I have put a lot of new things in my mouth the past few weeks, not to mention over the last two years.

I’m not a particularly picky eater. At the very least, I can proudly say I am not a chicken tender and cheese pizza person (we all know the type). There are certainly foods I haven’t come around to yet, but I’ll eat most things. Yet the more I’ve been cooking, the more I’ve realized I have to better educate my palate to make the most of my kitchen times.

The best method I’ve found for trying new things is to pair the familiar with the unfamiliar. My relationship with olives has always been fractious, but if the green ones are served in a lemon and feta marinade, I can see a future with them (can’t say the same about black olives yet). I now look forward to incorporating oyster mushrooms into dishes thanks to their fried versions I’ve munched on in restaurants. Raw tomato has been the bane of my existence since childhood. I began testing the waters by roasting fresh tomatoes for pasta sauces and now enjoy fresh cherry tomatoes in various salads where they add an essential buzz of acidity and umami. I can honestly say I look forward to tomato season now! It’s all about getting familiar. Once you can better discern why a dish needs a particular ingredient, it’s hard to imagine truly enjoying a meal where it’s intentionally left out.

Fortunately, my global cooking compulsion has supported my sidequest of developing flavor familiarity. Just in the last week we’ve sampled a variety of new produce thanks to a focus on Khmer (Cambodian) food - jackfruit, baby eggplants, green papaya, long beans, and banana blossoms have graced my kitchen. Despite the odorous funk lingering in my fridge courtesy of the jackfruit, all of these were delicious, and I look forward to future run-ins with them.

In the spirit of trying new flavors, I’ve also tried different preparations of beloved dishes that past me would have hesitated to do. Collard greens, which we typically think of as for stewing or braising, make a brilliant salad when shredded, dressed, and momentarily massaged. For years I only made ribs according to my mom’s recipe, convinced that waivering was unnecessary, until I lacquered up a rack with a honey, hoison, and five spice glaze and experienced an alternate version of perfection. It feels sacrilegious to abandon cornmeal in battering fried catfish, but you can achieve the same mouthwatering, crispy effect using just salt, rice flour, and water. And y’all already know how I feel about onsen eggs.

Is there a new food or preparation you want to try, or do you perhaps have a disliked food that hasn’t quite entered favorable territory? I hope my rambling here encourages you to try something new, to broaden your tastes so you can enjoy more of what this delightful world has to offer!

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