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Wishing for a Broader Palate


It happened again. Wednesday night I ventured out to a new downtown eatery and came away nonplussed. It's an Indian restaurant, Kohinoor, which only opened last month. To be clear: my lack of enthusiasm is not in any way related to the restaurant, itself. The staff were nice, the service was good, the setting was clean and cozy. No, the culprit is, again, my fussy sense of taste.

Pretty much all my life, I've been a picky eater. Not sure why. Over the years it has become something of an annoyance. How I would love to enjoy a broader range of foods. Alas, the taste buds do not comply. At one point, I chastised my mother, certain in the belief that she had somehow never brought me up with the proper potpourri of dining experiences. She quickly noted that, from a very early age, I'd spit out the vegetable-flavored baby food.

The pickiness, it runs deep.

Dear reader, I didn't even like hamburgers until I was almost ten. Hamburgers. I can clearly remember visiting cousins in Farmer City, and the decision had been made to go get some food from a local joint called Dewey's. The adults were going around taking our orders. I cautiously asked what kind of food this Dewey's place served, and was told that they're known for their hamburgers. I declined. Hamburgers were gross. Everyone insisted that Dewey's burgers were great, so, hungry and outnumbered, I relented. And the hamburger was awesome. I've been a hamburger fan ever since, but only of thin ones.

Alas, the aforementioned experienced has not really played-out the same for other things. Ants on a Log (peanut butter and raisins inside a stick of celery) are a non-starter. Deep-fried broccoli? Ugh, don't get me started. Smooth and creamy mashed potatoes (i.e. instant): Awesome. Lumpy mashed potatoes: Terrible. Adding onions to any dish: Unforgivable. Salads are persona non grata. Ethnic foods are, unfortunately, typically too interesting for my taste buds to appreciate.

All of this is why I tend to haunt the same restaurants, or eat many of the same dishes at home. It isn't any slam on people or places who serve foods that have a wide array of flavors and ingredients. This is my issue, not theirs. It's just growing a bit tiresome as I grow older. I long to experience more things, including various types of food. For the most part, my finicky palate remains uncompromising in this endeavor.

So, I think you should definitely give Kohinoor a try. I went there with my partner and a friend, and they both devoured their meals. Others dining there seemed to be happy and were enjoying their offerings, so please don't be dissuaded by my pickiness, my lack of appreciation for the finer things. Until such time as these taste buds change, it'll be instant mashed potatoes for me.


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