PATIENT PULSE
(858) 675-1133 | www.waterpt.com
15373 Innovation Dr. #175 | San Diego, CA 92128 | (858) 675-1133 12171 World Trade Dr. | San Diego, CA 92128
MY JOURNEY TO FOODIEDOM How One Fish Taco Changed the Way I Eat These days, I’m a proud, self-described foodie, but that wasn’t always the case. Like most people, I didn’t grow up in a house where the culinary arts were admired. This was long before the days when farmers markets were ubiquitous and menus never contained ingredients you hadn’t heard of. Come to think of it, my discovery of the pleasures of the table runs pretty close to parallel with the improvement of food culture in America. In a household with an Irish mother and an English father, shepherd’s pie with a Sunday roast was our definition of an extravagant meal. The majority of the things we ate were bland, white, and entirely indistinctive. As my palate has expanded, my family likes to joke that I must be an alien. I didn’t get my adventurous taste genetically, that’s for sure. If there was one item that expanded my idea of what food could be, it was my first fish taco. When I first moved to San Diego, everyone told me that I had to try them and that I wasn’t a proper San Diegan until I did. Secretly, I was terrified. The only tacos I had experienced were the hard-shell Ortega variety, filled with ground beef, lettuce, tomato, and orange cheese. The idea of that, but with fish in lieu of meat, did not sound appetizing at all. It sounded repulsive. But my friends persisted. I didn’t have an option. I was going to try one. Once I did, I realized I was utterly clueless about food. This taco was unlike anything I had ever eaten. There was an entire city of delicious delights at my fingertips, and this taco was my first glimpse of it. It wasn’t long after that I tried sushi, which was another pivotal moment. My tastes transformed. I now regard our vibrant food culture as one of the best parts of living in San Diego. We have restaurants of every cultural stripe. You can eat well whether you opt for something quick and casual or shell out for a special
evening. When I moved here, dining options weren’t a consideration at all. Now I don’t know what I’d do without them.
Being willing to try new foods has also come in very handy while traveling. If you don’t eat the local cuisine, you close yourself off from so many experiences. Plus, who wants to spend their time in Europe hunting down chain restaurants and fast-food joints? Culinary curiosity allows you to bypass the tourist traps in favor of authentic fare. When we went to Peru, for example, my husband, James, was brave enough to order guinea pig, a national delicacy. I took a bite, and while I won’t be craving it anytime soon, I was glad I did. After all, when will I have that chance again? Gaining an appreciation of food has been one of the best discoveries of my adult life. If you know of any great restaurants in the area, I’m always soliciting recommendations. I still haven’t managed to get any of my family members to try a fish taco, but there’s always the next visit.
–Beth Scalone
1 (858) 675-1133
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