I love my porridge, just like the 3 bears, I wake up every morning although I don’t go for a walk in the forest, I love a bowl of hot porridge, especially in the winter. I forget now how long I’ve been having it as breakfast food. It started about ten years ago when I was working night shifts. I would come home in the morning around 6:30 am and I would be tired and hungry. I wanted something that would stop the hunger but wouldn’t affect my sleep. Porridge was the answer.
And so it was, my daily love affair with this traditional Scottish breakfast followed by an easy-peel orange began. Over the years, all has been well, wake up, get up, eat porridge! That is until this week. I just don’t know what’s happened. On Monday I had my first spoonful of the week and…………… it tasted vile! I couldn’t eat anymore. It tasted as though the milk had gone sour, and it lingered on my taste buds. Strange thing was, my wife, sampled it and thought it was fine.
As the week progressed, so as the taste, but only so much. I can eat it now, but there is still a taint to it that I have never encountered before. I’ve bought new packets, the same make, but still, there is something unpleasant about the taste. It’s puzzling me as to what is happening here. My wife tries it and says it tastes fine to her. I wonder if anyone else has ever had a similar experience? Could there be a problem with my taste buds? Could it be caused by my medication? If anyone can help, I really would appreciate it.
Meantime, I have to plod on every morning, not enjoying my favourite meal of the day. I hope it gets back to tasting how it use to be otherwise I’m going to have a look at an alternative! I’m so glad this hasn’t happened to my mug of tea!
How to cook the perfect porridge.
How is it that suddenly in England people are discovering porridge? I read this with interest as my dad discovered it when he was about 80 years old. I think it almost replaced the breakfast marmalde, but not quite. Since he is living in extra care – his own flat with his ladies in waiting (helpers) he now has to use a micro wave which was one of those things he always said he never wanted. Now he has to have it and admits they are a very good invention. The porridge arrives in individual envelopes (from Tescos?) and all you do is empty it in the special cup he has for his porridge, add milk and micro wave it. But dad is dad, and does everything in his own way (ok with 100 years I suppose you do not change things). He does not add milk but finds it super with added water. Without his morning porridge the world does not look bright.
I must admit that without my morning dish my world would not be the same.
Hope you find your taste buds.
Thank you, Jacqueline, I hope so too.
Yes, it can be related to meds. Is it a metallic taste?
I suppose it is a metallic taste. I’ve another brand that I can try tomorrow, so if it is the meds, then this brand should be as bad as the other ones, thank you.
I’m sorry you can’t enjoy it, check your meds and check with the manufacturer OF the cereal to see if they’ve perhaps changed anything on their end (if they’ll tell you)… like added something or changed where they buy their grain or there’s a host of stuff that could affect it. We call it “oatmeal” over here and although I don’t eat it as often as I probably should, I do enjoy it. I’d hate it if suddenly one day it started tasting odd…..Good luck in solving the mystery!! 🙁
Thank you. I have treated myself to a different brand today so I’ll see how that tastes at breakfast tomorrow.
Aye, could be your meds, I suppose, Trev. I’m not well up on that kind of thing. I reckon you just need a change. Now you’re not constrained for time you could go wild and have boiled egg, with toast soldiers. 🙂 Perhaps porridge will taste better if you go back to it after a spell away from it.
You could be right, Jo. I will try this other brand tomorrow and if it still tastes bad, I’ll try the boiled eggs and soldiers. Thank you. 🙂
I had a similar porridge incident, we buy the dry cereal in a large box, then store some in a smaller box in the cupboard. I had a taste in my mouth almost like a moldy taste, I told my wife not to store it in the small box anymore, think that helped. I am like you Trev, I love my porridge. Lately as old age gets a better grip on all of my body parts, I started adding a few prunes to my hot porridge. That also makes a taste too but does the job. I hope you have many more good porridge eating years ahead of you.
Thank you for your blog
Thank you Leland,I’ve just tried a different brand and it still has a bad taste. I’ve also come out with a heavy cold, so maybe that’s having an affect too.
I love porridge for breakfast, and have to agree that the microwave is the best ever invention for cooking porridge. We get ours from a local farm shop and it is simply porridge oats. Problem with instant type packs is that they are loaded with other stuff to ‘improve the flavour’. My method is 1 part oats to 2 parts water. mixed in a microwave bowl and zapped on one of the lower settings until it is cooked, not forgetting that the longer it is cooked the better the taste. And I never ever add anything but a little salt. No milk or sugar or syrup or dried fruit. Just as it comes. Hope you get your taste for it back soon, but it probably is the cold that is the problem.
Thanks for a great answer Tony. I will try the real thing once I’ve got this latest box of sachets out of the way.
I’ve never gone off Porridge, what a nightmare! I hope you find your oat mojo again soon 🙂
Thank you Porridgelady. Love the name. I hope I’ll get it back too, thanks.
Hi, I loved how you included the 3 bears in Goldilock’s story inyour article. My guess for that off taste that you experienced with porridge is the medication you take, if it is something you have not done before. I hope you will get to enjoy again like before.
Thankyou. I think you are right about it being the medication. Thanks for taking the time to write.
Despite the fact that the blog entry is more than 6 years old, I would like to comment on it. It’s great that you shared this experience of changing your taste for oatmeal. There could be varying reasons for this. The one you mentioned is the “synergistic” effect of taking certain medications at that time, which could be the case.. Another option is that, perhaps, over the years, your body hd/has begun to develop an aversion to lactose contained in milk. And this was expressed in the sour taste as such. To add more, oatmeal producers may have changed the procedure or started adding either dietary supplements or other additives, or wheat granules. As for your wife, she might be tolerant of a change that had no consequences for her, which is unlikely for you. Judging from my own experience of making oatmeal porridge for breakfast, I must admit that I am extremely picky in choosing this or that product.
Treve, your story has made me want to write a post about this material. I will definitely add a link to your article when I put my thoughts into words.
Take care,
Keep a positive view on life,
Erene
Thank you, Erene, I appreciate your words of wisdom. 😊
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Thank you. 😊
Your first-ever post! Cool!!! 🙂
Thank you. 😊