People always assume that my love of food equates to adventurous and fancy eating. Sure, I would love to eat at the Michelin-starred restaurants- who wouldn’t? But the reality is that if I have to choose between some white tablecloth, high priced menu and the perfectly cooked burger on a pretzel bun from my favorite place in Brooklyn, well…I think you can tell what I’d pick.
I have absolute respect and awe for the professional chefs who are classically trained and create gorgeous dishes that require 7 people and an entire toolkit to plate. I’m obsessed with the cooking competitions on Netflix and the Food Network, and I will always watch Grant Achatz’s episode of Chef’s Table drooling, with my jaw on the floor. But that’s just not how I eat in real life.
I prefer simple things that are executed really, really well. A mouthwateringly juicy piece of Korean fried chicken, a giant stack of crispy nachos that have the right ratio of cheese, a pile of roasted Brussels sprouts that make that satisfying, audible crunch when I bite down. Great, now I’m hungry.
The thing is though, I have a lot of things I don’t want to eat. People laugh because I have a fair amount of foods that I’m averse to. Again, just because I love to eat doesn’t mean I love all foods.
Things I just really don’t like, pretty much every time:
Shellfish
Tofu
Olives
Mushrooms
Sweet potatoes
And those are things that many people really, really love. I can’t help it. I’ve tried so many times to like these things, particularly because they’re featured in fine dining. It’s been 29 years and I still really hate anything that has a shell and comes from the sea. I honestly can’t even watch someone eat oysters.
The point I’m trying to make here is that you can love to eat and not have to indulge in the fancy stuff. Maybe you don’t even like meat. It’s possible that you don’t like pizza (I don’t necessarily understand, but who am I to judge?) If it tastes good to you, then it is good. Meals don’t need to cost hundreds of dollars or be found in restaurants that take two months to reserve in order to classify as fulfilling or satisfying.
We all shop at Target and wait for our shoes to go on sale right? That’s because we know that quality things can be had at prices that don’t explode our bank accounts. So why can’t food be the same? Please do not take this as me advocating for dollar store sushi or discount steaks at Walmart. What I’m trying to say here is that you can have simple pleasures and they can hold just as much value in your life as that super fancy, 5-star dining experience. Bottom line: just eat and be happy, folks.
