The Liberation Of Owning Your Dislikes

There is something very liberating when you own up to things you dislike.

I dislike onions and tomatoes. As a kid, a teenager, and now as an adult. I remember someone telling me that I didn't like them because I was child, when my taste buds matured, and I was grown up, I'd love them.

I don't.

But onions and tomatoes are an easy thing to own up to not liking. The harder things to say you don't enjoy are the things that everyone likes.

For example: root beer floats.

I am not a fan.

I partook of these not so yummy floats all through my growing up years because everyone loves them, so I should too. I kept trying it, hoping each time would be the magic time that I would taste it and think, "Oh, man, that's good stuff."

That never happened. I don't like root beer floats. I don't like root beer, and I'm not very fond of vanilla ice cream and lets not even think about that weird dirty foam the two combine to make.

I really do think I've enjoyed life so much more when I started to say I don't like root beer floats. I also don't like coconut, strawberry milk and lutefisk.

What? Most people don't like lutefisk? Huh. Well, coming from a very Swedish family, not liking lutefisk is akin to not liking root beer floats. Shockingly Un-American. Er, I mean Un-Swedish-American.