Travel Binging

It wasn’t the overwhelming flavor of herb in the cheese burger that I disliked nor the pungent tang of tea that threw me off. Maybe it’s my taste buds rebelling against the foreign morsels of food I kept shoving down my throat. I ignored the nagging feeling that if I had another bite off the medicine-flavored buns, I’m going to hurl. But my Japanese foster parents watched as I chewed on, “Better than McDonald’s?” I managed a wholehearted smile and nodded. “Next, Ice cream for you sweet tooth, yes?” my foster mother cheered, I literally jumped from my seat, “YES!”
I surmise there can be no snowball’s chance in fire an ice cream would taste any different. It’s a muddle of cold cream, saccharine and all things nice, what could possibly go wrong? Of course, I was five scoops late when I realized my foster family ordered the healthy type. And by “healthy” I mean made from pure cow’s milk. I thought the huge cows outside the parlor were just there to set the “animal farm” mood. How could I’ve missed their caveat? But being the good sport that I was, I scraped the last trace of blandness from my bowl and washed my mouth with green tea. The experience was like J.Lo doing Taylor Swift music videos: doesn’t make sense but intriguing, nevertheless.
I was ready to hit the sack when my mother summoned me to the kitchen for dinner. “Please no more strange cuisines” I discreetly beseeched. I saw a huge platter of raw fish with a green goop on top. “Whoo boy, this is going to be interesting.” I pulled a chair and carefully eyed the slimy, pale-looking flesh of fish on the table. Next to it, a party of leaves, peas, beans and carrots smothered in onions and mayo. I scanned the rest of our dinner… not encouraging except for that one delectable sight that so teased my palate I actually drooled. “I think I’ll just have cheesecake for dinner, not really hungry.” I explained. My brother generously sliced a portion of the green coated fish “Not until you try the salmon,” he bargained. I obliged nonchalantly and slid a forkful of the same, slowly chewing, savoring the strong flavor of what seemed like a firework of spices. My family’s gaze was intense as they waited for my verdict…. “More please.”
They all applauded when my father probed, “Wasabi OR cheesecake?” I laughed as I finally understood this fat and junk food-free family day. They were introducing me to a healthy lifestyle: no mood swings, no binging. I welcomed the thought but for now, “Wasabi AND Cheesecake.”