I wouldn’t exactly call myself adventurous with food. I am not brave enough to eat just anything. However, I have travelled a bit and I have sampled lots of different delicious foods. In fact, some of my best memories of my last two cycle vacations were about the food and all the fantastic fruit I got to have.
Luckily for me, there is an Asian grocery store within walking distance from my house. They were advertising a sale on dragon fruit. I decided to see if I could get my mother to try some. I knew this would put her outside her comfort zone, but I thought it might be worth doing.
You see, she is a bit finicky. I remember trying to get her to eat tofu one day from a Japanese Nabe (hot pot). The looks, sniffs, and sour expressions were classic. I did my best to convince her. I tried all the classics she tried on me–“it doesn’t taste like anything” or “it won’t hurt you” or my favourite (which never worked as a child) “Try it. You might like it.” She was not a fan.
I should give you some background on this. When I was a child, my mother did a few sneaky things with food. She loved to put turnips in things and tell us they were either carrots or potatoes. One bite and I knew they were anything but. I tried it, but I certainly did not like it. Once she told my sister and I that we were eating chicken fingers, but the obvious fishy taste belied that. That was probably the longest dinner of my life.
These days, after a lengthy stay in Japan, I love fish. Granted, except for an excellently grilled sea bass, I prefer the raw over the cooked, but I am sure I am not alone in this feeling. I also love tofu in its various forms. I don’t get it enough these days, but what can you do.
So, I took my mother some dragon fruit. Her reaction was much as I suspected. She tried only the smallest portion and rather than commit to a like or a dislike, she started waxing on about some other fruit….or food…or something that had the same taste. I shook my head and let her be.
I wonder if I should try and get her to eat some durian.
Haha your poor mother. What does dragon fruit taste like? I don’t think I’ve ever tried it!
Dragon fruit does not have a strong flavour at all. It’s texture…..kind of like a nashi pear….I think.
My mother called it bland….but only after stopping from, once again, waxing on about how it tastes like something she has had before.
She said it wasn’t bad, but that she has no desire to eat it again.
When we stopped on the last bike trip and there was some available, I always enjoyed it.
Dragon fruit is so nice and delicious. I always add some condensed milk 😋
I will try that next time.
I love dragon fruit, hate pears so not the taste I would equate with it. Have you tried red dragon fruit – just as delicious with a slightly different flavour. Durian, take it or leave it. Pomelo, not as good as grapefruit. I was fortunate my mother would try various ‘new’ foods although she did not always like them.
I have tried red dragon fruit…but I don’t remember remarking on the taste (this was during one of the cycle trips…or both).
Growing up, I was good at trying new snack foods–which made living in Japan easier for me than some, but not great at trying new meals. I have made up for it since then.
My dad used to ‘trick’ us with various foods. I remember frog’s legs disguised as chicken! I’m still very adventurous with food, but dragon fruit does nothing for me. All looks and little taste.
I agree that the taste is nothing spectacular. The look of the fruit is pretty cool though.
As for tricks…frog’s legs as chicken….that’s pretty good. I tried frog for the first time last year. I described it as “fishy chicken”. Not bad though.
Dad was a pilot and loved bringing home unexpected ‘delicacies’.
What was the most interesting thing he brought back? Which was the most unusual/memorable?
Probably snails. It was Nebraska in the 1950s.
If you never want your mother to visit you again, by all means serve her the durian. 🙂
Lol! That’s so funny that you used those same lines on her & as she used on you as a kid. I think I’ve tried dragon fruit once before, there’s not much flavor to it? Am I right? 😛 Also, my family looooves durian. Do you like it?! Hehe, I must admit I’m not a fan.
Yeah, dragon fruit doesn’t have much of a taste…but I like it. Durian has got a pretty strong smell–at a hotel on the border between Thailand and Cambodia, it was forbidden to take into the room. I found that kind of interesting.
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Dragon fruit is a good “gateway fruit” – its taste isn’t that strange that someone fussy might not like it. I’m surprised your mom didn’t like it.
I say go for durian next. A durian milkshake might be just the thing to win her over! 😉
As for me, I’m not a fan of durian at all though I’d give it another try.
I haven’t tried Dragonfruit and for some reason, I’m intimidated by its appearance!
It doesn’t taste like it looks….if that makes any sense.
Thank god for that!