Rant: Permission & Food/Drink Risks

Give yourself permission to take a food or drink risk.

You don't need to follow the conventional options, and conform to the norms. You can, and should, think outside the box and be willing to try different and more unusual options, to break outside of your comfort zone. Try new foods and drinks, expanding the horizons of your palate. 

Complacency is easy. It takes no effort to order the same dish every time you go out to a restaurant. It takes no effort to buy the same wine every time you visit a wine shop. It also takes no effort to eat and drink the same things as everyone else. They are the safe choices, those which won't rock the boat. There's no risk that you won't like what you eat or drink. You know exactly what you're getting, and frankly, that can be boring.

There is nothing wrong with taking risks. You simply need to take that first step, to let yourself take a chance on something new and different. Sure, it may seem a bit scary at first, but that is merely a psychological barrier which you can easily overcome. The reward for taking that risk can be enormous, the discovery of a new food or drink which excites and satisfies you. You could uncover a new favorite, something to tantalize and please your palate. However, that cannot happen unless you are willing to take a risk.

Consider the recent Boston Wine Expo. If you attended their grand wine tasting, which wines did you taste? Did you stick to the wines you already knew well? Or did you seek out wines that were unfamiliar to you, wines from different regions, wines using less common grapes? Did you take any risks in your wine tasting, or did you choose to play it safe?

When you dine out, do you only eat at Boston restaurants? Do you shy away from traveling to suburban restaurants? Or do you take a risk and visit those suburban spots, to discover the wonders of their culinary skills? When you dine out a a restaurant, do you always order the chicken dish? If you dine at an Italian restaurant, do you only order the Chicken Parmigiana? Or do you prefer to order the special, no matter whether it's seafood, beef, chicken, lamb or something else? Do you play it safe with the menu or take risks?

A few days ago, I visited the Ipswich Shellfish Fish Market, in Ipswich, which is only open on Friday and Saturday. It's my favorite local seafood market for fresh and frozen products, offering quality seafood at reasonable prices. This past weekend, one of their offerings was Cod Cheeks, a rare delicacy that is difficult to find at most fish markets. As there are only two cheeks per cod, it's obvious why they are harder to find. They are delicious, resembling scallops in some respects, and can be cooked like a scallop. However, how many customers, who might never have tasted cod cheeks, would take a risk and order them?  

Break out of your routine. Break out of your complacency. Break out of your boring, same old choices. Instead, take risks and explore the myriad of choices that are available to you. Unless you take those risks, you'll never know what you are missing, the great wines and foods that you could be enjoying. We all need to take a close look at the choices we make concerning our food and drinks, and ascertain those areas where we play it safe, and where we could benefit from taking some risk.  

Personally, I love to take food and drink risks, to taste something new. There's no guarantee that I will enjoy the new food or drink, but I'd never know unless I take that risk. And sometimes I find a new favorite, which I would not have found otherwise. The reward of finding these favorites outweighs the minor risk of trying new foods and drinks. 

Give yourself permission to take a food or drink risk.