|
I met the first person I would ever call a picky eater here at an exchange at an university in Japan. He's a sociable, kind and really outgoing sort of guy who's always fun to party and drink with, but his eating habits is that he stays away completely from everything related to vegetables to the point where it baffles me how he is able to survive on french fries and curry alone. The furthest he had gone in his twenty years of life was when he ate broccoli and cauliflower a few days ago at some restaurant but according to him, only because it was part of a tomato sauce and therefore was not able to notice that it was vegetables. This does not personally affect me, though I found myself somewhat irrationally annoyed at what I considered to be childish tendencies and a closed mind that is apparently not willing to indulge or even try different sorts of foods but after googling around a little bit, I get the impression that it might be a symptom of underlying mental issues as well as a general eating disorder, though opinions varies whether or not this is an actual sort of anxiety or not. I guess my biggest peeve with this was when I suggested that he would try an Indian vegetarian dish in which, at least in most cases, one is barely able to notice that it is vegetarian at all but he called it disgusting and that he hates everything related to vegetables or eating 'green' in general. Though I would say that his choice of words reflect immaturity more than anything, it still feels to me that the whole thing about picky eating and most of those afflicted with it is a case of manbaby-ism who are used to being coddled with and have not in any way any experience with hunger or an actual sense of need. I was taught from a young age that no matter what sort of food it is, it is still food and that I should be happy for being fed because food is a privilege rather than a given, which was a contributing factor for me wanting to taste all sorts of food (for the most part) and have a general interest in eating healthily and having balanced meals. Somewhat a derail but my main question is, and I would like contributions from goons, non-picky eaters and picky eaters about your own experiences with this?
|
#
?
Oct 2, 2016 11:54
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 7, 2024 03:10 |
|
|
My advice is to sever op
|
|
#
?
Oct 2, 2016 12:11
|
|
|
I'm married to a picky eater, however to give her credit she has broadened her choices greatly in the last few years. Her mother, father, brother and sister however drive me up the loving wall. I've never known a group of adults who have the taste buds of a 3 year old. I cracked a few twists of pepper into a batch of mash potato once and it remained untouched due to it being "too spicy". I've seen her sister make a toasted cheese sandwich, and pour half a can of corn into it. They all suffer from vitamin/nutrient deficiencies and will eat a hand full of supplements each day rather than eat something that isn't (sometimes literally) white bread. I'm mildly angry thinking about it.
|
|
#
?
Oct 2, 2016 12:23
|
|
|
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJGIMd3_LfY This video will bring back pleasant memories of your friend, OP.
|
|
#
?
Oct 2, 2016 13:49
|
|
|
Picky eater reporting. I don't really eat vegetables, never have. Corn, potatoes, peppers, tomatoes are fine but anything else I will politely refuse unless it is something that someone has made for me. My diet is mostly meat and fish, rice, pasta, and starchy vegetables like potatoes and corn. These days I just don't tell anyone because people get so weird about it. Common questions/comments I get are: "Why don't you like vegetables?" I don't know, I guess I checked the wrong boxes when I was conceived to decide my personal tastes? I'm not 5 years old though so if I am served vegetables I will eat them (which the exception of cauliflower, which I will give my comical antidote on later) and not say anything. But if I'm at a restaurant I'll go for dishes that are mostly meat/pasta/starchy vegetables, and if someone is cooking for me specifically I'll let them know "I'm not big on vegetables" in advance but I won't make a fuss if they cook me whatever. This question annoys me because people always feel the need to "convert" me. It never happens with anything else though. Like I don't really watch sports either but when I tell people that no one tries to drag me to a baseball game or anything. "I bet you just haven't had them cooked the right way! You have to try..." Yeah, I've heard this a thousand times. I'm sure your grandma's special broccoli cheddar soup is amazing, but it doesn't really change the general flavor or texture. If I have to eat vegetables I just prefer to have some sort of sauce with them. I really like salads with vinaigrette sauce, but I'll take the lovely iceberg lettuce off my burgers at fast food places. Also my girlfriend is vegetarian and cooks stuff for me all the time. She's a great cook and a lot of it isn't bad, but even when she buys fresh delicious vegetables it still tastes less good than low quality meat to me. "Didn't your parents make you eat vegetables when you were a kid?" This might be the big thing, but I don't think they did. My father is pretty similar to me and really only likes meat. He doesn't even like pasta though. Growing up my sister hated onions and always fought with my mom about it, so as the younger child I think they just let me slide. My dislike of vegetables probably stems from just general taste for them plus my