The final frontier

At some point earlier this year, I set a new goal. It didn't go on the Bossy List, or even get spoken out loud much, but I decided to become…a person who eats everything. Of course there are some foods I like better than others; I'm sure that will always be true. But I aspire to be someone who will happily eat anything set in front of her. I was a mildly picky eater as a child, and certain childhood dislikes got carried into adulthood. Namely mushrooms, olives, coffee, and pickles.

My aversions to mushrooms and coffee were eradicated in Vienna, and I am now an eager consumer of both.

I ate olives a few times in the UK this summer and decided they might be one of my favorite foods. Now I always have some on hand to snack on.

I was holding out on pickles, though. I nibbled a very tiny cornichon in Bayreuth this summer and conceded it maybe wasn't the worst thing I'd ever tasted, but certainly nothing I needed to make a habit of.

Then last week I went to a great German restaurant in the city and the waitress recommended the "Dr. Atkins Diet Platter" as I'm staying away from most processed carbs (trying to lose the pastry weight I gained in Europe this summer—the downfall of being someone who eats everything).

First of all, should you ever find yourself at Hallo Berlin, this is DEFINITELY what you should order, despite the ridiculous name. But look what's in the upper left corner? Pickles!

I ate them both, and liked it. So there you go.

Does this mean I'm a grown-up now?