I was in Milwaukee seated in a Chinese restaurant at a table with a guy who went by the name of Boo. We worked together, and were friends of a sort. Boo had never eaten Chinese food, so I assured him there would be many offerings on the menu that would be made from food he had eaten all his life.
We were seated in a corner next to the kitchen, semi screened off from the formal diners due to our clothing. We were given menus, and now Boo did not want to eat. The food he saw coming out of the kitchen did not look anything like he was used to. I asked what he liked for meat for starters, chicken, beef, pork, or seafood. Boo said he liked chicken. I suggested a chicken and vegetable dish such as Chop Suey, and explained it was everything he had eaten before and he would like it. Boo reluctantly agreed that he would try Chop Suey, but wanted to hear again what was in it.
We ordered, and talked while we waited. Our meal showed up and mine looked terrific. One of the finest Chinese meals I had looked at in a long time. It was the kind of meal that not only should taste good, but looks good too. This was indeed a fine restaurant. Boo started off good, but suddenly he said there was something in his food. I looked and he was pointing to a Shitake mushroom. I laughed and said it was an oriental mushroom. Boo said with his voice rising, no it was some sort of bug, or something slimy from the ocean! I laughed and said no, that is a mushroom, and that is how they look.
Boo became louder and started to panic. I did not know what there was to panic about, but he was doing it. His voice was rising and he was talking loudly about bugs and slimy things in his food. Of course the owner was on his way over to see what the problem with us was. Boo did not make a good case of describing what he thought was in his meal. Some customers had stopped eating and were looking at us. The owner said it was time for us to leave. So much for a nice dinner…I do not remember what I ate that night, but I know it was not as good as what I wanted.
More often that not we are like Boo. We refuse to see a new situation as an opportunity. We choose to see it as something to be avoided. As a result, just like Boo, we end up missing something that may have been a great experience. Generally people are the same across all areas of their life. If they are adventurous you will find them trying out that strange looking plate of something. If they are more conservative, you will find them looking for reasons why they can not even try a little taste.
It is important to each of us to take a personal risk once in a while. Otherwise there is no opportunity for growth, or for that matter for opportunity. Being afraid to try something new is not always good for us. Besides limiting ourselves to our small circle of comfort we may be missing on what could lead to the greatest life change we have ever seen.
Don’t be hesitant to try that new meal. Many people before you enjoyed eating it, that is why it is on the menu. My life has been much fuller, knowing I have tried different things than it would be if I had stayed with what I was used to. If I always chose what was safe, I would have missed out on a lot of good friends and good times, not to mention satisfying work over my lifetime. Try a bite of that new dish! You may not always like it, but it won’t hurt you.
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