Vegetables are yucky. At least, that’s the word on the playground. That poor food group gets such a bad rap from the younger generations that it’s hard for grownups to see it in a positive light, even years after their playground days. My dad and my fiancé are two such grownups. Never fans of vegetables as kids, it took them until their young adult years to grow to like the things even a smidgen. For my dad, it took having them smothered in cheese, and then slowly decreasing the cheese level. My fiancé’s positive feelings increased as he saw them integrated into recipes with other food. I’m proud to say that they have both gotten over their dislike of “green things.”
But, what the heck do vegetables have to do with anything? If you think about it, our aversion to vegetables is based on generalizations, stigmas, and past experience. It takes an open mind and a willing stomach to look past our preconceived notions of vegetables and give them another try. Sometimes, we have to do the exact same thing with people or opportunities in our lives. On the surface, these things or people may seem scary, unfriendly, weird, or unappealing, but we really don’t know until we give them a chance. Things and people change over time, as do our tastes and opinions. Something or someone that was once one way may not be that way anymore.
So, get over what you think you know. Don’t let the past overshadow the present. Think creatively; add cheese if you need to, but be open to trying new and different things.
Blogger Bio
Samantha Karol is a twenty-something living and working in New York City. She is a writer and grammar nerd, currently employed in development at an Israel-related non-profit. The way to her heart is through ice cream.
