SusieJ's Advent Calendar December 9, 2009

Confession: The woman who eats olive loaf

That might be confession enough for the day; most people are revolted by olive loaf. As it happens, I find many odd foods quite tasty. I mean real foods, not something Anthony Bourdain would get a camera crew to film him eating.

As a kid I hated trying new food -- I wouldn't try potato salad for years -- but somehow my grandparents got me to try olive loaf, and I loved it. With my grandparents gone, I don't think anyone else in either family eats it.

For years in my youth, I wouldn't drink plain milk, all due to an unfortunate moment in Kindergarten watching someone drink milk with the worst sniffle ever. The sniffle turned my stomach, and plain milk did ever after. Only chocolate and soda milk wouldn't make me want to heave. Funny, most people want to heave at the thought of pouring half a glass of cola into their milk.

In adulthood, the love of odd drinks translated into a love of the negroni: gin, red vermouth, campari. It tastes like a concoction from Miss Marple's medicine cabinet.

This love for odd foods has been helpful as a baker: I'm the one who eats the not-too-badly burned bits.