Rhinebeck Bus Trip 2014

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Ten on Tuesday

Today's Ten on Tuesday topic is about food:  10 Foods I Eat Regularly Now That Were Exotic (or unheard of) When I Was a Kid.

First, let me say that my current way of eating was considered "exotic" when I was a kid.  I'm vegetarian.  I eat no meat, poultry, sea creatures.  I do sometimes consume eggs and dairy.  Both of my parents were born and raised in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  Meals consisted of meat & potatoes.  So, vegetarian eating wasn't even on my radar when I was a kid.

Having said all of that, here are my 10 things:

1.  Garlic.  I don't think my Mom ever used fresh garlic in any food she prepared.  Onions, of course.  But garlic?  No.  She may have used garlic salt to make garlic bread, but never fresh garlic.  *She does use fresh garlic now.

2.  Raw Honey.  We had the honey that comes in a plastic bear container, but no raw honey.  In fact, I don't even think that the plastic bear honey was a staple in my house.

3.  Chia Seeds.  I eat these every day now, but never knew about them when I was a kid.  Eventually, the 80's happened and the Chia Pets became famous.  But even then, I didn't know you could eat chia seeds.

4.  Hummus.  This is such a go-to food for me.  I like it as a dip for raw veggies, and also as a spread for sandwiches.

5.  Coconut milk.  I use this for my morning Green Monster smoothies.  I prefer it to cow's milk.

6.  Kale.  I know that I never heard of kale as a child.  We didn't even eat rutabagas or parsnips or turnips when I was growing up, let alone something as green as kale.  Green veggies consisted of green beans, lima beans, peas, and iceburg lettuce.  Sometimes we'd have broccoli (cooked til it's mushy).  My Dad would eat spinach (again, cooked to death), but no other green veggies.

7.  Sushi.  Again, my parents grew up eating meat & potatoes.  We had fish sticks for fish.  There was no sushi in Lancaster County.

8.  Amaranth.  We definitely didn't eat a lot of whole grains (or pseudo-grains). 

9.  Falafel.  Never heard of it until I was an adult.  I (sadly) didn't try any of the falafel at Rhinebeck (I just couldn't wait in another hour-long line).  I plan on getting some next year, though.

10.  Indian food.  Yeah...another food type that didn't exist in Lancaster County way-back-when.  Today, I LOVE it.  Indian food offers SO many vegetarian dishes!

Well, that's my 10.  What foods were considered exotic (or were unheard of) when you were a kid??

3 comments:

  1. What a healthy list of foods you're eating as an adult! I've never eaten chia seeds, but when I think about it I still hear the ch-ch-ch-chia song in my head.

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  2. Hummus should be on my list, too. It's a staple on my grocery list and something my kid self couldn't even conceive of.

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  3. Bonny - I hear that song, too. Chia seeds are SO nutritious. I eat them in yogurt, add them to orange juice (shake often, until the seeds have had a chance to gel & will no longer clump together), and soup (add just before you eat the soup, not while you're cooking it), and I add them to Green Monster smoothies.

    Kim - I know I never heard of hummus as a kid. Actually, in the 70's, people really didn't even use (mayo based) dips for raw veggies, either. Also, our raw veggies were usually carrot and celery sticks.

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