I Used To Hate Green Beans, But I Love Them Now

On the Radio Edit Show Facebook page, I asked you to tell me something you hated as a kid, but love as an adult. I got some pretty common answers, like brussel sprouts, broccoli, naps, onions, and liver. The most Southern one I got, and I got it quite a few times, was collards. No one, and I repeat NO ONE up north would ever say collards. They’re just not a thing where I am originally from.
Funny enough, I was raised by southerners and I NEVER had collards until I moved to SC ten years ago. Both of my parents are from North Carolina, and I had a lot of southern staples growing up: grits, sweet tea, livermush, Duke’s mayo, and boiled peanuts. But never had collards. I also never had brussel sprouts, and now I love them.
Some things you guys hated but love now that I have always loved:
Olives, both black and green- I LOVE olives, always have. When I was like 17-20ish years old, I’d get a small jar of green olives and demolish them. It was an addiction.
Mushrooms– I have always been a sucker for a mushroom. Now I’m older and I get to eat fancier mushrooms, and it makes me so happy.
Cereal– y’all. Cereal has been my life blood since I can remember. I LOVE cereal, probably too much. I would eat cereal any time of day. Actually, just this morning I contemplated filling up a water bottle with milk and bringing a baggie of Captain Crunch Berries to work with me for a snack. I still may do it tomorrow.
Pork n Beans– I have always been a fan of these, and in high school I even had an obsession with Van Camp’s Beanee Weenees, the beans with hot dogs in them. My mom would buy me the small cans that opened easily and I would eat them cold at school… how is my cholesterol still normal??
Tomatoes– my favorite thing to do as a kid: go pick the cherry tomatoes and cucumbers fresh from the garden and eat them immediately. The way a tomato plant smells is still one of my favorite smells on earth.
Some things you guys love now that I still don’t love:
Cantaloupe– I think the flavor would be ok but that texture is nasty. Same with honeydew.
Onions– I don’t mind onions when they’re cooked, but raw still gets me.
Mustard– I have to be in the mood for yellow mustard, and it’s still not great to me. I prefer honey mustard.
Squash– if cooked correctly, I’m all over it. But my Grandmother used to fry it and the inside was so mushy I couldn’t stand it. She would force me to eat it, just like green beans, so both veggies have traumatic memories attached to them. They have to be cooked right or I will NOT touch them. Sadly, my husband loves fried squash, and I won’t make it for him.
The ones that I didn’t expect (or made me laugh):
Baths– I don’t ever remember hating baths, so that one surprised me.
Coffee- my 12-year-old has liked coffee since he was 9; we didn’t give it to him but now he enjoys a cup of cream and sugar splashed with coffee every now and then).
Cocaine– uhhhh… was that an option as a child? I don’t remember opening up my Lucky Charms and finding a dime bag of coke.
Beer– I understand this. A lot of parents, mine included, let their kids take a sip of beer to see their reaction. Most times it’s hilarious because the kid hates the taste.
Spankings– Ha ha! Well, I’ll leave that one alone…
Anal :O REALLY leaving that one alone…
Y’all are freaks, and I love you for it.
Naps was also a big one, and I have said this many times as an adult: my biggest wish is that someone would come into my workplace every day and force me to take a nap. I really do.
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