[26] brussels sprouts

I have always despised brussels sprouts. In my opinion, they are pretty much the worst of foods. 

When I was a kid, they were somehow available in Liberia. (HOW? HOW WAS THIS POSSIBLE? THEY ARE A COLD-WEATHER FOOD. IT IS 90 DEGREES IN LIBERIA EVERY SINGLE DAY.) Maybe they were frozen?

My mom would serve us boiled brussels sprouts, sometimes (whyyyyy? They have perfectly good potato greens full of delicious iron and vitamins in Liberia! Why the brussels sprouts?), and I would sit there with the brussels sprouts in front of me, trying not to throw up as I ate them. I know I gagged on them, most of the time, and they sat in front of me long after supper on multiple occasions until I could force them down. 

(See also: that cold oatmeal that one time, the green beans that I threw in the trash as a high schooler and my mom made me fish out and eat before I could go skiing. Yes, stubbornness runs in the family.) 

(See further: my sister once sat in her baby chair attached to the table all day long because she refused to take her chloroquine pill. She was two or so, and we have a picture of her taking a nap with her head on the table, a little white pill in front of her nose. Which is fair, because chloroquine has the most bitter taste of any substance known to humankind. It's hard to explain the need for it to a toddler.)

In law school, my roommate S. loved brussels sprouts, and she would roast them and gobble them down. She offered me some and told me they were a thousand times better roasted than boiled, but I distrusted even the non-boiled version. I would not touch them.

For Thanksgiving last week, one of my friends made roasted parsnips, garlic, and brussels sprouts, and I braved up to try them. I think I managed three brussels sprouts. They were better than my childhood experience (no gagging occurred), but I have reached the conclusion that brussels sprouts contain the same bitter taste as cooked broccoli (ew), and my delicate taste buds cannot handle that bitter taste.

Excuse me while I go coddle my delicate taste buds.