I just overheard a coworker saying “Oh, I would never try that in my life!”, in a discussion of food. (This was about consuming a steak cooked less than medium well). It made me wonder what life is like for those who refuse to try new food, especially those who refuse to try mundane things like fried shrimp.
Why limit yourself? It seems like such a closed-minded way to view food. Help me understand?
My only “picky” trait is that I don’t want to eat any reheated food. Gotta eat food made the same day
I reject the tone of this question because I wasn’t given a choice in my sensory issues and you turning it into a mortal judgement about me is fucked up.
I’m sorry that you feel that way. Do you intentionally avoid food because of a narrow-minded world view? Or do you have sensory issues that make it difficult for you to handle certain textures/flavors/smells? I thought I was pretty clear in that I am asking people who avoid food because of prejudice why they do such a thing.
But yeah, this is somehow a moral judgment about you. 🤦🏻♀️
Imo the modern picky eater is a byproduct of food abundance. Acquired tastes were pretty necessary for survival until fairly recently. That said for the life of me I cannot make natto palatable no matter how hard I try
Our boss got us Vietnamese food for lunch last week and one of the AP people was just going around the table saying “oh, no, I don’t like tofu, oh no I don’t like the noodles oh no I don’t like those buns oh no I don’t like those wraps” in a very judgemental sounding voice, I think they ended up with a plate of white rice.
Have never noticed what they eat for lunch but now I am wondering.
I do think a good palate is something you have to learn, and enjoying flavors and textures is something I taught my kids and something I value but:
Some people are supertasters and can’t handle anything strong - it’s like living with a bunch of hard of hearing people who yell so they can hear each other, but it hurts your ears.
And some people did not get exposed to new textures and flavors at the right time when they were young, that’s the fault of their parents.
And I don’t think anyone likes everything, if they do I would wonder if they even liked food or just didn’t care. But I’m trying to think of something I wouldn’t at least try? I guess if it smelled bad or looked extremely unappetizing I’d pass. I can imagine rare steak falling into “unappetizing looking” for someone. Not me, but someone.
Also - I have a coworker who likes and is knowledgeable about wine but so picky and limited with food, he went to Japan and ate chicken tenders! So we had a challenge last year - I said I would try wines to find some I like if he would try new foods to find some he likes. I won but he did find several new vegetables that he had never eaten but likes now. So sure sometimes it is simply unfamiliarity.
I don’t know why some kinds of flavour taste bad in my opinion. I wouldn’t want to eat something that I’ve already tasted to taste bad, but I’m generally open to things I don’t know (unless they sound disgusting, which is mostly reserved to mold (cheese) and bugs that weren’t prepared abstractly enough, as opposed to shrimp for example.
Sounds like you’re lucky enough to not have any sensory problems - you probably don’t get overwhelmed by textures, flavours or smells. Not everyone is like that. You also don’t seem to have any particular cultural or ethical concerns about your food choices. My family is vegan and very neurodivergent; none of us would ever consider steak or shrimp, for ethical reasons, and most of us have texture and flavour sensitivities that mean that certain foods are off limits for some of us. We generally buy within those parameters, but some of us really like things others really hate, so cooking can be a nightmare. In many cases, it’s the texture of food that causes this - often borderline textures going from firm to soft, too granular, “wrong” like soft when should be crunchy etc.
But I bet you have some things you wouldn’t try, based on cultural or texture preferences, which some people love. What about…
- Soft biscuits (cookies) - baked crunchy, but have gone damp and soft?
- Dry, stale bread - baked soft, but just dried out and stale?
- Witchetty grubs - moth larvae from Australia?
- Dog meat, eaten in some Asian countries?
- Fermented shark meat, stinky and rank, eaten in some Nordic states?
- Reindeer poo - traditional Finnish cuisine sometimes uses it?
- Natto - stringy, slimy soya beans fermented by a bacteria, very strong flavour, popular in Asia, especially Japan?
