When we were growing up, Mother tried to have a big meal for us every night. Along with bread and a meat item, a variety of vegetables were the regular fare. Occasionally, Mother would prepare a new dish or vegetable that we were not used to eating. Our usual response was to hold our noses and scream our standard line of “Eeeeeeeewwwwww! I don’t want any of that!”
The response we got varied from time to time from phrases like: “You need to clean your plate” to “You don’t have to eat it all, just make sure you try it.” In all these responses, what was always made clear to us was that the food Mother prepared was both tasty and nutritious.
Some nights we got a reprieve when Dad would admit that, as a child, he had not liked certain foods (like beets or squash). We appreciated our understanding ally; but most of the time, there was great “weeping and gnashing of teeth” as we were forced to try unthinkable dishes (well, they were unthinkable to us as kids anyway). Many tears were shed as we had our mouths pried open to try something we just knew we wouldn’t like.
Occasionally, the dish was something we really didn’t like, and maybe still don’t. However, as often as not, it turned out to be a food we absolutely loved. I specifically remember running out of the house one day as Mother prepared a new meal she was just sure I would like. I couldn’t stand the smell of it and threatened to throw up if I were forced to return to the house. How could any parent ask their son to try such a horrible thing?! I couldn’t believe they were asking me to try it! It was pizza. (Need I say more?) Each time we were given the opportunity to try something new, it offered us an opportunity to stretch our understanding of food, and life. One of the phrases we heard at times like this was: “Variety is the spice of life.” Although it meant little to us then, I have come to know more about how important that really is.
If we do the same thing every day, we soon learn to hate our lives. Change is not only a good thing, but it’s also absolutely necessary for us to enjoy our lives. Eating the same thing every day or just getting in a rut with work, home or anything else, will cause us to be malnourished in a different sense. The spice is necessary for us to be able to enjoy the food of life.
