What do you think of when you hear the word “vanilla?” Does it conjure up images of plainness, boredom or familiarity? For years, vanilla simply served as a basic flavor for me, as it does for most people. As for vanilla sweets, I never preferred them, but they were always there just in case someone happened to not like chocolate. I didn’t dislike it, nor did I ever seek it out in any capacity. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned that having the same thing over and over gets old, even when it comes to the things we enjoy the most. I learned to cherish the intention that some things should be enjoyed with, those being indulgent things like gelato and cheesecake that could ruin my health if I had it every day. Every day does not need to include the most decadent dishes; Sometimes something light and simple makes you feel the best.
Recently I started trying to look at vanilla as a balancer of flavor, a baseline to build upon, as well as its own pillar. I would argue that most don’t know the taste of vanilla in its purest form: floral, pungent and almost spiced. This I blame on the quality of most vanilla syrup and extract, those being the most common forms of vanilla that most people encounter in their everyday lives. For example, vanilla and coffee compliment each other wonderfully, but a bad quality vanilla quite literally sabotages your whole experience.
I see that most people don’t even think twice when it comes to stuff like that. “The quality of this vanilla is not good enough” surely isn’t a thought that a lot of people have. I am not those people. If I’m looking forward to something nice and vanilla flavored, I’m not looking for some half assed vanilla something or other, I expect it to hold its own. That’s why I don’t get vanilla coffee. Most places use mid vanilla syrup, and I would rather not even fool with it in most cases. With food costs reaching record highs, it has become more important than ever for me to be pickier when it comes to paying money for food products/ ingredients. Some would consider that being too bougee, stuck up or even snobbish. I want my food to work for me, just like I worked for the means to be able to afford things in that higher quality bracket of products.
So next time you get vanilla ice cream, vanilla coffee or anything that can be seen as boring because of its vanilla characterization, think about the fact that vanilla is wonderful! We have to hold the things that we consume at a higher standard. Believe me, I know how hard it is to not be able to afford all the nicest versions of things, but cherish the times you DO have the opportunity to pick that real vanilla extract, paste or beans. Your taste buds will thank you, along with all the people in your life that you get the pleasure of sharing your creations with.
Sam’s Food Blog 