- Tempeh - soya beans colonised by a particular edible mould fungus, eaten widely in Asia?
- Tofu - bean curd in various textures, but very little flavour, eaten widely by vegans and in Asia?
- Furry tofu - tofu colonised by another edible mould fungus, eaten widely in Asia?
Reindeer poo is just candy. Not actual poop.
Pretty much this, I have tried a lot of foods and some of them just make me want to puke just from texture alone. A great example is bean sprouts. Another example is if you put too many chunks of various foods in a rice or pasta dish, I get completely overwhelmed.
I can force myself through the food if I need to, but it’s just a horrible experience akin to being stabbed. It’s not me being closed minded or childish, and I’m tired of people being condescending to me because of this.
Why limit yourself? It seems like such a closed-minded way to view food. Help me understand?
I don’t think there’s much of a choice to it. When my brain rejects a food (usually based only on smell) there literally isn’t anything I can do about it. Even if I do push through and take a bite, it will always taste horrible.
My own picky eating is also in large part fuelled by some sort of authorexia tbh. This definitely isn’t the norm for picky eaters though. It’s just when I was a kid I was slightly averse to fish but my parents snuck some into my food anyways. When I realized I had a meltdown so large that I still can’t even eat anything that even remotely smells like fish. Not even seaweed or vegan fish replacements. But it’s even more that I can’t allow anyone to have any control over what I eat. So I’m pretty particular about enforcing that I don’t want olives, or mayonnaise, or other mundane stuff just to make sure I actually have a say in what I eat.
Going vegan was actually really awesome for that reason. I get constant assurance that my food choices are respected, and it’s a ruleset that people are more willing to respect.
Not to sound insensitive, but are you on the spectrum at all?
Eh, probably. I only ever got tested for adhd but I’ve heard that comorbidity is high and there’s some sort of genetic factor that makes both adhd and autism pretty heritable. Both my siblings are diagnosed AuDHD.
Its just your comment reminded me of my cousin, also I don’t give a fuck if people are picky eaters anyway. I have misophonia so id rather not ne around loud eaters 😅
I wouldn’t call myself a “picky” eater per se, but my peanut/tree nut allergy makes me apprehensive to try new food. Especially if there aren’t clear labels for things like peanut oil and cross contamination.
technically, that’s “picky”, but practically you’re fine.
In the strictest sense I guess but I would colloquially define “picky” in this context as someone who chooses not to try new foods that are completely acceptable to eat, just foreign to them
Like I wouldn’t call someone with celiac picky for not eating bread. There is a demonstrable and significant consequence. Nut allergies even more, the consequence can literally be fatal. Thats a lot different than someone who eats themselves into malnutrition and prediabetes because anything aside from chicken nuggets, French fries, and candy are “yucky”
Some foods taste like litteral dirt. It’s a genetic quirk some people have. Beets, carrots, mushrooms, grapes, all taste like mud. I can’t taste the “sweetness” at all. Nuts also have a chalky flavor, but I couldn’t tell you why (strangely seeds, legumes, and beans are tasty af). Parsley tastes like soap. Licorice tastes like old socks. People like to attribute pickiness to the foods I don’t like, but why should I force myself to eat dirt and soap? That doesn’t stop me trying new things. Eel is delicious. Shrimp heads are meh. Dirty rice is great. Conch is fantastic. Lobster is bleh. Ostrich is gamey. Gator is good. Fennel heads are amazing. I’m always trying new foods, but when I turn my nose up at “normal” food with carrots, or nuts, or mushrooms I’m called “picky” because people are quick to throw out that word.
Licorice tastes like socks but fennel tastes good? Those flavors are so close. How do you feel about molasses?
Parsley or cilantro? I’ve never heard of the parsley one before but I suppose anything is possible.
I’m not interested in going out of my way to try new food cause I just view eating as something I have to do to survive, not something I enjoy doing. My anxiety prevents me from outright refusing food from someone, but often if it’s one of the many things I know I don’t like I’ll just say I’m full and deal with it. I most likely ate enough the rest of the day to survive till tomorrow anyway.
