Sweet Treats

A decade ago, a friend and neighbor questioned me, "Why do Americans like their meats, sweet?" Initially this query sounded strange coming from this intelligent, well-traveled Cameroonian and new American citizen. As an immigrant he was grateful for the frequent invitations and opportunities to dine and socialize in typical American households but was dismayed by what we did to our meats.

Puzzled by this strange complaint, I queried further. And he balked at our meat preparations e.g., honey baked ham, barbecue sauces on ribs or chicken, fruity sauce on duck or perhaps it was goose, ketchup on hamburger, sphaghetti meat sauce, etc. I recalled shrugging my shoulders to indicate that I did not know when actually I thought his question was absurd. We didn't like sweetened meats.

Refusing to reveal my defensiveness or wounded American pride, but equally aware that this carnivore had dined in Kenya, South Africa, Senegal, Australia, Germany and of course, in France where he lived several years; there was nothing I could say. Very much an epicurean, he loved good food everywhere,including home cooking and haut cuisine. But he complained bitterly (to me, not toward his respective hosts) of sugary flavored meats when he expected the hearty taste of grilled or roasted meat.

Now as I begin to count calories, note grams of fat and review sodium amounts in an effort to manage my cholesterol level or to avert diabetes, I have discovered his question was not unfounded but apropos. Recently, I was dumbfounded to discover how sweet the sauces and dishes are that I savor. Commercially prepared sauces all seem laced with sugar or fructose or glucose. Many cherished home-cooked dishes seem excessively sweet to my deprived palate now. Currently I'm suffering from sugar withdrawal -- pining for it -- as I learn to make healthier food choices. Apparently, I didn't recognize its omnipresence but my taste buds feel its absence. It is one day at a time now.