Trying New Things

"Try it. You'll love it!!" How many times has a mother or father rehearsed those very lines in endless efforts to encourage their children's nutritional eating habits? Followed by bribes. My parents never needed to employ such an encouragement. Not for me!! I was always the adventurous child who would try anything!! To everyone's amazement!! But, remember, I was also that oddball kid who would ingest Play-Doh!! Yep. Home-made Play-dough only enticed my "habit", because it had this delectable salty taste!! Yummy!! But store-bought Play-Doh tasted much like it smells: Of chemicals!! Not that that stopped me!! My point? What is it? Do I even have one? Here it is: Anything could get past my lips as being "eatable". For the most part. And Rose, my "food-lovin'" Beagle cross is not exempt from this!! For the most part!! There are--believe it or not!!--certain food items which Rose either snubs or refuses altogether!! Like honey. Or lettuce. These food items must be written on some "list" within her head, however minuscule that "list" may be!! Well. The other day, I discovered yet one more food item that Rose dislikes. Pecans!! I was chopping up eight cups of the nut for some dessert that we were baking, a Taylor Swift CD blaring loudly in our stereo. Eight cups?! It was for some church event, so we needed enough. Rose, ever the beggar, wanted those pecans!! Please, Mama? Can I have some? Can I? Can I? Can I? Can I? Can I? Pleeeease? Oh, those colossal deep brown eyes!! Who can resist them? So, I set one aside, just for my little girl. However, Rose had to wait. Patiently!! Otherwise she will return and beg for more!! Plus, I had a huge task to complete!! So. As soon as I had nearly eight cups of the chopped nut--we ran out!!--I kept my promise to Rose. Her one pecan awaited!! Rose, who had moved on to chase squirrels in lovely Autumn sunshine, was visibly eager. I do get one? Really?! I had just about given up hope!! I tossed the raw pecan into Rose's expectant mouth. She spit it out. Immediately. Only to pounce on the nut, and throw it around our great room like some hunting feline with a mouse!! Repeatedly!! This carried on for seemingly the longest time!! I laughed, and laughed, and laughed!! So hard, in fact, that my abdomen muscles ached afterward!! Which, of course, was a good sensation!! Meanwhile, I felt like that parent--that mother--who encourages her picky child to "Try it. You'll love it!!". How so? Following Rose's little "game" with her pecan, I found myself nervously asking: "Aren't ya gonna eat it? Well, eat it!!" Come on. You'll love it!! She tried. First sniffing the pecan with her ebony nostrils, then licking it. I waited. She picked that pecan up, and chewed on it. Eventually. But then, she spit it out!! What?! After "playing" with the pecan, you are not going to eat it?! Rose!! Hasn't your mother ever told you not to play with your food? Apparently not!! At least she tried the pecan....