Okay, when I was little, I loved shrimp - couldn't get enough - and about the time I turned five, my opinion did a quick 180, and I wouldn't even touch them for years. Just lately, I've found that I can eat them if they're put in front of me, but they're not a favorite, by any means.

Similar story with mushrooms. When I was little, I'd pick them all out of soups and stews so I could eat them, and then I'd pick them out so I wouldn't have to eat them. Now, I occasionally want mushrooms in things or on pizza.

I used to hate squash, even fried in butter and brown sugar, but the summer I was 20, I had a craving for them when I was at a farmer's market buying tomatoes and corn, and it's a favorite autumn veggie.

What foods have you changed your mind about?

-- The Dragon Herself (brooksliz@hotmail.com), November 12, 1999

Answers

Lesse... tomatos come to mind. When I was a child, I would not (ever) eat a raw, unprocessed tomato. Spagetti sauce was fine... pizza was great... but an actual raw tomato. Ick! Now, they are my absolute favorite veggie (okay okay you idjits out there, I know it's a fruit, but I don't think of it that way, and even the grocery store has canned tomatos in the VEGGIE section, so shut up already!)

On the other hand, there's not much I won't at least try. Except for a soft-shelled crab sandwich. But that's a long story... maybe I'll tell it someday on my web page...

-- KT Hicks (kt_hicks@yahoo.com), November 12, 1999.

I'm telling this story just so Liz hears it from me, rather than the overly embellished version my relatives will eventually foist off on her. Granted, she will believe whatever they say, and discard my version, but at least I'm making the attempt.

When I was a child, I would not eat pizza.

Not at all. I have no idea why, but for some reason I just wouldn't. We're talking very young here, by the way. About four or so, if my fuzzy memory serves. Eventually, my parents got me to eat it by claiming that it was like spaghetti on bread (spaghetti being a food I would kill for at that age). And that was the end of that, and I've eaten pizza ever since.

And I'm sure there's more, but I can't remember them now.

-- Matt (mbrooks@3gi.com), November 12, 1999.

I used to *LOVE* lobster (heh...champagne tastes on a beer pocketbook, as my Mom always used to say), but I had a...bad experience with them in high school that, alas, killed most of that for me. I had gone out with my parents to a wonderful seafood place somewhere around Maryland, I think (we were on vacation at the time). I had a large serving of lobster (twin tails, I think it was), AND a virgin pina colada, AND a huge strawberry shortcake with fresh cream. Word of advice: don't ever, EVER, combine shellfish with that much cream. My stomach couldn't take it, and I've been uncertain about lobster ever since. Other than that, there are a number of veggies I've learned to like/love. I used to despise yellow squash, zucchini, kale, and spinach (spinach was the big no-no of my youth-- I would eat my Oma's creamed spinach, but any other style was anathema.) I discovered raw spinach in college, and I love that (tho' cooked, it's still..ehhh). Kale is now wonderful blanched or steamed, and squash is great as long as it's not overcooked. I've also recently discovered that I no longer hate raw green peppers (I've never been big on peppers, but I hated them raw). Other than those things, all my food likes and dislikes have pretty much survived into adulthood intact. My favorite food is still lima beans, and I still despise asparagus.

-- Karen O. (lisl_1@yahoo.com), November 12, 1999.