I grew up in a family where savory/spicy foods were a thing. Soups, stew, yam porridge, fries, scrambled eggs, name it. My dad loved spicy food, and still does. The pepper had to be there.
Salt was another thing in our house. My dad's food had to have extra salt. He had a special bottle as a salt container. And when it broke, he replaced it with a stainless one.
Then there was the sweet side too. As a kid, I could eat anything sweet. Chocolates, cakes, icing straight off the cake, mineral drinks (soda), fruity breads, sweet sauce, name it. Sweetness was joy.
I thought that would be me forever, not until I left home.
I lived with friends who were pepper-intolerant. The pepper just has to be moderate in the food, not the type that someone's tongue. Lol. Slowly, my taste began to change. The one that broke the camel's back was when I went to spend the holidays with a priest friend. Due to health reasons, he only ate bland meals - minimal or no pepper and salt.
Never did I imagine that one day I'd eat such meals. But I did, all through my stay.
I actually had the option of eating my kind of meal, but I chose not to. Didn't want to be a bother since everyone ate from the same pot. Moreover, I needed to show some empathy, since he didn't choose to live that way. Even at that, I wasn't staying forever, so why not learn another way to eat, another way to live?
And I did learn because from then on, my body started talking back. My taste buds started going bonkers. Lol..
First, it was sweet food. The cakes I loved as a child, my favourite Miranda drink, fruity bread all began to taste like poison. The moment I take them, I’m spitting. My stomach just rejects them.
And when I was diagnosed with an ulcer some years ago, everything changed entirely. Spicy, savory, too sweet foods were completely ruled out. I can't handle them anymore. Not even my beloved peppered pomo, goat meat and peppersoup. None.
Although my taste bud has changed, home food hasn't. Still spicy. Still savory. The salt is still there. Whenever I visit, I manage to eat it... Then mom's antacids come to the rescue.
Thank you for reading.
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