Ginger

It's one of those things that can be extremely enjoyable in some contexts but incredibly alarming when it comes upon you unprepared. I love ginger when it's distilled into syrup and stirred into milky tea or coffee. I love crystallized ginger, especially in dark chocolate. I like ginger biscuits and ginger ale.

But I don't like ginger jumping out at me when I bite down into the contents of a plate of spaghetti or a bowl of soup. It just doesn't feel right, and tastes too strident in the mouth. It's OK if it stays there, flavouring the food with its curious aroma.

Nevertheless, when many years ago I was diagnosed with extreme G6PD deficiency, I was rather sad to see ginger on the list of foods to be avoided. This was in the 1970s, and since then, most of the modern lists have moved towards specific chemicals rather than the all-encompassing 'strange vegetation to be found in Oriental food' kind of designation.