I’m not sure about anyone else but lockdown has had a very strange effect on my diet. I don’t mean snacking throughout the day or the extra alcohol consumption (only one of which I’m guilty of) but the actual changing of taste-buds.
In the Lockdown - The Original - I completely went off eggs and avocado - which I realise will have me thrown out of the seriously beard-stroking hipster club - if I was ever a member! And not even together - separately! I haven’t been able to eat fried eggs, except on very rare occasions, since I was pregnant with my first daughter - but it’s not unusual for taste buds to change when expecting a baby. I absolutely used to love poached eggs - lovely yellow yoke oozing across toast, muffin or haddock and colcannon. But now, the idea of egg sends waves of nausea through me.
And avocado. I was a massive fan even before the Great Avocado Explosion of 2017, when it became the law to have it added to every breakfast, regardless of whatever other ingredients it included. Obviously, I chose the Hass variety - not wanting to be responsible for more human suffering and turf wars than cocaine production. If you’re not choosing Hass avocados you need to have a proper word with yourself and watch Rotten - The Avocado Wars (Netflix).
That luscious, inviting soft green fruit which used to melt on the tongue is now consigned to the “Ughh” section of my taste bud selection. How does this happen. If there are any nutritionists or scientists who can explain, I’m all ears.
Conversely, milk, which anyone who knows me will confirm I always refer to as the Devil’s Juice, has made a a very small introduction into my sometime-choice of breakfast - porridge. I have always made mine with water (I do really hate milk - apart from in cooking) but since Lockdown - The Sequel - have taken to having a splash of what I generally think is a foul-smelling liquid in my porridge - and most pleasant it is too. (Side-note - I’m not averse to foul-smelling liquid in cooking - I present fish sauce, your honour, which is the elixir in any great Thai curry).
So I am now waiting for the next big tastebud change from this current homebound situation and hoping its not cheese, as I bloody love cheese!