G is for .... Green Soup

G is for .... Green Soup

Most guys would probably turn their nose up, stomp in the opposite direction, and say "No way, it's green".  Well, he didn't.

I threw some veggies in a pan, sauteed them, added some veggie broth, and a handful of spices, and let it simmer. Just playing around with some flavours, and cautiously awaiting the results. I have a general idea of what works well when it comes to cooking, but there is always a risk of it all quickly heading south. I smelled the aromas as they simmered away; whiffs of spice with hints of garlic. But what about the taste? I have to wait some more.
Time to blend. I create a mini tornado in my pan, blasting the vegetables into a smooth soup. Now it is green. Green like grass, green like the colour of Green Machine, yet with a drastically different taste. I take a little slurp. The sharp spices mixed with the powerful garlic awaken my taste buds. Whoa....! I think, that's pretty spicy. The curry flavours rest in my mouth as I wonder if he will like it. Spicy green soup, with garlic and curry mixed in. That's the exciting part about these little random dishes; you never know what you're going to end up with until the last minute. "I hope he's in the mood to try something new", I think to myself.
When he comes home, simmering on the hob, and the bread is in the oven. "It smells good", he comments. I pause. "It's green", I state, with a little smirk. He looks at me, annd returns the smile. "Nooo way....not green. Not green soup...that's not good". I look at him, I know him; his tone, his gestures, his character. He's playing along. I know he will at least try it, because he's that kind of guy.
He thinks he doesn't like certain vegetables, for instance, cauliflower, broccoli and celery. Yet I've fed him cauliflower soup before and he liked it. He just thinks he doesn't like them raw, alone, with nothing to compliment the flavors. I think just think he's scared of some vegetables.
Anyway, we try my spicy green soup with curry and garlic creation, and break into the piping hot bread straight from the oven. "Oh, it's spicy!" is comments, almost surprised. I know he likes spicy food, but that doesn't mean to say he's going to like this. We exchange chit chat, and I prompt him once again for his opinion on my random creation. "Oh, it's good" he remarks. Phew. I sigh, with some relief. I hate it when my creations - even the random ones - are not pleasing to someone's palate.
So, I like to think have trained him well. I like to think that through my random creations, he is not afraid to try something a little different, and to not be scared when something is green. Maybe he already had this in him!
We probably all go through the childhood phase of not eating our veggies, because at that point in time we just don't like them, our palates aren't ready for them, or maybe they just weren't cooked well. But, as we grow, we develop a taste for new foods, and we can then venture into new flavours, and try once more the veggies we oh so detested as a child.