Earlier this week, someone asked my husband if he would like some fresh deer liver.
Mike was overjoyed.
Me, not so much. I am a very picky eater.
He cooked up the liver on Wednesday night. That’s the night I don’t eat dinner at home ‘cause I go straight from work to hand bell practice at church. He made sure to open the front and back door to air out the kitchen really well before I got home so it I wouldn’t complain about the liver and onion smell lingering in the house.
The next day on my way to work I started thinking about what other foods I’ve never eaten.
It’s not a huge list, and I’m sure I’ve missed something, but here goes: oysters, muscles, octopus, squid (even if you call it calamari), snails (even if you call them escargot), sashimi, any internal organ, pickled pigs feet (my mom used to love this), duck, goose, Limburger cheese, okra, grits, sardines and hardtack.
Also anything spicy is off my list. When we go out to eat at a Mexican restaurant and I order “mild” salsa to go with my nachos, Mike always says, “They call that ketchup, Karen.” Not true. I really enjoy a well-constructed mild salsa made with chopped tomatoes, onions and cilantro but absolutely no jalapeño.
Then there’s the list of stuff I’ve tried once and will never eat again: olives, sweet pickles, bologna (or any other lunch meat), lobster, crab, pickled herring, sushi, grits, okra, kale, wine, Scotch, whiskey, coffee, buttermilk, blackberries, vegetable soup, cold green bean salad and tapioca pudding.
Of course, now, when Mike offers me a bite of his oysters on the half shell or some of his favorite evening snack — hardtack and butter — I’ll answer, “You know I don’t eat that,” and he says, “How would you know you don’t like it? You’ve never tried it.” Unfortunately, as hard as it is for me to admit it, he’s right.
In fact here’s a list of food I used to refuse to eat because they sounded disgusting but by golly, once I did try them, I found out I really like them: sauerkraut, yogurt, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, cantaloupe, honeydew, mango and Vietnamese pho.
When I told Mike I was putting together a list of no-no foods for me, he showed me one of those lists that people post on Facebook. The caption says “Give yourself one point for each of these things you’ve done in your life.”
Looking over the list reminded me how adventuresome I am in life — both in my eating habits and in my everyday life.
I have never taken off in a helicopter, ridden in a submarine nor booked a ride on a space ship. I have no desire to bungee jump, do a zip line, sky dive, paraglide, snow ski, snowboard, go rock/mountain climbing or go hunting. (Side note: ask my husband and he’ll tell you not only has he done almost all of these but given the chance he would sign up for any of them in an instant.)
I’ve never watched (thank goodness), the Simpsons, Breaking Bad, Seinfeld, Saturday Night Live, NASCAR, Game of Thrones, South Park, Roseanne, Band of Brothers, Dallas or The Sopranos.
I’ve never had a manicure, pedicure, or a massage, dyed my hair, paid more than $50 for a meal and I’ve never been to Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, Australia or Antarctica.
Some people will probably think that I’ve lived a somewhat sheltered (dull, boring life). But I can’t think of anything I would change — except maybe watching an episode of Seinfeld so I can figure out why everyone is always quoting that show.
Karen Barkstrom is the editorial assistant for The Daily World. She can be reached at 360-537-3925 or karen.barkstrom@thedailyworld.com.