If the texture/flavor triggers my gag reflex and I can’t physically swallow, the question is not “why am I limiting myself?” but rather, “why would I attempt to abuse myself?”
Trying new food can be risky, its not cheap and if you cant eat it you just wasted your money and the food. Food also takes time to prepare which you may not have the time to make or order something else which then can snowball into larger issues. Not to mention the social pressure/judgment to finish a meal you wish you could force down your throat and getting accused of being dramatic and wasteful.
I like to try new foods here and there but I need to be able to get a small portion to avoid waste and know theres a back up I can eat to avoid skipping a meal altogether. It also needs to be with a crowd that I feel safe enough with not to get shat on if I cant eat it.
That being said I can only imagine making a blanket statement that I’d never try something if I already know it’s very similar to something else that I can’t eat.
It sounds like some of the people around you are very rude. No one in my circle would care one bit if you ate something and stopped eating because you didn’t like it. I’m sorry you have people around you that do this.
Its definitely gotten better over the years, especially since ive dropped a lot of friends that reacted like that. I don’t usually get much more than a raised eyebrow anymore over a few more common ingredients.
I will actually skip a meal, or leave an event to buy my own food, instead of eating food that I don’t like.
When the alternative is actually and literally fighting against revulsion and gag reflex and nausea, or getting my hands and face dirty with food that can’t be eaten cleanly, why would I subject myself to that if I’m not literally starving?
Best example I can think of is a work trip last year for which I marked myself “vegan” instead of “vegetarian” for meal restrictions. One outing had a bunch of pizzas ordered. The only meatless pizza had mushrooms. I hate mushrooms on pizza and the act of picking ingredients off of pizza is so degrading and so disgusting, not to mention they still leave their tastes behind anyways, so I just went out of pocket and got food somewhere else after I left.
Always been like this. Arguably I’ve put a ton of effort into trying new foods and I’ve been lucky to have traveled to a lot of foreign countries - I’ve had live grilled abalone (which I regret every part of), century eggs (tasty as fuck, would eat again), have developed a decent spice tolerance too (not easy growing up in the midwest USA :P). But some stuff still just is forever gross to me.
Also, fuck sandwiches and burgers that fall apart in your hands or have things fall or slide out or liquids or sauces drip stuff while you bite down. I am so repulsed and irritated by this that I feel actual rage.
Autism.
Textures & temperatures are problematic. I stay with what I know so minimise the chance of freaking out.
Autistic and the total opposite here for home cooking. The (allegedly greater) magnitude of those flavors and textures makes trying new things so enjoyable that it’s worth the risk.
That said, I used to be similar, having a rotation of a few select meals; I’d get “hooked” on a specific food for an unreasonably long time. But nowadays, I get the benefits of both.
I make whatever at home because I know exactly what’s going into it and roughly how it’ll taste, and I’m naturally limited to a few vegan options at restaurants so I can live the dream of having one or two favorites I get every time. It’s a win–win.
On the spectrum myself and I am a foodie with an insatiable apetite for new and interesting. My general rule is if it was good enough for them, it’s good enough for me. I don’t always like everything, but I’ll try anything.
I agree Autism too and I always stick with the things I know. Cannot be dealing with unfamiliar textures.
Agree, I’m not a picky eater (but somewhat autistic) and eat basically anything, but there is some texture I can’t, like avocado or liver, I can literally puke.
Disgust is an emotional response. No one can choose their emotions.
Part of growing up is realising what those emotions mean & adapting, otherwise you will have no growth.
Choose? No.
Adjust over time? Maybe.
Uh, yes, in fact thats one of the truly few things in life that you have absolute choice and power over, is your emotions and how you react to things. Most people learn emotional regulation as children.
