You Grow To Love The Soup
A poem I wrote for Hispanic Heritage Month a while ago. It’s a poem about life experience and the kind of food you learn to appreciate with age and by eating it multiple times. Originally posted in October 2022.
You Grow To Love The Soup
By: A.X. Bueno
Some foods you just know you enjoy the minute you taste them
Others you acquire a taste or a newfound appreciation over the years
Or find a different way to enjoy it, like a side dish that the flavor can still be wrung from
And still others you’re expected to enjoy as a part of your upbringing
We tend to develop new tastes with the changes maturity is bringing
I’m no exception and can think of at least a couple of foods this happened with for me
But there’s one that sticks out I used to begrudge unless it had enough rice that now brings glee
I’m talking about Sancocho which I needed a whole plate of rice to eat it with as a boy
It’s a very tropical dish and if you’re Dominican then you understand
Back when I was kid I didn’t like it much especially the broth and how meaty it was
But I can appreciate the broth and that rich mix of flavors more now as a man
When you give something enough chances out of necessity and what it represents
I guess it makes sense that it grows on you but that’s not a guarantee
In my case it was a matter of time and every time I had it not being risk free
Because being offered and having it enough allowed me to learn to like and eat it more properly
The message I’m giving here I guess is that you shouldn’t give up a cultural staple on the first try
Sometimes it takes multiple and some personal grow before it becomes appealing
Though of course this is broad advice and to everyone and every dish may not always apply
Still it doesn’t exactly hurt to give an extra chance or two to something that used to have your nerves and body steeling
Ultimately it depends on how you feel and it is up to you
Consider though the possibility that you could have grown to love the soup too