The Value of Trying New Foods
The modern world offers countless opportunities to try food from foreign lands, whether in the form of restaurants or supermarkets selling regional products which allow you to not only eat food from other countries but to learn about it, and share it with friends and family as well. While many of us become rooted in familiar dishes and may be reluctant to diversify what we eat, trying the unfamiliar can be rewarding in a number of ways, introducing us to new flavors, encouraging us to eat healthier, and introducing us to diverse ways of life along the way. For these reasons even the pickiest of eaters should broaden their dietary horizons, seeing what foods and flavors different regions of the world have to offer!
While today’s fast-paced environment often converts us into creatures of habit, reaching for the same familiar dishes, which tend to be devoid of richness and nutrients, experimenting with different cuisines offers a way to break out of this trap and introduce new, healthier foods into our lives. Particularly, when we become bored of cooking the same dishes over and over, discovering something new and exciting whether an entirely new dish, spices to add to existing creations, or a particular technique for preparing food can inspire and excite us to put the apron back on and start cooking again.
In the worst case, those who find themselves less-than-enamored by their culinary experiments are presented with an endless supply of alternative cuisines from around the world that they may like better. In the event of an unsuccessful experiment, simply vacuum seal and freeze undesirable ingredients until you decide how to use them in a more appealing way or give them to friends and family who may find them more to their liking.
A second benefit to culinary experimentation is that bringing in new or foreign food to a dinner party may provide an interesting conversation starter, making the festivities more interesting and colorful and showing other guests that you are thoughtful enough to make something innovative and delicious. However, you may want to be careful as trying something that is too far removed from what people are used to may push people away, having the opposite effect of that intended.
Trying new foods will also teach your family that it is okay to branch out, broadening their horizons and encouraging them to learn more about the world beyond their immediate surroundings. By adding interesting colors or flavors, you may also be able to make dishes your children may find less appealing such as vegetables more interesting and tasty when prepared in a way they find more appealing than what they are used to.
In addition to providing a pathway towards trying healthier and more varied food, food also provides a unique window into diverse ways of life and far-off cultures. Cooking a specific cuisine teaches you about the ingredients and spices favored in a particular part of the world as well as the values and traditions favored there. Furthermore, most major cities include supermarkets featuring food from various parts of the world including East and South Asia and the Middle East where local vendors will typically be happy to talk to you about their products and the unique flavors they offer. Those wishing to experiment more energetically can try foods from different parts of the world each month.
Another unique contribution of many foreign cuisines lies not only in unfamiliar and delicious dishes but in novel spices and ingredients that can be added to add color and flavor to the familiar. Garam masala from India, the chili oil used in east Asian cooking, or Thai fish sauce can all be added to foods you already recognize adding a creative twist without too much effort and giving the familiar a novel taste. It may pay to be careful and do your research however before jumping in headfirst by adding copious amounts of your new favorite spice to your next family dinner without understanding what the effect might be.
In short, the modern world, with its unprecedented access to foreign goods and an endless trove of information on how they can be prepared offers countless opportunities to explore, innovate and share unique flavors with friends and loved ones. Doing so may find you enjoying the food you eat more, improving your mental and physical health, and feeling connected with far-flung people and cultures in a way you never have before.