“Things we learned to love because we loved someone else.”
Cabbage – almost choked to death swallowing it
Liver – ‘lost’ it under the table while kitty waited patiently
Peas – wrapped in paper napkins, hidden behind the toilet
Strawberries – seeds in my teeth, couldn’t brush them away
(no floss in the '40s)
Turnips – waited for the churning-turning of my belly
(I hated)
I learned to love.
What a great thank you
ReplyDeleteNice one Helen
ReplyDeleteHappy Wednesday
Much🖤love
being brought up in WW2 I got used to eating anything that was available except for some unknown reason the root vegetable swede!
ReplyDeleteWell, you were a scamp! I honestly can't think of a thing I didn't like .. and my chubby habitus probably accounts for that!
ReplyDeleteHa ha, sometimes Mother does know best! I hated pumpkin for most of my childhood, then one day something suddenly changed, for no reason I know of, and ever since I've loved it.
ReplyDeleteHow funny! I wonder how you thought you'd get away with pea filled napkins behind the toilet? Me?
ReplyDeleteCabbage - nope, unless in pot stickers or egg rolls
Liver - nope (my late husband would order this in restaurants since I never fixed it!)
turnips - nope
Love strawberries, it's the raspberries and blackberries get in my teeth! Peas are great, in pod or out.
My mother didn't make me eat what I didn't like. She didn't like everything, so why should I?
Dearest Helen,
ReplyDeleteOh, this is hilarious! Lucky you had a kitty for solving the liver problem.
My siblings were very cunning at 'eating' all the crusts of their open faced sandwiches. Only at cleaning time, Mom and I found them under the table parts where the extendable part ought to rest... Haha, it was fully extended for all nine of us, so those 'shelves' got used to toast their crusts.
Liver has been my favorite; thank goodness, as we had no kitty!
Hugs,
Mariette
Eating, or its not, may have been our first teacher of Deception 101. I hid chewed bites in the table corners and gagged in oatmeal. As soon as it got into my mouth out it came with the first gag reflex. I still gag on it, when we have oatmeal now I have shrimp or meatball ramen noodle soup.
ReplyDeleteThis was a fun read, Helen.
..
Oh my gosh, yes. The smell of cabbage cooking made me gag, but with butter, salt and pepper was delicious, turns out I actually liked brussel sprouts that way too. It's amazing how tastes change over time. I make my youngest take at least one bite of something before she can turn her nose up at it.
ReplyDeleteAww! <3
ReplyDeleteMy poor mom gave up on trying to get much variety in my diet when I was young. I was intensely picky.
ReplyDeleteYou gotta be joking to say you got round to liking liver....
ReplyDelete(a wee bit of poetic license maybe)
DeleteGreat poem, Helen. I can relate to being coaxed into eating foods I didn’t like. My father used to check our plates for napkin-covered peas and carrots.
ReplyDelete