It's All In The......

MARJORAM!!!! How could a lovely sprig of leaves be so unappealing to me. And the word unappealing is putting it mildly. I absolutely can't stand this stuff.

It all started about a year ago when I was in my local gourmet market and purchased some of their formerly delicious three cheese meatloaf. When I got home, I took one bite and spit it out. It tasted like there was cleaning fluid in it. I thought perhaps when they cleaned the showcase in the store, some windex or something got on the meatloaf and ruined it. I never bought the meatloaf again. Then, while eating in a neighborhood pub, I ordered a Shepherd's Pie dish. Once again, I couldn't eat it because of the taste but, at that time, didn't put two and two together. They told me it was made with lamb so I figured it was the lamb I didn't like. Then, last summer, while at the shore, we ate at a quirky little restaurant and I ordered some innocuous dish (can't even remember what it was) and there it was again...that taste I can't stand.

Now I was convinced that there was an herb or spice out there that I just didn't like. But how do I find out what it was. I searched the Internet, I spoke with friends, I asked cooks that I knew but no one could help me. Then this week, at my same local gourmet market, I purchased some eggplant parmesan and there it was again, that taste. Now I was on a mission. Somehow I would find out what it is that causes me to throw out this food.

The next day I headed for that same gourmet market and found the owner of the store. Since this is a local market, I know him quite well. Nicholas, I said, "Can you tell me what spices you put in the eggplant parmesan?" Since he's also one of the cooks, it was easy enough for him to rattle off the ingredients.....oregano, basil, parsley, thyme. "No", I said, "it's none of those. There's something that was in the eggplant and was also in the meatloaf at one time." He said, "Let me check it out" and back to the kitchen he went. When he came back, he had the answer I've been searching for.....it was the dreaded Marjoram. Apparently, instead of putting individual spices into the eggplant parm, they used an Italian Seasoning blend which included Marjoram. Just to be sure, he opened up a new bottle of Marjoram and had me taste it. Yuk!!! That was it. Mystery solved. Now at least when I order something in a restaurant, I can make sure that it doesn't include Marjoram.

And the good news is that my local market, Colonial Farms, will no longer include Marjoram in any of its food. It's nice to have such pull. This is one of the things I just love about living in a small town. I'm so glad that when George Washington crossed the Delaware River in 1776 for the Battle of Trenton, they decided to name a town after him and that's where I ended up. Go Washington Crossing!!!!