How you’re fed as a child shapes the way you approach food for the rest of your life. As a kid I may have thought I was horribly deprived being served fresh vegetables from the garden, pasta from scratch, and only two oreos a day. In my mind, food that came in packages was much more exotic–and delicious. But as an adult, old eating habits die hard and I am pleased to say that my folks provided a very nice food foundation for me to eat upon. Here are a few foods I discovered ‘late’ in life:

Sour cream. My mother disliked white sour food (i.e. yogurt and blue cheese) and my father’s healthy proclivities kept him from indulging. Both my brother and I discovered how delicious sour cream can be on Mexican food and wondered why we were so late in discovering it.

White bread…everything we had was whole wheat for many years–right down to the wheat germ my father sprinkled on his yogurt. This is an old habit that’s died hard: my love for gummy white bread conflicts with the nagging knowledge that wheat bread is much better for me. While I try and stick to whole wheat bread, I occasionally treat myself to white (opting for potato of fortified bread).

Garlic. This was something we fished out of our pasta and put aside–similar to ginger in stir fries. My freshman year of college a friend treated me to a slice of pizza at pagliacci’s covered with cloves of garlic. I was shocked, confused, and fascinated. It was obvious the garlic wasn’t a garnish or a spice…it was actually part of the pizza! I devoured loads of garlic until, sadly, I married someone who had the same aversion to garlic as my family. Eating it in large quantities resulting in bad breath is highly discouraged in my household.

Tortillas. Currently a staple of my kitchen, I use them regularly. When I was 14 I went to a friend’s house and was served ‘make-your-own-tacos’ for dinner. I was so thrilled with this concept that I convinced my Mom to buy tortillas, fry up some hamburger, and cut up iceburg lettuce for our own taco bar. We only did this once,but as the years wore on I have returned to tortillas time and time again.

Jalepenos and other hot peppers. A year of working at a Mexican restaurant strengthened my pallet and my tolerance level to spicy hot.

Food I discovered as an adult and then discarded: Kraft Mac and Cheese, pre-made frosting, sheet cake from Safeway, and all the other little goodies that tempt me from the center aisle. These packaged foods once seemed like delicacies to me…only to be shoved aside for their non-pre-packaged counterparts. I’m not saying I’m immune to their charms–sometimes a Hostess ding-dong is exactly what you need. I also know that convenience, whether it be adding water and mixing to a pre-made sandwich is one of the wonders of our country. But from kool-whip to microwave cakes I’ve dabbled with each one of them and always end up back to the basics. After all: just buying whipping cream in a carton and pulling out the beaters is worth the extra step.