Try everything twice.

In addition to being a song lyric from a cool band, I think it's a good philosophy to have in life.

When trying new foods, I like to give second (or third) chances to food items that don’t immediately strike my fancy. This way I can make sure that I didn’t just have a bad version of something, and it gives my tastebuds a chance to adapt to the new sensation. If it weren’t for second chances, I would have a hole in my life where vegemite currently resides.

Last week when I tried Brussels sprouts for the first time since childhood, I wasn’t sold. I didn’t hate them, but they were too hard and the flavour just wasn’t that special. But on Thursday I was offered a free bag of them (a big bag). I have a hard time turning down free things, so of course I took them (free vegetables!).

So I tried them again, trimming the ends a bit better and cooking them in a hotter oven (210) for a touch longer (about 20 minutes). And they were good! Roasting them this way really brought out their flavour and made them a little crispy on the outside but oh so tender for the most part.

That was only half the free bag, though. I wanted to try them another way. I pulled out the Sunset Vegetable Cook Book from 1983, which I picked up from a book fair for 50 cents. There were two Brussels sprouts recipes in the book, but both had ham or bacon. I didn’t feel like veganising, and anyways, the recipes didn’t sound that great anyways. But at the beginning, in the book’s description of individual vegetables, the suggested seasonings for Brussels sprouts include butter, basil, chives, dill weed, minced parsley, rosemary, and thyme. I cooked my sprouts in a skillet with a bit of water until they were tender and the water was evaporated. Then I mixed through some butter, chopped fresh basil, and dried parsley. They were really good this way, too.

I’ve come around to Brussels sprouts.

It just goes to show—everything deserves a second chance.