Canned Fish

It always really interests me to find out what foods people will absolutely not eat. I mean, I've never really understood people who are really extreme picky eaters - people who only eat meat and potatoes and won't try anything else - but that's not really who I'm talking about. I'm talking about just regular people who more or less are game to eat almost anything (within reason) except for one or two seemingly innocuous food items that, when they reveal their distaste for to others, kind of shocks them.

For me, there is one and only one absolute no-go ingredient: bananas. I know I've said it before, and I know people think this is insane, but I just cannot stand them, no way, no how. They taste terrible and the texture is just revolting to me. Trust me - I've tried. Every now and then, I give one a go, only to be reminded of how sickening I find them. In fact, right now, I'm staring across the kitchen, looking at three bananas (Josh's, obviously) and I feel like they are taunting me with their very existence. Every time I walk by, I feel like I can smell them, a smell akin to driving behind a garbage truck or standing next to a bum on the el platform.

But that's just me. And, as shocked as people are by my apparent weirdness, I'm always equally shocked by their admitted food-hates. Josh, for instance, hates canned fish. He will eat anything else in the world (beef hearts, anyone?), but if you try to serve him a tuna noodle casserole, he will turn green and run screaming into the hills. I've been trying to break him of this for years now. Why? Because I LOVE canned tuna. Tuna noodle casserole, tuna salad, and tuna melt sandwiches are some of my favorite, cheap and easy comfort food... and I can never make them for dinner, because Josh claims he can smell the canned tuna throughout the house for days and days afterward. Until last night...

Somehow, I convinced Josh to try canned fish... but not tuna, salmon. I've been pleading my case for so long, I never thought he would give in. But for some reason, salmon he agreed to try, albeit very, very reluctantly and only because I pleaded and promised that if he took one bite and hated it, I'd make him a grilled cheese immediately. I used a can of wild alaskan salmon, and I made it into a melt, atop delicious Italian bread, and topped with melty cheddar. My sandwich was delicious... I was in heaven... but sadly, my beloved did not come around.

He did finish his sandwich though...almost. And he admitted it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. However, he also said that he didn't care for it and was definitely not going to try canned tuna. Oh, well. I guess I'll just have to invite my tuna-loving family and friends over sometime for casserole, and just learn to accept our differences. At least he didn't force me to drink a banana smoothie or anything in retaliation... that would be just cruel.

Comments

[Amy]

You know how I feel about canned tuna...

[Amanda]

I know - you and Josh are weird!