Apple Cider Vinegar: Towards the Red End of the Scale

There are things that I like, and things that I don't like.  It's true for all of us.  It's natural.  The problem is when we don't actually try things, and just assume we're not going to like something. Or assuming we will, although I think it's more common that we assume we won't. It's like the kid that continues to scream in dread anticipation of the needle because he didn't even feel the shot.

I knew I would like Toad in the Hole before I tried it.  I looked at it, decided it was just like pigs in a blanket, and sure enough – I loved it. Experience guided me.  I knew I would like shrimp monterey – wrap any meat in bacon and smother it with cheese is going to be good.

While I was in England, one missionary team was invited over to an African family's home for dinner to celebrate their baptism that day.  Dinner was a deep-fried pig head.  I understand it's quite the delicacy, and I gave them due props for eating it.

A few years ago, I adopted a policy of not nocking things I don't understand. Consider it: how can you speak on something you don't understand?  Like any guiding principle, there are times I exercise it better than others.  One of the applications of this principle is trying something someone is eating before criticizing it.  If they're eating it and enjoying it (and there's nothing pathological involved), then it's probably just my own preconceived notions about what's edible and what's not.

Maybe I have Charlie Love to thank for this. He's why I've tried crickets, mealworms, and other stuff I'm probably repressing.  It's how I discovered SuperFood.  Asparagus, brussels sprouts, egg plant, quiche, dried mangos, and a whole slew of curried foods I can't pronounce, let alone get close enough for the spell checker to correct, have all had their audition on my palette.  I don't even think about it any more. It adds a little bit of adventure to life. I highly recommend it.

This weekend, I heard of a new fad sweeping the nation.  Drinking apple cider vinegar.  Diluted, of course.  Straight up, it's strong enough to burn your esophagus.  But a tablespoon or two in a glass of water is supposed to eliminate any desire you have for sweet drinks.  It probably does.  All I remember is throwing out the last half of the glass (after forcing the first half down while reading the evening news) and popping a couple of Tums afterwards.

It's great stuff for cooking with.  I add it to chili all the time.  But it's an ingredient, not a beverage.  I'm sticking to the SuperFood.