Apologies in advance for the long-winded discussion but mushrooms were a 2-for-1 special this week. As in two preparations tested: raw vs. cooked. Raw didn’t go over so well, but we all learned that when foods are prepared differently, you might end up liking them. Mushrooms went from most hated to most loved in the flash of a pan. Amazing what heat, olive oil, and a little salt can do.
EMMA: What are those?
LAUREN: Mushrooms?
EMMA: Smells good right? What do they look like?
LAUREN: I got a little plant. They look like flowers that lost all of their petals.
ME: Such a good description!
EMMA: This one is broken.
ME: Do you need another? Here take this one. What does it smell like?
LAUREN: The real smell of mushrooms.
SAM: It smells like stinky cheese.
EMMA: I want another one.
ME: Emma, stop throwing these into the sink. These are expensive.
ME: I think they have a woodsy smell to them. They smell like the forest floor. That’s where they come from- they grow at the bottom of trees. They’re like Lorax food, cool right?
ME: What does it feel like in your hand?
LAUREN: It feels kind of round and bendy. At the top it feels kind of rough.
SAM: And they’re wobbly.
ME: Who wants to taste it?
LAUREN: Me!
ME: OK, let’s do it.
ME: I actually think it tastes like nuts. Do you guys like it?
LAUREN: No.
SAM: No. I want an orange.
ME: What does it taste like?
EMMA: It tastes like cranberries.
ME: It also tastes a lot different if we cook them.
EMMA: I love that.
ME: What, the bottom?
EMMA: Yeah.
(cooking…)
EMMA: I want mystery food!
(presenting cooked food)
ME: I think you’ll agree that mushrooms taste a little like meat when they’re cooked.
SAM: They look disgusting.
LAUREN: I think they look a little like French fries. Because they’re burnt and yellow.
ME: They taste like French fries like this. Sprinkle them with a little salt…
LAUREN: Sauce?
ME: Salt, I said salt.
LAUREN: Whopa Gangman style. Can I try it please?
EMMA: Can I try it?
ME: How is it when it’s cooked?
LAUREN: Good!
ME: You’re finding out that you like mushrooms right? Sam, do you want to try them?
SAM: No.
LAUREN: Sam, it’s really good, it really tastes like French fries.
ME: Doesn’t it taste like steak? Who wants more?
LAUREN: Me!
SAM: Me!
EMMA: Me!
EMMA: Give me that salt!
ME: Gently Emma, not too much.
LAUREN: More! But can you put a little more salt on it?
SAM: These can be dead or alive.
ME: Emma, you want another?
EMMA: Yeah. Mmmmm…..
SAM: Yeah, they’re pretty good.
LAUREN: Sam loves them!
ME: Amazing, right? Now you guys love mushrooms!
ME: What’s the lesson here?
LAUREN: That you should always try something that you might like….you should always try something again even if you don’t like it?
ME: Yeah! And here’s another lesson, sometimes things that don’t taste good when they’re not cooked taste really good when they’re cooked.
Great result from a fun experience! Cool
I’ve been trying for AGES to get them to like shrooms. I’m obsessed with them, I guess a textural thing, but I think we’re all systems a go 🙂
I just recently altered my taste buds (something I’ve been doing recently) to like mushrooms and now I eat them in everything I can. Taste buds just take a little time to learn new things.
Absolutely, it’s a textural thing for a lot of people too, but I love my mushrooms.
It’s a plueasre to find someone who can identify the issues so clearly