Earlier this year, I flirted with a philosophy of "branching out" - a personal do something new/different/scary on a consistent basis. I started out well, attending a cooking class at Main Course where I made a mushroom tart, duck breast, and creme brulee. From never liking mushrooms, never having eaten duck breast, and never having made creme brulee, that was branching out for me. A little bit uncomfortable (mostly because it upset my strongly held assumption that I don't like mushrooms, turns out I do), but worthwhile. We went to a Japanese restaurant early on in the year, where I tried sashimi. I didn't like it, but I tried it. I applied for, and got, a job for next year that wasn't even on my horizon at the beginning of this year. Last night I went to the opera for the first time (Don Giovanni), and next weekend I will go skiing for the first time. But I feel like I'm not doing enough, apart from some standout examples I'm letting testing my limits slide. I've never been a risk taker but this year is turning out life changing. The least I can do is try some seafood.
