Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Vegetables

It has taken most of my life to actually say that I like vegetables...

My mother boiled them.
She didn't just boil them though, she boiled the crap out of them.
You know how vegetables taste so good when gently cooked or lightly sauteed?  Asparagus, green beans, or broccoli?  Yum!

My mom would boil them to the point of being mushy! They made us gag, but good old mom made us eat them anyway. As some of you already know, my mom didn't allow much complaining about food (or anything else).  I became a professional at making vegetables disappear from my plate, without really eating them. Good training for smuggling items into prison, I'm sure. Luckily, I never needed that skill. Okay, so you've read my old posts! There is a big difference between jail and prison!

For a good portion of my life I never ate vegetables, because I thought everybody cooked them like my mom did. I've wasted so much time and missed so many vegetables! Once I discovered the correct way of cooking them, I fell in love and now eat them all the time.

There are still a few I haven't recovered from yet; hominy, brussel sprouts, peas, and Lima beans. I'm not too worried about it, because nobody really likes hominy anyway, right?

I won't even talk about creamed corn, just saying the words makes me want to yak...

Did anybody else's mom ruin vegetables for them? Or is it just me?

.

55 comments:

  1. My Mom was pretty good at cooking vegetables. It was what she cooked that I was sometimes not so crazy about. ie; creamed spinach, acorn squash (which I know love!), swiss chard. The swiss chard came from our garden which, while fun and novel, I could still never eat the stuff without gagging. My Mom was always more concerned about my brother and I getting enough protein. So if we ate all the meat, and then just a few veggies, that was better than eating all the veggies and no meat. Oh! Celery! I forgot celery! Why does anyone need to cook celery! Yuck! - G

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  2. It was the way everyone cooked vegetables when I was growing up, but especially cabbage. I'm still not keen on the stuff. But there are some great brassicas in Hong Kong: pak choi, choi sum, and spinach with the stalks still on [you just get the leaves in the UK]. Delicious all stir-fried with garlic.

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  3. Nothing to do with mom's cooking - she wasn't a fan of boiling the life out of veg - but I still hate peas, brussel sprouts and cabbage. Apparently it's a genetic thing....some of us can taste a bitter compound in these veg that others' don't...

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  4. Peas aren't bad. I totally agree with the others! Mush! Mush!

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  5. It wasn't my mom, but one of her husbands...

    Suffice to say, I can not even stand the smell of broccoli without, literally, gagging. There were a few others that we had to eat - adn were we to gag and... - well, we had to eat that too. (Not a nice man.)

    I've managed to come back to most other things - but broccoli I just can't do.

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  6. Hmmm....I don't think I liked them regardless of how she cooked them! (She used to smother them in cheese- I think to hide the fact they were veggies.)
    I was plain old picky! For years!!!
    Now they cover most of my plate.....and I can even eat them without melting cheese all over them;)

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  7. Yes, yes and yes. I grew up in the midwest and thought that spinach just grew, already prepackaged in cans.

    Oh, I have recently found a way to cook broccoli that does not make me vomit! BONUS!!!!

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  8. to this day broccoli makes me want to throw up. Can't stand it and was forced to eat it with just that reaction when I was about 6. Sure it is purely psychological and I could cure myself with years of therapy, but I am not worried about it.

    I don't hate onions or cabbage anymore. I now eat sushi but still don't like cooked fish that much. Lima beans are good, you are missing out.

    Can't eat tofu. something about the tecture.

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  9. I agree, creamed corned looks like it was previously ingested, yuck!

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  10. My mom totally boiled the hell out of veggies, too! She also killed beef sixteen times before serving it! She thinks I'm a barbarian for eating a medium rare steak. :)

    I LOVE my veggies....done the RIGHT way...with a bit of crunch!

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  11. No, nobody likes hominy. No one. I love brussel sprouts though. Done up right they are like tiny cabbages of heaven.

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  12. HOMINY IS DAMN GOOD! You just need to put it in some pozole.
    But you know my stance on vegetables.
    And creamed corn? Awww man, I used to love me a bowl of that as a kid.

    Am I weird?

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  13. My my mom put them in olive oil and vinegar and I've always been very rich in this way.

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  14. We just always had them boiled growing up whereas now I like to part boil them then finish them off in the oven roasted with some garlic. YUM! Also, try mashing up some cooked carrot and turnips with a little butter and black pepper. DEEEELICIOUS! :)

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  15. My husband thought he hated Bacon. Who hates Bacon??? Turns out his mom liked it black and crumbly. Don't worry, I showed him the greasy, delicious light.

