My mother tells the story of learning to drink coffee during the
Depression. You could sit in a warm restaurant, order one cup of
coffee, and have them keep refilling it for as long as you liked. Mom
hated coffee, but liked milk. She discovered that she could order her
coffee with only a quarter cup of coffee and the rest milk. In time,
she was drinking it black and loving every sip.


I never felt compelled to drink coffee and don't like it to this day.
(If I'm feeling really comfortable, I'll ask for a tall glass of skim
milk at the end of a meal in a fancy restaurant.) The same goes for
olives and caviar.


I learned to like calamari on a date so we can call that one peer pressure.


Peer pressure also for scotch and other hard liquors. I don't handle
alcohol well. Even when something is reportedly smoothe, I don't like
the taste. There are times, however, when I'm in a bar (usually
listening to jazz) and want to order a drink. In that case, I order
scotch or cognac neat, and sip on one drink all night.


I never hated wine, but I did learn to love it by doggedly staying with it.


And I learned to appreciate arugula and mustard greens by dousing them
in vinegary dressing.


--Lia