J’s been focused on eating a lot of protein lately, and he tries to mix it up so he doesn’t eat all the same stuff every day. The other week at the grocery store he came over to me, said “I know you’re probably not going to like this, but…”, and revealed the label of the package he was holding– pork liver. He knew that liver was one of the few foods I dislike, but I told him to go ahead and get it, and I’d try some.

Tiny little picture of liver… hope I don’t gross anybody out

While he was cooking the liver along with onions in a sauce of beef broth and tomato paste, I tried to explain what turns me off of liver. I didn’t grow up eating it. I don’t believe my mother ever made liver when I was a child. I can’t actually remember the first time I tried it, I just remember gradually beginning to understand that there was a taste I didn’t like, and that taste was liver. It doesn’t bother me that it’s organ meat– I mean come on, I eat (and love!) blood sausage. It’s not the texture either– when J finished cooking the liver, I actually liked the chewy texture, almost like steak. But… the TASTE. It’s not bitter exactly, more like earthy, kind of a dirt taste, and it coats my entire mouth regardless of what other flavors are present. I actually liked the taste of J’s sauce, which was quite heavy on the white pepper, but as soon as I bit into a piece of meat, BAM– all I tasted was liver. I ate a few little cubes, but gave him the rest.

I wonder if I’ll dislike liver forever. I promised J that whenever he makes liver, I will taste some. Maybe I will acquire a taste for it over time, or maybe each time will just reinforce why I don’t like it. The try-it-until-I-like-it method has worked for me once before, with olives, which I really really wanted to like and eventually did. And I’m a firm believer in the theory that a person’s taste changes over several years. How about you? Have you ever taught yourself to like a food you initially didn’t enjoy?