Changing Tastes

The first time my sister offered me Greek yogurt I spit it out and refused to eat it. Greek yogurt was far too tart and thick for me to enjoy, and it puzzled me how my sister was able to happily eat such large quantities. “It tastes pretty good, and it’s healthy for me too,” was her explanation to this phenomenon. I concluded that my sister must have had faulty taste buds to enjoy such a distasteful food and that she was lucky that Greek yogurt just so happened to be healthy for her.

Now when I look back on that scene, I feel more that it was not a coincidence that Greek yogurt happened to be healthy, but it was more what caused my sister to enjoy Greek yogurt in the first place. For my sister, eating Greek yogurt, in addition to a list of other distasteful foods, was a means to achieving good health, which she found internally rewarding. Over time, this internal reward trickled down to her means of achieving her ultimate goal, and that is why she now enjoys healthy food.

Over time, this internal reward trickled down to her means of achieving her ultimate goal, and that is why she now enjoys healthy food.

This “trickling down of the reward,” has helped her increase her intake of healthy foods and has made it easier for her to be the healthy person she is today.

This new outlook on my sister’s eating habits, I feel, provides a more optimistic way of going about achieving goals than my old notions. Often times, I used to feel helpless when it came to achieving personal goals. I wanted to be smart, but I disliked doing homework. I wanted to be fast, but I disliked running. “Perhaps,” I used to tell myself, “these goals were not meant for me, and I need to search harder for what I should truly strive for.” However, the belief that the ‘internal reward’ of my goals would trickle down to my efforts in obtaining them has helped me pursue many goals I would have previously given up on.

At Exeter, in particular, this mindset helped me primarily when it came to participating in clubs. Amongst Exonians, I have often heard and still hear people refer to others as “college whores” and that some insincere people only do extracurriculars for the sake of their college applications. This stigma, initially, hindered me from participating in many clubs, and I stuck to the one club I had participated in middle school. However, remembering how my sister enjoyed the taste of Greek yogurt caused me to branch out and try new things.

As I expected, I have come to enjoy a lot more clubs than just one and no longer need to tell myself that I am doing x or y club for any particular reason other than because I enjoy the club itself. Now, it is arguable whether getting into a "good" college is really an internal desire for students, or if, perhaps, it is the will of some parent who wants a prestigious bumper sticker on their car to show off to friends. Despite that, I still think college is a valid reason for trying out clubs, participating an unusual amount in English class or taking many AP and national tests. Over time, I feel one will generally begin to enjoy those activities themselves and will have successfully branched out their passions and interests.

Today, it takes me a little time to scoop out a serving of Greek yogurt. I still taste the blandness that once disgusted me, but there is something about its flavor that both my sister and I enjoy. Perhaps, as I sometimes joke with her, we have discovered the taste of good health.