Changing Tastes

Last night I was standing at the community grill making small talk with some random white woman I had never seen before as she sipped her glass of wine when my mind started to wander as it does when I'm not interested in what someone is saying. I was looking at the ribeye that was sizzling in front of me and though to myself, "there's no way I would have been cooking this slab of cow 10 years ago." At 26, it finally hit me that there is no better main course on this planet than a nice cut of steak. If you had asked me at 21, I probably would have told you my favorite entree was some fancy form of over-seasoned chicken or pork dish from an expensive restaurant, and at 16 I probably would have told you I loved some Italian dish from the Olive Garden or something. Now, all it takes to satiate me is a lightly season slab of flesh cooked over an open flame.

I mean, do I go kick my mom in the groin for not introducing me to the love of my life when I was still developing? Would it even have mattered? Is this just a phase that I will grow out of? I mean, one of my most memorable nights of 2010 was when I went to Houston's on a Friday night. Not because I was on a date, hugged up in a booth with some woman who was built like Sofia Vergara. No, it was because I got handed a second steak for free because the manager didn't like the look of my first one. (Check out the Houston's at 3539 Northside Parkway, Atlanta, GA and look for the black guy with a limp. He's good people.) All this isn't to talk about my dietary preferences, but just thinking of the ways that our tastes change over the years. Even with stuff like clothes. In the past two weeks I have spent $1000+ on clothes and didn't buy one pair of shoes or athletic gear. Five years ago, I would have been happy with a white tee shirt, a clean pair of jeans and 6 pairs of sneakers I was afraid to take out of the box (Dumb. I know.) This transformation, seems to be Pacino-esque form of maturation, but it can't be that simple. I'm the same guy who spends weekends playing stupid fantasy video games and sneaking into movies. I still respond to legitimate requests with some form of either a "yo mama" or "deez nuts" joke. No, actually I just think that I'm figuring out that some stuff just isn't worth the fuss.

I'm doing my best not to turn this into some mutant form of a Chappelle Show Sketch from 8 years ago, but I think that the main thing I'm learning from all this is that young people are stupid. Especially the legendary early 20s black guy. At 21, I wanted nothing for than to have a Cartier watch as a status symbol after seeing some old white guy wearing. I think he was a pilot or something. After a year or so, I finally got one, wore it a few times and now I don't even know where it is. Worse yet, I haven't even tried to look for it. Not that it's dumb to like nice things, I just have a hard time convincing myself that it's a good goal to have anymore. My mantra has changed from "that looks cool, I'm going for it" to "if it doesn't make you money, or make you happy, [eff] it." This revelation reminds me of the day I figured out that Lil' Wayne doesn't make any sense when he raps. It's a real "aha" moment so to speak. My steak preference has nothing to do with suddenly discovering that I like beef more than pork, but it has everything to do with realizing I can cook my favorite meal at home and be happy doing it. Ir you have wasted your time reading this, please submit your complaints to deez nuts. Back to playing Spectral Souls on my phone while I should be working. God Bless America.