Ordinary Wonderment

Today's Joy: Beets are Edible After All.
Reader, there aren't a lot of foods I won't eat. I like to think I'm open-minded and have an adventurous palate. But there are a couple dishes that no matter how often I try, I just can't develop a taste for. Meatloaf, for example. Any meatloaf. There's something about the bread and meat mixed together that tastes....icky. Meatballs (same problem). Cucumbers (too cucumbery--though, cucumber dressing on gyros is perfectly acceptable). And, most of all, beets. They stain everything purple and taste like dirt. Or, so I thought.

Aunt Chef & Uncle planted many vegetables in their gorgeous garden this year. Among the myriad varieties of heirloom tomatoes, zucchini and cucumbers (blech!) are my nemesis, the purple beet and something completely new--the golden beet.

Uncle picked us a plethora of garden goodies to sample at dinner tonight and Aunt Chef presented them with her usual flair. She asked me to try the golden beet and promised if I didn't like it, I would never have to eat it again. Sounded like a fair trade, so I humored her, putting a small piece on my plate. A little butter and salt & pepper is the way to eat them, says Aunt Chef. I cut a tiny bite and stuck it hesitantly with my fork. Then, I took a breath and decided to get it over with. What I didn't expect, when I put that little root in my mouth was the pleasing texture and its incredibly fresh, mild flavor.

Revelation: golden beets are good! After eating the piece I'd taken, I surprised my family (and myself) by asking for another. Just goes to show, you never know when something unpleasant may turn into something yummy. Alas, meatloaf--I think our differences are irreconcilable.