Those folks who know me well, know that I have never been a very picky eater. In actuality, it only takes a casual glance to see that I have not turned down many items of a gastronomic nature. There has always been one major exception to that general rule. Beets. I do not eat beets.
When I was younger, I followed the rule my dad had laid out for us younger Patricks. “You don't have to eat anything you don't like, but you have to try it first.” I tried beets and my mind was immediately and irrevocably set. “Beets are nasty.” For some reason, which has always escaped me, my grandmother felt the need to put my father's rule into practice every week. A typical Sunday dinner conversation would follow along these lines:
“Here, try them, Ricky,” Mama Patrick would implore.
“I don't like them, Mama Patrick,” would be my consistent reply.
“Just try them,” Mama Patrick would insist.
“I tried them last week, I don't like them,” I would respond.
“Well, you might have changed your mind since then,” Mama Patrick would say.
At this point, my dad would often come to my rescue. “Mama, he doesn't like beets,” Dad would say. Luckily, I think it was from my dad that I inherited my “beet disdain.”
I fully understand and appreciate Mama Patrick's desire for me to consume those atrocious culinary equivalents to eating mud. Beets are actually quite nutritious, if one could get them past one's taste buds without detection. I've lately been seeing advertisements about beets and the fact that they help circulation, blood pressure and other considerations one should keep in mind as they tally more and more trips around the sun.
This week, I endeavored to make a bold decision and try something new. I found a drink that contains beets, but it has a cherry flavor. It was on sale, so I decided that if I were being taken for a ride, at least I would not be out the full price of the product. Yesterday morning, I mixed a scoop of the deep-red concoction, and to my pleasant surprise, it actually tasted good. Not at all like beets.
I'm sure Mama Patrick would be proud of me for finally finding a way to get beets into my system. Now, if there were only a way to make liver taste like biscuits and gravy.