The very first time I remember eating yogurt I was at Southside Hospital on Long Island. My grandmother had just had a stroke and was being treated. The yogurt was at the hospital's cafeteria.
I think it was plain, or even peach, I'm not sure which (I was 7 or so) but I ate it begrudgingly. From that point on, any time I'd see yogurt or think "hmm I should eat this" -- I tasted the stale antiseptic chemicals from the hospital. I just couldn't do it.
In 2002/2003ish, I got a new roommate (Katie) who introduced me to lots of different kinds of food. Among those foods was Indian food and I instantly fell in love. I never knew beans could taste so good (my mom would only make Campbell's Pork & Beans-- with maple syrup, brown sugar, pineapple or sometimes marshmallows). I fell in love with the heat and texture of the food.
One of the things I couldn't get enough of was raita (a yogurt sauce that is similar to Greek tzatziki or Persian mast-o kheyar). I couldn't believe what I was tasting. It wasn't sweet, but it was savory. It wasn't chalky, but it was sensuously palatable. I realized that I didn't hate yogurt, I just didn't like certain kinds -- i.e., the overly sweet kinds with artificial flavorings. In other words, I actually liked the yogurt but hated the things that masked its goodness.
I started playing around with yogurt -- sometimes straining out the whey (which I now know is bad, because that's where the nutrients live) and making a "cheese" spread, or adding spices, adding in fresh fruit or cereals. I started trying different brands and figuring out what I liked instead of thinking I was going to have the same bad experience that I had the first time.
Yogurt (namely Chobani (raspberry, lemon, and mango are my favorites), but sometimes I stray to other kinds) is now a staple of my diet. I eat it almost every day. The daily ritual of eating my yogurt with breakfast (as it is my favorite way to get the protein that I need) always reminds me of how (1) food prejudices aren't always logical, (2) taste changes over time, and (3) that you can't lump all products together.
Go figure, right?
it amazes me what my taste are now compared to 10 years ago
ReplyDeleteI eat a greek yogurt every morning for breakfast, I love it! Chobani, Fage or Dannon greek yogurts are my favorites.
ReplyDeleteOk I'm not a huge yogurt fanatic. I do LOVE Jell-O sugar free dark chocolate pudding, does that count lol.
ReplyDeleteLove your kitties by the way! :D