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Food for Thought

I was never a picky eater. Or so my mother tells me.

As a child, I would eat just about anything.

I admit, I will ‘lose my lunch’ if I smell or taste coconut. I usually just say I’m allergic to it because it just makes it easier than going into details. I think it has something to do with my recollection of the smell and the consistency of flaked coconut.

For a while, I went off marshmallows after I ate too many roasted ones camping and made myself sick. I’m sure I stopped eating spaghetti – because of the flu – and oranges – from when my sister had the flu.

But generally speaking, I didn’t have a problem finding something to eat.

When I went away to university, it seemed that my favourite foods just happened to be good for you. Could not get enough of vegetables. Fresh. Canned. Frozen. Bring it on. Ate rice every day. And stopped liking sweet things – chocolate, gummies, ice cream. My only weakness was potato chips. Somehow, my taste buds were helping me out.

Travelling opened up a new world to my mouth. My taste buds, it seemed, would to go on strike, I think, whenever I was starving. And I learned something new about myself.

I don’t like sandwiches. I would go as far to say that I even hate sandwiches – although it is quite a strong word.

All across Europe, do you know what the cheapest, most accessible, easiest-to-eat snack/meal is? It’s a sandwich. Salami cheese on a baguette. Ham and egg on ciabatta bread. Mushy tomato, wilted lettuce and gummy mozzarella cheese in a bun. Chicken salad with three gallons of mayonnaise on bread. Tuna made the same way.

All I ever seemed to want was a salad. With green, red, yellow and orange peppers, juicy tomatoes, thick slices of cucumber, crisp broccoli and cauliflower, spinach and to top it off, a little grated cheese.

The salads were iceberg lettuce, a tomato slice, carrot shreds and – if you’re lucky – some canned corn. Plus, they always seemed to cost twice as much.

I can honestly say, I will be happy if I never see or smell one of those baguette/soggy roll/stale bread things again.

Another reason, it’s great to be home.

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