"Don't Yuck My Yum" - My neighbor would say this when someone didn't like his food, choice of wine, or preferred activities. If someone loves to eat something that you don't like, do we really need to tell them that their "yum" is a "yuck?" So this got me thinking - why do we often look down on what other people read?
Over the years, I've seen numerous people judging what people like to read. This leads me to the term in libraries, “Reluctant Reader." “Reluctant Readers” are often people that have been told what they should be reading, rather than embracing their true literary interests. As a result, they see reading as a chore rather than an enjoyable activity. So if you see a child reading the same series over and over again, embrace it. Find out why they love it and help them find similar books that expand their horizon.
Reading choices are like pineapple on pizza. Everyone has an opinion.
For as long as there have been comic books, there have been kids hiding them from their parents or teachers. Adults have now even coined the term 'Graphic Novel' for comics to make them sound less ‘yucky' to others. If you know someone that reads a book genre that you don't like - please don't yuck their yum. Personally, I read a variety of material: newspapers, children's books, biographies, science fiction, humor, comics, and history. My favorite authors include Shel Silverstein, Roald Dahl, Christopher Moore, and Philip K. Dick. I take book recommendations into account, and will often just try a new genre.
So:
If your yum is reading about artificial intelligence - great!
If your yum is reading the sports section every day - fantastic!
If your yum is reading classic works by Steinbeck or poetry by Frost - amazing!
If your yum is reading children's fairy tales - sweet!
If your yum is reading the newspaper on your tablet every day - wow!
In fact, I was driving down the road earlier this week and was inspired to listen to "Down By the Bay" by Raffi : Don't yuck my yum.
Cheers - Brian
PS - I would be remiss about talking about food - and not saying a BIG THANK YOU to our farmers and farm workers that put food on our tables.
