Well, readers, I'd like to share a little true story that happened today, but had its beginning two weeks ago.
Capt. SO wanted to participate in my church's Daniel Fast, only in a modified form. "Fine", thought I to myself. "We generally eat mostly legumes, vegetables and fruit. This shouldn't be too taxing." Being the good and thoughtful First (and last) Mate that I am, I set about seeking new recipes in which to use the same old ingredients, just to keep things fresh. I found a recipe for a cannelloni/cabbage/and other-assorted-vegetables soup. It turned out to be very tasty. That was two weeks ago to the day. We've been eating on the soup regularly and it has been (emphasis now on has) keeping its fresh and delicious flavors intact.
The last time Capt. SO and I each ate a bowl of said soup was this past Friday, I believe. I was still good.
This afternoon, I was on my own for lunch and thought I would eat some of the soup for lunch. Having recently transferred the soup from a large Tupperware container to a smaller one, I grabbed the current container, removed the lid and ladled the contents into my bowl. Without smelling the soupy mixture, up close at least, I put the lid back on the Tupperware container and returned it to the refrigerator. I put my bowl into the microwave, looking forward to enjoying soup one more time. The microwave went ding, I grabbed the bowl and proceeded to sit at our formal dining table, thinking I'd treat myself to a table instead of the breakfast bar we take most of our meals at. I put a spoonful to my lips, swallowed, and thought, "Gee, I don't remember that taste.", but I was a little slow on the uptake. I took another bite and thought to myself, "Hmmm, this doesn't taste quite like I think it should." I got up, retrieved the Tupperware container from the refrigerator, removed the lid, bent down to sniff, and proclaimed (loud enough to even get Capt. SO's attention away from his computer project) "AWWWWWWWKKKKKKK". The smell was disgusting and I was even more disgusted to think that I had swallowed two spoonfuls of the awful, foul-smelling stuff. Not surprisingly, I immediately dumped out the contents of my bowl, as well as what remained in the Tupperware container. Not once did I think twice about the old, time-worn tradition of my married-in-the-Depression parents to NEVER throw away anything, regardless of the color or the smell. I let the garbage disposal do its thing. I decided to make a fruit smoothie, which by then, didn't appeal very much to me, either.
I think I've permanently damaged my taste buds and my olfactory system. Everything smells and tastes like rotten cabbage and cannelloni soup. Something tells me it may be a while before I make that recipe again....if ever.
Lesson learned: Smell carefully first!
Ancora imparo
