Ryan Kaplan's experience with strawberries. "I think they should put a warning label on strawberries: 'Caution: tastes nothing like a strawberry milkshake'."
And so began this child's epic on the strange. He had no need for the appetizing; his file cabinet was overwhelmed of such delicacies. He now had a new file cabinet, labeled "unexplored wonders". Mother wasn't his villain in is comical adventures anymore. People would see broccoli as it is, a vegetable. Just like super glue and crayons are what they are. But he has a cutting-edge view of these foods. What seems gourmet to him was what "anyone who, when you fail to finish something strange or revolting, remarks that it's an acquired taste and that you're leaving the best part." Taking this into consideration, I am now an adult, fighting the oppositions and contradictions. I plan to leave the imprint of my revelations for history to continue telling.