That’s arguable. Setting aside determinism or whatever, what it appears we can choose is our actions (in response to our emotions). Not the emotions themselves. I’m not sure I could any more choose to be happy if a beloved pet died than I can choose what my eyes see when I look a particular direction. I might be able to filter those inputs through my own perceptions moments after the experience but that initial reaction is instantaneous and, as far as I can tell, uncontrolled.
Put another way: if some drunk shitbag, flying down the street, runs over my cat - my initial response is going to be some combination of horror, rage and sorrow all wrapped up in a sense of panic. Whatever I choose to tell myself after the fact, in an attempt to alter that state, will be reliant on me convincing myself of it before (or rather if) my emotional state can then change. Maybe I say to myself “at least Mittens was spared the pain of old age, organ failure and a slow death” and that silver lining is enough to curb the rage and reduce the sadness. Maybe it’s not. Either way it’s post hoc to the initial, visceral reaction.
Another example might be what’s humorous to you. Something “dark” or morbid might leave you in a laughing fit where it would leave others aghast. I don’t think either of us can choose that. I certainly can’t choose to find Seinfeld funny.
Why are you conflating an inability to practice emotional regulation in a sudden, horrific event to the same in the topic of conversation: trying unfamiliar foods? Emotional response is a muscle, and while there are certain things which cannot be practiced for, there are absolutely others which are entirely trainable and controllable, barring some massive disability that leaves you unable to function independently in society. Having an aversion to new experiences is absolutely something most people have the tools to cope with, and I say this as someone who is on the AuDHD spectrum.
You absolutely can choose your emotions. It’s sort of terrifying that people seem to agree with this statement.
So when someone you love dies, you can just… choose not to grieve, huh?
You can choose to focus on the positive aspects of their life and your relationship, yes. That’s not exactly the same as not grieving but it isn’t allowing your emotions to drive your actions either.
Either way, that’s quite a bit different than taking a bite of food you don’t like, isn’t it?
You basically just paraphrased that you can’t control your emotions, but how you react to them, proving the previous guys point.
You just paraphrased that emotions aren’t uncontrollable, proving my point.
No one can choose their emotions.
Yeah, but most people can still explain where they come from and why they have them.
Most self aware adults anyway.
And you really need to understand, when I use terms like “adults” and “children”, very rarely am I referring to the number of birthdays someone’s had.
it’s called control… and it’s very easily controllable.
Unless you have ARFID
That might be your problem, but it’s no excuse. I have ADD and poor impulse control; that doesn’t entitle me to drive drunk, no matter how good an idea it might sound at the time due to my condition.
Have you ever thought that those are 2 different things? Do you even know what ARFID is or just wrote the first thing you thought when you saw the unknow acronym?
I’ll eat my own cum but won’t touch ranch dressing. Do with that what you will.
I want to know more, like how did you get over PNC and what does it taste like? Does diet really change the flavour etc etc…
PNC?
Post nut clarity
Oh. Well, first ask yourself do you actually want to do it? If yes, just do it. If no, maybe reevaluate. It seems intimidating at first but just dip your tongue in it. It probably won’t taste great but that’s not why anyone does it. I did it maybe three times before I became a pro at consuming one’s own nut. The first times it was like “wow, this sucks”, afterwards it was more like " wow, this would be better if I had a loving goth mommy domme to share the moment with." It’s not gay despite what shitheads will tell you, unless you want it to be. The world is your oyster, i’m just living in it. As for diet, no idea. Mine has always tasted like battery acid. In regards to PNC, just do it and than you can jerk off thinking about it later.
Please, tell me less.
I’d rather not have anything to do with that. Thank you.
wasn’t an invitation
Do with that what you will
Wasn’t an invitationI’m getting mixed signals here.
They are obviously ordering you to do with it what you will.
I… okie dokie.
That’s more than enough information, thank you.
So you don’t spit, eh?
Spitters are quitters.
You busy later?
That’s what I’m saying! Why waste a reward?
OwO
At least you’re not wasteful?
My nickname is ‘Closed Circuit’
