Thank You Tongue and Nose !

Tasty buds

As an only child , her parents indulged her in more than one way, and she became a spoiled and capricious child.
Her parents would plan arranging her meals so the plate looked fun and inviting, give her rewards for eating them, made a big fuzz if she swallowed her food, made parties for her and friends where fruits and vegetables were the main course; it all failed miserably . She did not develop a taste for them, and would prefer eating hotdogs, pizzas, pasta and chicken nuggets. She loved sodas of all kinds, the sweeter the better. She would even throw a terrible fit if she was starving and her parents did it give her the food she wanted, that is junk- non nutritious food.
This went on for pretty much her entire childhood. As a result of this poor nutrition , she visited dentists offices many times, where she collected lots of stickers, and being a regular she had loads of fillings to testify for. Her eating habits did not favor her complexion either, as she had developed a rash on her face and limbs.Due to this condition, her parents would often visit doctors offices with her as well.
One of these offices was Dr. Vittorio Carulla's , M.D., who was trained as a medical doctor with the world famous Dr. Bipzy Cobratious. And like Dr. B.C., had also travelled the world over many times, was always ready for an adventure together with his dog Paco and Vinny the cat. Charming and easy to talk to, he became close to Violet's parents, as they frequently visited his office due to Violet's skin problem. Food connoisseur , adaptable and friendly, he enjoyed living life to the fullest.
One day her parents invited Dr. Vittorio for a family dinner. He accepted on the condition of bringing his two furry companions. The animals were trained as service animals, since Dr. Carulla liked helping people, he took his companions wherever he went . As he usually said :" You never know when the opportunity to lend a helping hand would arise."
Violet had seen him many times visiting his parent s, but being scared of animals in general, she only looked at them from the top of the stairs as if ready to run into her room if the animals approached her.
"Will Violet join us for dinner ?", Carulla asked . Her father replied :"Noooo, she doesn't like adult food"; then her mother added :"Plus she's very shy with adults ."
Looking back now to that day, Violet wondered: was she scared ?, was she spoiled ?, or maybe a combination of the two?
Vittorio Carulla was a character , his scruffy beard, slanted piercing eyes , tallness and loud heavy belly laugh , made him look more like a sailor than a doctor. In contrast with Dr. Biozy Cobratious,(who always dressed with a three piece suit, shirt and tie, wore funny socks, and had a fresh scent of lemon .) , he on the other hand, smelled of eucalyptus and rosemary , wore unusual color combinations, his shirts were always wrinkled - as if an elephant had sat on them-, his socks were un matched and even had holes in them as he took off his shoes coming into the house. But above all, Dr. Vittorio Carulla's smile was a winner. It made you instantly trust and confide in him, and you wanted to befriend him.
Inlet wondered if his pets smelled the same, but she could not tell as she never got close enough to really smell them. The animals never left his side unless instructed by him. Dog and cat seemed to always be on guard as to follow instructions from their master.
She often wondered how he did it; on the one hand he protected his pets , and they in return showed loyalty; on the other, he had a firm grip on their manners, and the pets responded with self-restrain and obedience.
As an adult, she now remembers this specific visit as a pivotal moment in her life where her life changed for the better.
On this occasion while Carulla was visiting, she gathered up courage and shouted from the staircase:
"Hey will your pets attack me if I come down the stairs ?"
Vittorio was surprised to hear her voice, as she had never interacted with him, nor utter a single "hello", even during her office visits .
"Oh, you startled me Violet!", he calmly said."Paco and Vinny love children , and you can feel safe around them. Please don't be scared as they will smell fear in you, so just relax. You can pet them if you wish", he calmly replied.
Violet felt the urge and rushed down the stairs toward them. She hesitated a little, but as soon as Vinny purred at her, she started stroking his soft fur. "He's so soft, and is making noises for me !", she said. Soon after, Paco went in search of her free hand and directed it toward his back, " Ha, ha , ha Pacoooo", she smiled and kept on caressing both of them at the same time.
She thought to herself:" I'm SOOOO brave !", and smiled to herself. "This is so fun, I like being close to Paco and Vinny", she though as she sniffed their faint fragrance of eucalyptus and rosemary. She forgot about her fears and started asking all sorts of questions, among them : "What did they lie to eat?"
"They eat organic pet food. But their favorite items are fruits and vegetables ", replied Vittorio .
Violet's eyes and mouth opened wide with astonishment and said :"Animals don't eat Fruits and vegetables, that is disgusting !"
Dr. Carulla didn't look at her, went into the living room and picked up his backpack. He then pulled out a glass co trainer, that had colors in it. The colors were all in order: red, yellow,orange, green, white.; he then pulled out another much smaller co trainer, but the only color inside was "mucus" green. Now Violet was curious, "What could be in there?", she wondered.
As soon as he pulled out the containers Paco and Vinny came rushing into the room. Dr. Carulla said:"Snack time!"...then :"Sit". Paco sat instantly, it Viny ignored him and started grooming himself. Vittorio opened the big glass container and pulled out and orange circle and gave it to Paco, which he swallowed it pretty fast without chewing it.
