Gazpacho Gumption

my whole life, i've avoided tomatoes, despite a deep-seated desire to pick a juicy specimen off the vine and bite into it, liquid coursing down my chin...

as a kid i ate my spaghetti plain, with butter and cheese
no tomato please

as a teen, i'd order sandwiches -no tomatoes- and grimace
when they'd forget and leave me to pick off each slimy seed

as an adult, i grew to appreciate vinegared sauces, even teaching myself
to eat the chunky bits - first by closing my eyes, then pretending they were pieces of red bell pepper...

and now, as a mom, i find myself compelled to model the green eggs and ham rule (don't say you don't like it til you actually try it!)

so when the kids and i stumbled into a free cooking demonstration, and we watched the chef chop, dice and liquify lovely fresh local organic produce, then season it and serve it on a fancy tray, i tried it.

i lived. i even found some small enjoyment in the blend of flavors... as long as i didn't think too long or hard on the number or taste of raw tomatoes mixed in...

oh the thrill. i've savored and swallowed gazpacho...there's hope for me yet!

Three Things Tag

Tagged by lovelyannie

Here are my responses:

3 places I would pack my travel bag for

Dakar
Montreal
Fiji

3 On-Screen characters I love to watch

Idgie Threadgood (Fried Green Tomatoes)
Mouse (Devil in a Blue Dress)
anyone played by Zhang Ziyi (Crouching Tiger, Flying Daggers, Geisha, etc.)

3 moods that describes me the best

goofy
passionate
thoughtful

3 things I always think of doing on a weekend

making memories with the munchkins
doing laundry/chores/cooking for the week
working (catching up/getting ahead...)

3 things from my childhood that I can’t forget

a recurring dream of flying

the lyrics to the Jem theme song

bringing a favorite story to life

3 things I would never say no to

a trip to the beach

dancing to good music

an adventure

3 things I can’t live without

my children
purpose
laughter

I am tagging my following friends: