Xiao Ming's childhood dislike and dislike for vegetables originated at home. He is accustomed to the home-based dishes that his family has been trying to make all year round, mostly unpretentious dishes, but he doesn't care.
Whenever his mother finished her chores, she would start cooking a table of mouth-watering foods, such as his favorite kung pao chicken and green pepper barbecue. He looks forward to a nightly meal time with delicious food, especially the protein-rich main course.
Unexpectedly, one day, my mother played her cards out of common sense and served a bunch of unfamiliar vegetables, including a dish with green leaves and a strong smell, and a bowl of green soup that was as bright as ink and wafted a rich bitter smell as soon as the lid was opened.
It turned out to be chrysanthemum and bitter herbs! Xiao Ming suddenly covered his nose with mixed tastes: "What is this? How can there be such a bad smelling dish!" For the light aroma of chrysanthemum and the deep gloomy complexion of bitter vegetable soup that could not bear to look at directly, Xiao Ming's young stomach had an unprecedented resistance.
He couldn't understand why his mother had suddenly changed her mind and wanted him to eat these weird-tasting vegetables. First of all, he tasted chrysanthemum, and the peculiar flavor made him difficult to swallow, and decided that it was the same as stinky tofu; Then he reluctantly drank a small sip of bitter vegetable soup, and the strong bitter taste immediately engulfed his mouth, so that he could not bear it anymore and pushed the soup bowl far away.
A few years later, Xiao Ming left his hometown to work in other places. One day, he was operating a machine in a factory when something went wrong and accidentally knocked over a pot of boiling water, splashing boiling hot water on his hands.
"Oops!" The severe pain made Xiao Ming scream uncontrollably, and he hurriedly held his scalded hand and looked around for ice cubes and other items for first aid. Seeing this, other staff members also stepped forward to check on the injuries and assist in treatment.
Just when Xiao Ming was in pain and sweating profusely, his mother's phone called. She anxiously asked about the cause of the accident on the other end of the phone, and after learning the severity of Xiao Ming's burns, she immediately instructed him to rinse the wound with water first, and she quickly rushed to the factory.
The mother strode into the factory, and without saying a word, took out a few turquoise leaves from her handbag and applied them to Xiao Ming's wound. At first, Xiao Ming wondered what the use of this was, but soon, a miracle appeared—the burning sensation that had been hot and spicy had subsided a lot, and the pain had been reduced a lot, and this was indeed a family secret recipe with excellent results! It turned out that bitter herbs were not only edible, but also had the miraculous effect of bandaging scalding! In gratitude, Xiao Ming couldn't help but think about the reason for all this.
After experiencing the miraculous effect of applying bitter herbs to treat burns, Xiao Ming seems to have a slight change in his view of vegetables. One day, a friend gave Xiao Ming a box of fresh okra, which is said to be an organic vegetable produced in his friend's hometown, which is full of nutrition and has an excellent taste.
Xiao Ming happily accepted and decided to try this vegetable for himself, which he had never eaten before. The brightly colored okra is neatly stacked in a box, with a beautiful shape, slim and slender.
Xiao Ming couldn't help but praise: "Wow, it looks really good, like a green chili, it should look very crispy!" My friend smiled and nodded in agreement. Xiao Ming, who was very appetizing, couldn't wait to wash the okra and bite it directly, which made him instantly feel like he had been struck by lightning, and the expression on his face froze for a few seconds.
He barely swallowed the nightmarish first mouthful, his eyes widened, and he exclaimed, "It's all sticky liquid, my God! It turned out that there was a huge gap between the taste and appearance of okra, and Xiao Ming didn't expect that there was a soft and slippery jelly-like mucus inside.
Unable to accept the disgusting taste, he blurted out complaining about the deceitful vegetable. A friend explained that okra is rich in nutrients and has a peculiar taste.
After trying okra, Xiao Ming's three views seem to have undergone subtle changes. In the face of all kinds of strange vegetables, he no longer instinctively expresses strong disgust, but has a tolerant and exploratory attitude.
Xiao Ming suddenly realized that his judgment of vegetables when he was a child was too subjective and one-sided. Perhaps the unique taste of vegetables is a reflection of their unique nutrients.
For example, the mucus of okra is actually rich in vitamins and minerals.
The right cooking method can also play a rescue role. Xiao Ming decided to put more effort into his cooking methods, and he believed that he would be able to find a clever way to bring out the delicious taste of vegetables.
"Maybe I should learn from chefs from all walks of life and study how to deal with ingredients such as chrysanthemum and bitter herbs to improve their taste. Xiao Ming said to himself.
There is no doubt that a food is good, bad, beautiful and ugly, and Xiao Ming finally realized this. It would be unfair to make a hasty definition based on subjective impressions.
In his view, only personal testing can make an accurate judgment about a food. On the road of Xiao Ming's growth, toon can be said to be an important ingredient that witnessed the germination and transformation of his vegetable concept.
Toons are cultivated in the mountain villages near Xiao Ming's hometown, and when the toons are ripe in spring, the villagers will pick the toons and go home with them, and fry them together with eggs to make a colorful and fragrant delicacies.
At first, Xiao Ming couldn't taste the charm of this home-cooked dish, but felt that the aroma was too exciting. As he grew older, he slowly came to appreciate that the unique fragrance of toon was irreplaceable.
In terms of unpalatableness, chrysanthemum is believed to be in the top three of Xiao Ming. When he was a child, he was baptized by the misery of chrysanthemum, and his memories are still vivid. In fact, chrysanthemum is used for both medicine and food, and it is rumored that the consumption of chrysanthemum can help the elderly improve their immunity.
Hearing this, Xiao Ming suddenly realized his mother's good intentions to let him eat chrysanthemum. Houttuynia cordata's trek traveled farther to visit Xiao Ming's life. It was his first time to taste a special dish with Houttuynia cordata as the main seasoning.
At first, he was prejudiced against the infamous ingredient, but once he tasted it, the unique flavor of Houttuynia cordata quickly dispelled his preconceptions, reminding him of the various soups his mother had made with Houttuynia when he was a child.
If you had to choose a vegetable with the strongest sensory impact, Xiao Ming would not hesitate to point to okra. The tragic experience of trying okra for the first time is still hard to let go, and he shuddeers just thinking about the sticky jelly inside okra.
But friends who were dining at the same table were full of praise for okra, which made Xiao Ming have to reflect on whether his vegetable aesthetics still need to be improved.