I was traumatized by a cup of tea. Being an avid regular tea drinker, herbal teas never appealed to me. Thirty years or so ago, as I was waiting for the job interviewer to come in to talk to me, the receptionist kindly offered me a cup of tea.

“Sure”, I said brightly, trying to be friendly. In came a Styrofoam cup of the vilest tasting tea I never knew existed. Peppermint. I hate peppermint, and when I do drink tea it usually has a sweetener in it. This one was very strong, bitter and unsweetened.

As the receptionist made small talk, I gagged down the tea, trying to be polite as I smiled through clenched teeth. I couldn’t wait for her to leave the room as the cup of tea was quickly thrown into a nearby plant, (hopefully a live one, but maybe not.) Up to this day, if I am in a restaurant and the waiter comes along with the box of assorted herbal tea choices, my mouth relives that day and my mind is changed, not wanting any tea at all.

Our family spent most of my childhood traveling, and my dad always had a coffee cup my mom kept filled from a thermos. Unfortunately, when riding in the car, I was usually overwhelmed with motion sickness. Since those days, coffee has never passed through my lips and the aroma of coffee has always triggered memories of not feeling well. Nowadays, flavored coffee has been a boon to me, with Cinnabon, chocolate mint, hazelnut and a million other delightful aromas filling the air. I’m still not a fan of drinking it, but at least the smell doesn’t cause PTSD.

My dad was always a meat and potatoes man, which meant some type of caveman fare, (steak, ribs, ham and so forth) along with mashed potatoes on our dinner plates. My mom used to tease me that she never saw anyone take so long to chew mashed potatoes, but the truth was the bland taste, night after night, would often cause me to gag as having to clean my plate was very often torture!

The vegetables my mom chose were favorites of hers; Brussels sprouts, spinach, broccoli and peas. (Her view was that the healthy vegetables were the green ones.) It is common for children to not like vegetables, but for me it was more of a hatred.

Of course, she was also the type of mom who prepared liver with gusto. “Very healthy for a growing child!” she used to say. I so wished for a dog that could eat the nasty morsels thrown under the table. Alas, no dog, so I had to eat every last piece myself.

I married young, and one of my favorite things about being married was the fact that I could prepare only food I liked! What a pleasure! What a joy! What a wonderful advantage of married life! Lasagna! Pizza! Corn on the cob! Macaroni and cheese! Hot dogs! French fries!

For over 30 years, my aversion for the childhood foods dictated our dinner menu. Mashed potatoes would never gag me again, or so I thought. As it turns out, there are many recipes for Brussels sprouts, potatoes, spinach and broccoli, which are actually quite tasty, especially if you add spices, cheese or use them in a salad. Who knew?