Ah, the rants of children and adults alike when certain dishes are placed in front of them at restaurants, homes, or the houses of guests. But, I propose to you that you, in fact, do not care for this particular preparation of the dish, not the dish as a whole.
Growing up, I detested salad! I loathed the junk. As I matured along with my tastes buds, what I allowed myself to learn (by trying different methods) is that I, in fact, adore salad!! What I have learned is that I don’t care for (at all!) iceberg lettuce or ranch dressing. But, I am head-over-heels obsessed with spinach and all bitter greens. Love them! When combined with spiced nuts, blue cheese and fresh apples—a salad worth eating has appeared!
Most people I know hate peas! But, they’re idea of peas are: 1. Open freezer and dump peas in bowl. 2. Microwave. 3. Eat. Sheesh! I’d hate peas to! But, I propose to brown some diced shallots and one minced clove of garlic in some EVOO and add the frozen peas. Sauté for a few minutes, add some heavy cream, bring to boil, the remove from eat. Now, who can tell me they don’t like peas, now??
So, here’s the point: learn to cook! :) But, on a more basic level, try new things with once-hated ingredients. You never know–it could become your new favorite dish!
I enjoyed this entry especially. I so agree with you about trying things we ‘know’ we dont like because we’ve never had it prepared well.
However, to push the envelope: liver? seems to be universally disliked by all but a few. Brussell sprouts are another widely unpopular vegetable. I could go on…