Challenging My Fear

When I first met my boyfriend a year ago, he was against eating sushi. He couldn’t fathom how people ate the dish. He was so under the misconception that it was raw meat and he was just in no way shape or form going to stomach it. It tickled me, because I used to be just like him. My mom would take us to this Japanese restaurant names Sho-Gun and order a ton of sushi. I couldn’t stand it. I thought it was the most repulsive thing ever known to food. Every time she ordered it my stomach turned and I had to go to the restroom. 

One day, while we were at the restaurant, I decided to try this repulsive looking dish. She’d always say “Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it” or “How do you know it’s nasty if you’ve never had it?” I’d reply with “It looks slimy. Is it even cooked?” She had to reassure me several times that it was cooked before I even had a thought of trying it. One day, I swallowed my fear and tried it. I instantly fell in love. I even asked the waitress for my own order. Of course, my mom laughed and rubbed it in. By this time, I didn’t care. I was so far indulged in my sushi, her laughter went in one ear and out the other. This turning point influenced me to keep an open mind about other food choices. Now that’s not to say that I don’t have a limit as to what I’ll try, because I do. Some things are just not meant o be edible. This also let me to be more influential of others when it comes to trying new food items.

One day, me and my boyfriend went to a popular restaurant named Wasabi, where they have their Hibachi menu half priced during the afternoon. While waiting for the cook to take our orders, I order sushi in the interim. Of course, he was grossed out and was unwilling to try it. I kept trying to persuade him that it was delicious, and that he’d love it once he tried it. He refused. I shrugged my shoulders and continued to enjoy my sushi. I thought hey, it’s just more for me. When the cook finally came, and started preparing the food, I pushed the sushi aside. There were still a few pieces on the plate, as I didn’t want to completely satisfy my hunger without eating my main entreé. When were we were all finished eating our Hibachi, I noticed him glancing at my sushi plate. I sat there quietly as I watched him hesitate to try the sushi. I knew he would eventually give in and try this delicacy, as it is very tempting. He finally ate one, and explained to me how good it tasted. Before I could ask the waitress for a to-go box for my sushi, he had cleaned the plate. I laughed harder than I had laughed in a long time. All of my attempts and persuasion tactics to get him to eat sushi, and all I had to do was leave the plate in front of him just to get him to eat it. It was really hilarious. Now, every chance he gets, he wants sushi. He can’t get enough of it.

 

 

 

When we go places, and we see something that looks less than appetizing, the first thing we do is turn our nose up. We instantly decline to even give it a second thought. But why is that? Is it human nature to decline things unrecognizable? Is it human nature to dismiss things we find appauling? Or, are we just sheltering ourselves from limitless possibilities. I know you’re wondering what that has to do with food, right? Well, if we compare unrecognizable food to all the other unrecognizable opportunities in our lives that we turn down, we’d find that we miss out on a lot. Being judgemental or critical of things we know little about, can really halt our learning process. I believe keeping an open mind about life, helps us to perceive things in a more positive way. It helps us to look at the glass as half full instead of half empty.

 

 

Again, I’m not one to speak on politics on my page, but if we look at the recently passed bathroom law for a prime example, you’ll see that there are many different view points on this situation. Most are very critical of the government who passed this law, and then some who are open to allowing people to be themselves. Of course, most of us will never agree with such a law, for the safety of our kids, but others don’t see it as a threat. This applies to keeping an open mind because most of us will only point out the negative in this situation. We won’t try to understand the feelings towards the ones who pushed for this law to be passed. We won’t try and sympathize with those that feel equality is just as important to them as it is to anyone else. This is the part where keeping an open mind is important. This is where seeing two sides to the story can be helpful. It can also aid in us being less opinionated, but more factual.

So the next time you decide to turn your nose up at an opportunity or judge a situation, think of it as a closed door. Think of it as if you have just missed your chance for that dream vacation you’ve been longing for. Why, because being open-minded keeps your glass half full!!

via Discover Challenge: Open-Minded   https://dailypost.wordpress.com/discover-challenges/open-minded/