"What is Paco eating?", asked Violet. "A piece of raw carrot", said the doctor. I Oleg made a funny face, it looked like she was liking a slice of lemon. Paco kept asking for more veggies, out came something red, then yellow, and a long green thingy. Dr. Carulla told Violet that his pets loved eating veggies and fruits as puppies, and had continued to like them as they grew older. The vet had told him, dogs and cats can only eat a certain king of fruits and vegetables, but it was a good and healthy habit . It also gave them a shiny coat, nice breath, and lots of energy because their bodies worked better by eating them.
Violet was curious to know what were the ones they could eat. Dr. Carulla began listing what he considered safe for Paco: broccoli, carrots, spinach, pears, pineapple, raspberries, strawberries, watermelon, green beans, parsley, pumpkin, sweet potato, zucchini, bananas, blueberries, cranberries, Brussels sprouts, celery, cucumbers, mango, oranges, peaches, pears and potatoes .
"You need 59 make sure they eat only the ones allowed, if no5, they might get sick", he added. Violet nodded, she was soaking it all in. Then, Vinny got closer to Vittorio and meowed toward the smaller container on the table , which was opened, and he started purring while eating . Violet was curious as to what was in it, because it looked so nasty...to her surprise she learned that he was eating s she'd veggies, which he seemed to enjoy very much. On this particular day he had a mix of steamed asparagus, baked carrots, cooked winter squash and some melon. Vittorio told Violet that he could also eat bananas, blueberries, steamed green beans and broccoli, peas, pumpkin and spinach; some needed be cooked or steamed though, so he could digest them better. He said the trick was introducing them earlier in life, so they would develop a taste for it, just like humans he said.
She seemed startled wi5( this revelation, who would have thought animals could eat veggies and fruits! She also wondered what those foods might taste like, what if she gave it a try? , would she forget about the foods she like so much ?, would she lose her taste for it if she tried something new and different?
Violet felt scared just thinking about it, she did not want to forget eating her favorite foods; on the other hands he was very curious about these new "thingies called fruits and vegetables ". She never thought Paco and Vinny would become so happy at the site of them!
After the guest left, she couldn't stop thinking about them. She couldn't understand how smart and beautiful animals could enjoy eating those strange foods!
Next time the doctor and pals visited her home, she asked if she could smell the glass containers. To her surprise, Vittorio had bought an extra container for her which also included bananas, apples, carrots and cherry tomatoes .
Again he called his pets, told them to sit down, and began giving them their natural snacks. This time they were of a different variety, it also quite colorful. Again they ate then fast while Paco wagged his tail, and Vinny purred all the way until he finished his.
Violet just watched them.
She slowly pulled a piece of broccoli from Paco's bag and started chewing it, her eyes got bigger and wider..."I love eating fruits and veggies!", she yelled surprisingly. She then proceeded to gulp it all down, without even thinking .
"WOW", everyone in the room was astonished at this sudden change. But something was off...
After chomping down it down, she rushed to the bathroom.
"That was odd", Carulla said. As he knocked on the bathroom door, he asked "Are you alright Violet ?"
Silence.
Then she stormed out of the bathroom and started crying her eyes out, and said :"I HATE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES."
Paco followed Violet and started liking her fingers gently , as Vinny settled beside her arm purring softly.
Dr. Vitto told Violet that he understood her because as a child, he was also a rebel in his own way; he didn't like to follow the rules all of the time. As he grew up, he had realized it was easier to follow rules , not get in trouble, and then you could do -within certain limits - as you wished. With eating habits the same rule applied , as eating healthy would make her body behave more efficiency, working better to play and a clear head for school in general.
Violet seemed puzzled,"I don't understand, I thought I would love all fruits and veggies eating , just like Paco and Vinny."
"You see Violet , I understand why you didn't like them instantly , especially broccoli", said the doctor. "At first you might try it with some sauce or salt to start with. I was the same as a kid, but my parents helped me by introducing one produce at a time, and making the right food combinations to enhance their flavors . My suggestion would be to try one a day, and see what happens with your taste buds."
"What are taste buds.", she asked.
"Let me tell you about our surprising and interesting taste buds," said Carulla.
"Please bring a mirror, and stick your tongue out Violet."
She did as told.
"See these bumps. They are called papillae, and most of these have taste buds. Taste buds are the ones that make you taste food, or salt, sugar, sour and bitter in them. But this is possible because inside the taste buds there are tiny hairs called microvilli, that send messages to the brain so you can tell how something tastes. The nose is super important too, inside the front part it has receptors that smell things and send your brain a message about what you're eating. Capisci?, it means 'Do you understand? in Italian ", said Carulla.
Violet though for a moment and said :"So, my taste buds have to be trained to like new food?"
"Brilliant Violet!, Yes , you need to give taste buds new information so your brain can store and recognize the new flavors . Just like pizza, hotdogs, and spaghetti."
"Capisco", replied Violet, as she proudly smiled. "So, Dr. Vittorio, next time I munch on an orange or piece of zucchini, I have to give thanks to. Y tongue and nose? Actually without them, eating would be really boring, right ?"
"Affirmative ", he replied. "Exploring new foods is fun, because there are many different food combinations to try, then you get to choose which ones you like best, and eventually you might join Paco, Vinny and me in exploring new recipes."
She thought long and hard of what she had just heard and said:"I think I'll give it a go, and from now on you can start calling me VVV, which means Voracious Veggie Violet", and cracked a "smarty pants smile".
Oh by the way...her rashes have all but disappeared ...it was a "FRUITICLE OR VEGGICLE , OR FVM, or fruity/ veggie miracle !!