A few years ago, my wife and I were going through a phase in life where we were experimenting with cooking. I can remember one night cooking up a Thai green curry with fresh prawns in it. At that stage we loved cooking Thai foods and curries and were doing it nearly every night of the week. This particular curry was fantastic – it was cooked perfectly, it tasted great, and we all enjoyed eating it.

Completely unrelated to the previous night’s dinner, the next morning I found myself very unwell. I had a tummy bug which had caused me to start vomiting, as well as other things you do not want to hear about!  I was sick for quite a few days and even the doctor concluded that this was a virus that I contracted and was not food poisoning or the result of any particular food. The unfortunate aspect of being sick was that even though I loved green curry with prawns and it was unrelated to the sickness,  I still could not eat a green curry for years after that event.

That one bad experience completely jaded my opinion and my thoughts about eating a green curry. Even the thought of cooking or purchasing the same kind of food for years after that one event made me feel sick to my stomach again and I could not eat it.

It is funny how one bad experience can affect our life for years to come, even if that experience is not our fault, is not within our control, or even related to it. It can still change the way we perceive that for some time after the event.