Culinary quests keep me excited and interested in what my next meal is going to be. It can be trying the latest pre-packaged snack or funky vegetable that I hadn't heard of. Novelty is what keeps us going in life.
"Whats kimichi?" I chirped to the smile-sharing man behind the counter. "Cabbage, it's usually spicy but the skewers aren't too spicy." The skewers were pockets of savory, vegetal spice that was topped with a sweet chili sauce.
My mouth pooled and puckered with anticipation of the "Drunken" spicy noodles. I thought back to last semester when I borrowed some of my roommate's hot-sauce. Without a second thought I doused my spinach and tomato salad with Joe's Insanity hot-sauce. While the title might have been a tip off to the heat, I knew I liked spice and could handle the heat. It wasn't until I began shoveling large forkfuls of the crimson lava into my mouth that I began to realize the impact of what I had done.
My right hand wiped away a salty stream of tears from my cheek while my left hand raised the bottle eye level to more closely examine its' contents. I only saw the warning label on the back which read: "Use one drop at a time. Keep away from eyes. If you have a heart condition please do not use this product."
While a healthy dose of novelty is crucial to a staying out of food ruts, sometimes treading new waters helps us appreciate what we know and love all the more. The skewers were a great treat to add a pop of excitement and adventure into my diet and day. But, sometimes having a bagel with ripe avocado on top is all you want.
Mixing up the old and the new is the balance we all strive for. How much of what we have now can we hold on to in the future? What items, moments, or people do we need to let go of to make room for the new things in life? Try something new and see what you might be missing out on. Or, maybe, have a bite-sized reminder of what tastes you are fortunate to enjoy. Savor each moment.