Don't Knock It 'Til You Try It

What's the strangest food combination you've ever eaten? When growing up I learned to like liver and cooked carrots by dousing ketchup all over them. I like peanut butter on my waffles, crunchy of course. When I eat my peanut butter sandwiches I sometimes put the potato chips on the peanut butter in the sandwich.

My father-in-law liked onion on his apple pie and my mother loved a glass of buttermilk with cornbread crumbled inside. And who hasn't enjoyed a tasty Miracle Whip sandwich or a slice of pineapple dipped in horseradish sauce.

But my grandfather had one strange combination I had never heard of and have yet to try. He liked peanut butter and mashed potato sandwiches. Then I heard of people who have peanut butter and mayo sandwiches, pickles on their peanut butter sandwich and even ranch dressing and peanut butter.

My uncle used to make fun of his step-dad and the peanut butter and mashed potato sandwiches. Then one day my grandfather told him, "Don't knock, 'til you try it." So my uncle jumped off the deep end and tried it. And you know what? Right! He liked it!

I see people go through life always knocking what other people like before they've even tried it themselves. I hear people criticizing churches whose doors they have never entered. They judge people without even knowing them.

I'm reminded of the story of a man and woman who moved to a certain neighborhood. Whenever the couple would visit peoples homes the husband would always stay close by his wife. He would never let her leave his side even for a short time. After a few years the couple moved and the families they left behind began to criticize him. They would talk about how much of a chauvinist he was and how he acted so much like a tyrant to his sweet wife. Finally, a fellow neighbor who knew him better than everyone else spoke up. "What you don't know," he said, "is that his wife is a kleptomaniac. By keeping her by his side he was both protecting her as well as your belongings."

So before we become judgemental of people. Before we criticize this or that. Before we present ourselves as being disgusted over someone or something. Let's take the time to know what we're talking about.

Chances are it will change our entire view of things and we just may like it!