That Anchovy Just Ain't For Me!

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It's remarkable just how much our tastes can change over the years. We grow to love some foods which we once found totally unpalatable. As a small boy, I can remember being scolded by my stepfather (an obnoxious bully who, thankfully, was only my stepfather for a short time) when we went to a Chinese restaurant. I had always enjoyed the bland ready meal versions of Chinese food and this led my parents to believe that I would also like the (much more expensive) real thing. Wrong! But nowadays I love Chinese food. There were vegetables I really didn't like as a child but when I started gardening in my late twenties and grew them I found them delicious.If you had told me back then that I would ever prefer tea and coffee without sugar I would not have believed you. Nowadays I enjoy both without sugar or milk. I never ate Indian food in a restaurant until my early thirties and thought I was being terribly adventurous by trying a korma for the first time! Although I have never progressed to the really hot dishes, I would certainly not order anything so mild these days. Yes, I have grown to tolerate and then love many foods. But not anchovies. Back in the 90s I had some on a pizza that had 16 different toppings so there weren't many. They were the only bits that I left. But recently I read an article about how good they are for you so I thought I would have another go and see if they could join chow mein, broccoli, unsweetened Assam and lamb jalfrezi on my list of favourites. This was just a small tin and they were in olive oil which should have helped. I had mashed potato, plenty of pepper and some nice crusty bread to smother the taste (you can see that I went into this dietary experiment with a really positive attitude, can't you?) All to no avail. The first few mouthfuls seemed OK but then that saltiness kicked in. I couldn't even finish that small amount. Into the rubbish they went and I replaced them in the mash with a load of tomato sauce to try and cover any trace of them ever having been there. I'm sure there are plenty of other dishes and fishes that are just as good for me and that I can grow to like but, anchovies, I'm afraid you have had your last chance. (Although, oddly enough, I love Worcestershire sauce, which contains….? That’s right: anchovies!) Are there any foods which you surprised yourself by growing to love - or some that you know you never will?