Whether it’s kimchi, beets, or broccoli, the pandemic has had a strange impact on food cravings that goes beyond the joy of comfort eating. Nearly a year into isolation, many people are embracing foods long forgotten or rejected for taste, texture, or smell. Some have forced themselves to re-evaluate health-focused foods to help boost their immune systems. And with home cooking at a high, there’s a new adventurousness in the kitchen. Second Chances Beets never got a chance from Caroline Hoffman, 25, until the pandemic arrived and she forgot to buy tomatoes for pizza sauce one day. She blended up some beets instead and away she went, overcoming her grossness factor. “I’m now hooked. I’ve made beet hummus, beet pasta, and just plain beet salads. I’m unsure why I hadn’t discovered this before but now I buy a weekly bag like it’s cereal,” said Hoffman, in Chicago. For Maeri Ferguson, …