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  16. I can truthfully say I am not a gourmet.... my mother boiled the crap out of vegatables, so didn't my Dad when he was home (in true Irish 'Boil The Potato To Death ' fashion. I do the same thing. Never had time to get into cooking. Now my kids do it. Can you see the headlines, "Family Eats Moosh" :}

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  17. Any boiled vegetable was ruined for me the same way you mentioned, I love vegetables and have gotten over the hating the boiled squash thing a bit now, If you slice squash long ways and marinate it in oil and vinegar or italian dressing then cook it on the grill you will forever throw rocks at the boiled version.

    I have a problem picking veggies out of the garden because I just have to take a bite, I think uncooked for most fresh vegetables is very good.

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  18. I think veggies ruined themselves for me, especially brussel sprouts. How can anyone possibly like that stuff?
    xoRobyn

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  19. Good evening Patrick (its evening here anyway).
    I dont know if we here in Greece are lucky or not, as we use a lot of vegetables fresh and dry in our diet.
    So most mothers know how to boil or cook them in many ways...
    Havent heard actually anyone complaining about them...
    Take care Patrick
    Costas

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  20. Put butter on anything and it becomes edible, even brussel sprouts :)

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  21. Pat- guess I was lucky as my Mom really did cook veggies quite awesome. But have to admit, me & creamed corn never bonded..Gag-however if you put it in cornbread mix and back it..DELISH!!!

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  22. Where I come from, you toss all you vegetables into one big pot, salt them up and boil em togeather. If you happen to over cook, the salt adds flavour (there is often a slab of salt beef in the pot too)

    What is hominy?

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  23. my whole family's all always been the bread and meat types. the first time i tried a salad was in high school. funny, i suppose, that i turned out to be a vegetarian. :P

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  24. My mother used to boil the crap out them and then slather them in butter. Now I can't eat any veggies in butter.

    CD

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  25. My mom was always pretty good with the veggies. And we had them every night. I still eat most kinds veggies and have prepared them different ways. Oh yeah...and they're good for you!

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  26. Georgina - I had the double whammy! My mom boiled vegetables into mush. Everything else was usually fried and fried to death. "If it's brown it's cooking, if it's black, it's done!"

    dennis - Stir fry is perfect for cooking veggies...

    Nat - As long as it's not mushy, cabbage is okay...the other two...no thanks!

    Jesse - Peas are not only bad, they are evil...

    Rabbit - I felt the same way for most of my life, now I love broccoli...

    Dawn - smother them in cheese! Uh, no thanks! yuck!

    BB - Oh yeah! most of what we had started out in a can also, and then boiled to death...double whammy!

    Budd - seems like a lot of folks don't like broccoli... I'm surprised I do! My wife is japanese and they really know how to cook a veggie! (and make sushi)

    Tim - Both of them make me gag, still!

    Meredith - Hominy? Oh puke! Creamed corn? Oh hurl! yes you are!

    Leovi - that now sounds delicious!

    TVA - OH NO! mashed with butter also does it to me and not in a good way!

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  27. Helena - thanks for commenting! now that sounds like child abuse! I 'm glad you showed him the way...

    Entre Nous - I don't even like baked potatos....too mushy!

    Jimmy - You are so right! stay away from the boiling, and it can be really good! raw and fres is the best way!

    Robyn - Brussel sprouts are spawn of satan....

    costas - I've always heard that Greek's eat in a very healthy manner! thanks!

    Thetis - Haven't seen you here in a long time! Thanks for commenting! I don't like butter on them, it adds to the mush factor...brussel sprouts can never be good!

    Lynne - You are lucky! Creme corn makes me gag... under any cicumstance!

    baygirl - Yuck! Hominy is hulled corn soaked in lye water. Have you ever had grits?

    Vencora - That is funny! bread and meat sounds good to me!

    CD - I agree! butter doesn't help at all..

    Chuck - you are a lucky fellow!

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  28. I love vegetables of all kinds thank goodness since they are a main staple of my diet (as a diabetic.) I have to confess that I kind of like my cooked vegetables on the mushy side. But I do eat a lot of raw ones with garlic salt (to replace chips and crackers.) I love the crunch. My mom did not over cook vegetables but she did freeze everything... except the kitchen table!

