I have always been a picky eater, which is something that I thought would never change. Coming to college I never thought about all of the things in my life that would change that would prove to be a challenge. Part of the reason for this change was the food that was available to me every day drastically changed. I have also been influenced by being able to study abroad and have completely new foods all around me. Most recently I’ve noticed a change because I was finally able to start my own garden this summer.
I was always a picky eater when I was growing up, but I can confidently say that I have gotten over most of my pickiness since coming to college. In my sophomore year, I got to travel to New Zealand on a study-abroad trip. This trip didn’t go exactly as planned but we got to try some interesting foods because of it. The first stop on our trip was in Fiji, home to all the fresh fruit you can imagine. Once we got to New Zealand I did not expect to have run into food that was very different from our own, and for the most part, I didn’t, but I did get introduced to fish and chips. This was not something typically on a menu in landlocked Nebraska, which to this point I had hardly left. Before this experience, I had never tasted a fish that I liked, but while I was in New Zealand I did not taste one single bad fish. Everywhere we went had fresh caught or even more commonly fish that were caught that morning. I still haven’t been able to find somewhere that compares.
The food around me has also changed by my own choices over the last few years. I used to always avoid anything with a bitter taste, but now I find myself almost lost without a morning cup of coffee. I also would not have been caught dead eating a salad and now I grow my own lettuce in my backyard. Growing my own garden completely changed how I ate this summer. I always had fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, and lettuce, just to name a few things, that I could easily add to meals or make into a quick snack. I am hoping to learn how to can this year as well and try canning some of the produce to use throughout the rest of the year.