Love Me Tender

I am officially "over it."

After today's lunch of seared, coriander-encrusted lamb tenderloin, I discovered that I am over my once-vehement and irrational aversion to lamb.

For a foodie, I was a late-bloomer. The first time I ever sampled lamb, was in my dormitory cafeteria at college. "Lamb stew" was what the cafeteria called it.

I remember my reaction as if it were yesterday. I angrily threw my fork down on the floor after shouting, "This funky tasting meat went bad!"

From that day onward, I avoided lamb like the plague. I thought I would never get used to the strange and pungent aftertaste of the meat. What others dubbed as "gamey," I dubbed as, "tastes like a mixture of chemicals from the bottom sink cupboard." I tried lamb several more times since then, but each time, I was further convinced that it would take a miracle for my beef-loving-tongue to grow accustomed to the unique flavors of lamb meat.

Today at lunch, I decided to take another gamble on lamb. I ordered the lamb tenderloin, thinking, "Even if I am so repulsed to the point that I don't finish, I can always give the leftovers to someone else."

When my knife touched the blackened crust of the seared tenderloin, a clear au jus immediately began to trickle from the surface of the meat. Unlike a tough, overcooked, and jerky-like steak, my knife easily slid through the meat without the need for any roughhousing or wrangling. The lamb was so tender, it was literally "like buttah." The savory aroma from the lamb was intoxicating. The meat was succulent and substantial, and the flavors were vivacious and sublime.

My plan about taking the leftovers back home in a doggie bag had failed. I finished every single bite of my meal. After licking my lips and my lunch plate, I happily hummed some songs from "Love, Angel, Music, Baby (L.A.M.B.)" Hey, if Gwen Stefani even lauds the merits of lamb, it has to be good!