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  29. I have never tried hominy although I learned about it since blogging.
    My mom is a great healthy cook. I like my veggies very lightly sauteed- my fav is with a dash of seasame oil. My new fav is with a dash of truffle salt.
    I really never tried canned veggies until I had dinner at a friends house- same with instant potatoes- so gross.

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  30. Nothing wrong with my mother's cooking, but as a child there were certain things that made me gag, and spinach was among them. She tortured me by cooking it once a week and at our house we emptied our plates or no dessert. Now it's among my favorites; I even eat it raw. Last night's dinner was cheese omelet with brussel sprouts. YUM!

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  31. DrSoosie - Well, it's good that you like what you have to eat! My mom was a terrible cook...

    Ren - I'll never try it again! You are right, lightly sauteed is the best...

    Francisca - Well then, I wish she would have taught my mom to cook... TERRIBLE! except for chicken and dumplings...

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  32. Nope, I was lucky enough to be brought up in Malaysia, where vegetables are lightly stir-fried, salted, pickled, made into lovely soups, stewed, etc/, and flavoured with awesome flavours like oyster sauce, soy sauce, and curry! Always loved my vegetables, although my favourite veg dishes are kinda fatty ones, like deep-fried aubergine (eggplant) sticks, and fried turnip cake! *mmm*

    Vegs I don't eat include bittergourd (it's all in the name!), celery, and raw peppers.

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  33. Boiled the crap out of them - that gave me quite a laugh! Steamed yes, boiled no. Carrots expecially. Soggy carrots are disgusting. I like most vegetables although thanks to mom, I refuse to ever touch brussle sprouts again.

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  34. OMG, I am so with you on this one. I remember being forced to sit at the kitchen table til 9:00 at night until I ate the two brussels sprouts on my plate. I will probably NEVER eat a brussel sprout at this point in my life!! I love corn on the cob... creamed corn?? I'd yak just like you!

    I finally started eating salads about 10 years ago. But I'm still a long way from eating veggies.

    I DO however, adore the spinach I've been growing. Fresh baby spinach in my salad is absolutely divine!!! :)

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  35. Yes---we need a little 'crap' left IN our veggies, don't we???? In the olden days, that is what they did.. Boil them 'til they were mushy..... Yuk!!!!

    I do like most veggies... My least favorite is winter tomatoes... I cannot eat them --yet I LOVE the home-grown summer ones... I also don't like okra--unless it is fried.. When I was a little girl, I was visiting a friend and they gave me slimy okra.... Even to this day, that makes me gag.

    Have a great day, Pat.
    Betsy

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  36. Oh yes! Boiling, boiling and more boiling. In fact, I still don't like veggies. I'm scarred for life!

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  37. Yes, but not as badly as yours did. Her best trick was to walk away and burn it, in which case sometimes we had to eat it and sometimes we didn't, probably depending on her mood and/or the carbon content. Unfortunatley, I inherited the thing where you walk away and immediately forget something is on the stove. I try to set timers, and I also, when I can afford it, buy from the local co-op, so the veggies taste like real veggies. That was quite a discovery!

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  38. Reminds me of the classic New England boiled dinner. Put everything, meat, potatoes, veggies, all in the same pot, cover with water, and boil until well past mushy. Plop on a plate, cover with brown gravy, and dig in.

    I think I need a Bromo.

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  39. Oh ew. That's not cooking vegtables...that's murdering them! LOL

    My mom was pretty good with veggies, but she cooked the same ones over and over. So now as an adult, I love variety. :)

    Angela @ The Bookshelf Muse

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  40. Haha!! Too funny..well, now we can laugh about these things, but you're right, it is a shame that you missed out on all sorts of good veggies just because they were not prepared properly!! That being said, I don't care how brussel sprouts are prepared...I hate the little bastards!! My Mom didn't cook the 'crap' out of vegetables, but she did occasionally serve us canned asparagus which is basically asparagus who's crap has been cooked out of it then thrown in a tin can where it then takes on the taste of the metal. Yuck. Yuck and MEGA Yuck!!! To this day I don't always go for asparagus even when it is offered fresh and just lightly cooked. I agree with hominy. The lima beans I would agree with, but then I tasted some that were prepared by an Egyptian friend and I have to say they were really good!! My husband's excellent cauliflower soup converted me to liking cauliflower...don't know why I didn't like it before that! Brocolli...hmmm not so sure about that still!! Good luck with your taste testing!!! Cat (p.s., thanks for your comment on my door blog about the pop-up window for the comments..I have changed it as you suggested!!)

