Growing up, there were a few dishes that my dad cooked, and one of them was an item that my mother taught him to make: almond tofu. In retrospect, the quasi-traditional Chinese dessert, which actually contains no tofu, sounds like it came right out of a 1970s recipe book, as it was simply canned fruit syrup, cubes of almond-flavored gelatin, and pieces of canned peaches, pears, and — my favorite — cherries. But back then, whenever Dad made that dish, my heart (and stomach) would do a little dance inside.
Most of the food lovers I know were pickier eaters as kids. Over the years, as we try more foods, we discover that tastes we once disliked have transformed into deliciousness. I don't know about you, but once I start liking a new food, I can't get enough of it.
