Thursday, May 06, 2010

New Trick for an Old Dog


They say you can’t teach on old dog new tricks. So explain this.

I hate tomatoes – fresh ones anyway. I love sun-dried tomatoes. I love stewed tomatoes – especially in soup. Ketchup is my friend. Salsa is awesome. However, fresh, raw, sliced tomatoes trigger my gag reflex. They always have. Because of this I have sworn off such offerings for nigh on 50 years. I've just slipped the nasty things off to the side.

Until….

I started making fresh salsa about a year ago. It’s actually more like pico de gallo (or ‘teresa de gallo’ as my daughter’s call it). But I’ve played around with ingredients and seasonings until I achieved perfection. Turns out the best and freshest version has diced, raw tomatoes in it. Not too hard to accept because the nasty, slimy centers are still removed. It’s not like I started liking tomatoes all of as sudden.

Until….

We went to visit my son and his wife and she served us BLT’s. (Bacon-Lettuce-Tomato Sandwiches.) I had been watching my husband obsess over BLT’s all month. He had made it look so delicious I had told myself I was going to try one next time I was offered one. And suddenly, I was being offered one. So, I ate it – and guess what?

I LOVED IT!!! My husband has made me three more in the past two weeks. Isn’t that laugh-out-loud funny?

So yes, you can teach an old-dog new tricks! You can make a new discovery every day. You can face your fears a little bit at a time until you master them. You can delight in being wrong!

I’m hungry…I think I’ll go have a BLT.