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  41. Since I started doing my university big project on promoting healthy eating habits in the population, I'm eating a lot better--reading all that literature on nutrition must have gotten to me ;) And brussel sprouts are hard to love lol

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  42. You are killin' me Pat, first creepy stuff and NOW vegetables ???? Two of my least favorite things on the planet !!
    Rock On.

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  43. Quickly boiled then stir fried is the way I like em. I remember as a kid we used to in late summer go on garden raids a night. Yeah I know it was wrong of us but it made for some good childhood memories.

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  44. JC - Stir fry! My favorite. My wife is also Asian, and that's how we cook them! Bittergourd? Ah, no thanks!

    Alex - Lightly steamed is awesome! I'm with you on the brussle sprouts... Thanks!

    Oz Girl - Oh yeah, I remember sitting there for what seemed like days...I also love salads!

    Betsy - Yes we do! LOL... I've also had my bouts with slimmed okra, it's nasty! Thanks Betsy!

    Talli - I like them fine now, as long as I don't hear the sound of water boiling...

    tapirgal - Oh yeah! What my mom didn't boil, she fried. AND BURNT!

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  45. Glenn - You know, some good brown gravy can cover up for a lot of things! I love me some brown gravy!

    Angela - You are so right!

    Cat - Thanks! I think "little bastard" is a good description of brussel sprouts. I hadn't even thought of canned asparagus! That is pure grade "A" NASTY! You are welcome about my suggestion. I'll get over there and check it out.

    Sarah - They are not hard to love. they are IMPOSSIBLE love, or even like!

    Vickie - Not even celery stalks stuffed with peanut butter? so sad...

    Warren - NO WARREN! Don't let the water boil...just go straight to the stir fry! The last time I raided someones garden as a kid, I got a back full of rock salt!

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  46. I disagree Pat. You let the water just come to boil and then immediately into the stir fry.

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  47. Being Southern born I do occasionally get a craving for hominy. We always had a garden when I was growing up so vegetables were very fresh and plentiful. Most of the time they were well cooked but sometimes mom would boil them, ick.

    I love all vegetables, even brussel sprouts.

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  48. I love, love vegetables. I use to eat them raw for healthier reasons.
    My mum did not over cook them, for the same exact reason.

    Warm regards
    B

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  49. No... my mom cooked delicious veggies and I've always loved most of them. My dad was in the produce business, so we always had plenty of veggies. I, too, cannot eat brussel sprouts, plus English peas, beets, and not crazy about creamed corn.

    Have a great weekend!

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  50. My mother cooked things the way my father wanted them-- generally overcooked. It was one of the reasons I started cooking when I was about eight (also, the fact that my mother worked, and I hated waiting until 7 or 8 to eat dinner). I love broccoli, brussel sprouts, etc., especially when they're not overcooked. Some vegetables I've never warmed up to: Lima beans, squash, black eyed peas.

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  51. Warren - In and out, no problem! but not a second longer! LOL...

    SQ - YAK! There is no right way to cook hominy!

    Betty - I like them raw also, but more so in their juice form!

    Ree - to be honest, I have trouble eating anything if i can even SMELL creamed corn...

    Jonny - Oh yuck...lima beans! it's not the taste of them i hate, it's the texture! black eyed peas are okay as long as there is a lot of ham hock flavor with them....

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  52. Cooking vegetables the right way takes work, but so worth it in the end. My problem is that the men of this household prefer MEAT to be the main thing on their plates. Veggies for a meal once a week is something I have tried periodically, and not too successfully. Right now, with no kitchen, we are doing things the easy way, but still not boiling the veggies. NO WAY!
    Rosemary

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  53. My mom never cooks so I guess its a lot better to have a mom who over boils the vegetables :)

    Life's so funny as you always have someone to look at and say may be my life is not so bad :)

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  54. Rosemary - yup, I'd rather not have them at all, than have then over-boiled. You will have your kitchen back soon!

    Shyam - That is so true! One man's ceiling is another man's floor!
    thanks for commenting!

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  55. You expressed the experience so much better than I did. Funny how we dislike the same vegetables! I don't understand why anyone would want to eat brussel sprouts.

    I came to like asparagas late in life and now can't get enough of it.

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