Hint #6: Just Try It!

How many times have you said "No thanks," when someone offered you a seemingly foreign food? If you are anything like the rest of the American population, I bet there have been too many instances to count.

A couple of days ago, I overheard a conversation related to this topic that stopped me in my tracks.

Two fourth grade boys were eating fresh strawberries and grapes, and one said there was no way he would sample the orange fruit dip being offered. "I don't really like orange things," he told his friend. "I think I'll just eat the fruit by itself."

Surprisingly, his friend had no reservations whatsoever. "I think I'll just try it," he said. Just try it. What an interesting concept. This was like a suspense film - I had to stay to find out what happened.

Within a few minutes, both students were raving about how much they loved the fruit dip (a healthy alternative to caramel, without a doubt), and asked if they could have more. Thank goodness for positive peer pressure!

The first student I described would not have discovered his affinity for the fruit dip had he not stepped outside of his comfort zone to taste it. We have all said "No thanks," when presented with plates of unfamiliar foods, but we may simultaneously be missing out on opportunities to find new favorites. I sneered at sushi for 21 years of my life, and finally gave it a chance this fall. My, oh, my, was I missing out!


What are you missing out on? There are thousands of foods to try, and so little time to do it. Follow that fourth grader's lead. The next time a new food pops up - try it. Otherwise, you may never know what you are missing.

Eat up!