Number Five

Try 5 new foods....check!

This is the goal that people were most excited about "helping" with...and by helping I mean shoving weird food in my mouth and laughing as I made faces like this:

I managed to try more than 5 things thanks to all my friends who like to see me squirm. Here is what I tried:

1. An olive. By far, the worst and most traumatic taste test. (Everyday Brother promised it would taste like olive oil.) It was actually the first new food that I tried so it's basically a miracle that I continued to try new things.

2. Refried beans. Tried these on National Margarita Day in front of people who I had never met before. Gross.

3. A jalapeno slice. Surprisingly, not as horrible as I thought it would be. Still probably won't be eating them in the future.

4. Guacamole. No photo. Didn't like it.

5 & 6. Sun Drop and Sweet Red. Liked the wine...have had it since. Feared for my life drinking the Sun Drop.  Nothing in nature is that color. It was the color of liquid highlighters.

7. Greek yogurt. In big, red letters it said, "DO NOT STIR"...but I did...obviously. Plain Greek yogurt is bitter and gross. Of course you are supposed to mix in the sweet strawberry syrup-goodness.

8 & 9. Quinoa veggie curls and Tofu noodles. Did not compare to real pasta. At all.

10. Homemade hummus. Didn't like it...didn't hate it. It just didn't do anything for me. I prefer my chips white and my dip made of cheese.

11. Some type of sauce at a Mexican restaurant that I was told was BBQ sauce but was most definitely not. Perhaps the spiciest thing I've ever tasted. I made both of my dinner guests try it just so I could feel less awful about having to try it alone.

12. Vegan Rosh Hashanah. Tried LOTS of new foods in one night...and lived to tell about it.

When I added this goal to The List, I hoped to find new foods that I enjoyed, but mostly I wanted to be more open to trying new things. I am a picky eater and often assume that I won't like something without trying it. Accomplishing this goal has really pushed me into taking chances on new things. I didn't like a lot of the things that I tried, but at least now I can say I tried it and I don't like it.

A few weeks ago, I was at a friend's house and she had made dip for veggies using Greek yogurt. Even though I don't really care for Greek yogurt AND the dip was GREEN, I dunked a carrot into it without thinking twice. Said friend noticed my brave behavior and commented that I was trying new things without  being coerced!

Moving forward, I hope to keep trying new foods sans the pressure of people watching for my reaction!