parents not forcing me to develop tolerance for them. All of my family is really healthy though, especially my dad who is mid 50s and looks freakishly similar to pictures of him from his 20s and 30s. "Haha, how are you even still alive/healthy?" This one annoys me because I'm actually in really good shape. I'm 6'3 and about 185 pounds. I have excellent cholesterol and blood pressure. I lift weights and do cardio at the gym 4-5 times a week. I drink massive amounts of milk and I take multivitamins in order to make up for the nutrients I might miss out on from vegetables. I eat fruit for breakfast every day and don't drink soda or eat candy hardly at all. My skin is clear and healthy, very regular bowel movements, heart is strong, all that stuff. This is especially common if I get sick, which usually happens maybe once or twice a year. People who know I don't eat vegetables always bring it up as though that's the reason I got sick. But then if they get sick it's just "going around" or whatever. Don't even get me started on overweight people commenting on my diet. When I was an rear end in a top hat teenager I used to go off on people who were fat if they gave me guff for not eating my peas or whatever. As you can tell this is something I feel strongly about because I've been hearing about it for a long time. Oh and here's the cauliflower thing. From maybe 5-8 years old my mom sent me to a babysitter named Carol, and this place was horrible. I have a few memories that are still with me 20 years later, all of them bad. One of them was that when it was "movie time" if we didn't want to watch the movie we could go play in the basement (which an older kid told me was haunted), but nobody wanted to go in the basement so everyone watched the movie obviously. One time Carol decided we were going to watch Child's Play (the horror movie about Chuckie the Killer Doll). She asked me, a 6 year old, if my parents let me watch horror movies. Having no idea what "horror" meant, and knowing the other option was being alone in the basement, I said yes. Cue me wetting the bed and having nightmares until I was 10 years old about being murdered by a ginger doll. My other memory is having to eat a whole plate of cauliflower. Like, I recall my lunch being just a big red plastic plate of cauliflower. I told Carol I didn't like cauliflower but she said I couldn't go outside and play until I finished it. I choked down like 80% of it, told her I didn't feel good, then promptly vomited all over her floor. She got pissed at me for throwing up so she made me clean it up while she watched. Then she made me finish the rest of the plate. All of this is an incredibly vivid memory, so if there is some sort of psychological reason for my specific dislike of vegetables, this is probably it. That story sounds even more hosed up now that it's written.
|
|
#
?
Oct 2, 2016 15:54
|
|
|
There is research dedicated to just this topic. Basically you have "normal picky eating" and "Selective Eating Disorder." Here's a handy chart:  Sauce: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bustle/picky-eating-an-eating-disorder-living-with-selective-eating-disorder-and-no-vegetables_b_4986010.html
|
|
#
?
Oct 2, 2016 17:43
|
|
|
Yorkshire Pudding posted:Yeah, I've heard this a thousand times. I'm sure your grandma's special broccoli cheddar soup is amazing, but it doesn't really change the general flavor or texture. Lol that you can write this, period. Preparation absofuckinglutely matters for both flavor and texture. Sorry about your babytongue and unwillingness to explore I guess? More for the rest of us.
|
|
#
?
Oct 2, 2016 20:34
|
|
|
Yeah I'm not normally someone who tries to "convert" picky eaters but if you think a raw carrot vs a steamed carrot with cinnamon vs a pickled carrot have the same texture and flavor you either have a real problem with your taste buds or you don't know what texture is. it's true that some vegetables like broccoli in particular have a very powerful flavor that tends to dominate no matter what you do, but that's certainly not true of veggies as a whole their texture and flavor often change radically depending on what you do.
|
|
#
?
Oct 2, 2016 21:11
|
|
|
Dr Cox MD posted:There is research dedicated to just this topic. Basically you have "normal picky eating" and "Selective Eating Disorder." I dated someone like this, the classic manbaby eating syndrome of only being able to deal with food that's white, beige, bland, heavily processed, and usually found on a children's menu. White bread only. Fries. Chicken fingers. The plainest pasta sauce only. And of course corn, the sugar candy of vegetables. Years of eating completely separate meals and stopping at friggin' McDonalds on the way to every dinner party or a wedding because there would probably not be anything beige or bland enough for him to stomach! What if there was only whole wheat bread rolls!? He was never made to eat anything he disliked as a child, his mom would not dare confront a toddler to eat a vegetable, easier to just make some more chicken nuggets. This guy had never had an egg, in any kind of cooking style, in his life. Because they looked scary when he was 4. He only got over it in his mid 30's after he started taking anxiety drugs, surprise. He sent me a photo of him eating sushi & sashimi and I almost fell over. MikeCrotch posted:My advice is to sever op
|
|
#
?
Oct 3, 2016 08:13
|
|
|
Ketchup and ranch, ketchup and ranch. Baby likes xir ketchup and ranch. (Because it disguises the flavor of whatever it's poured on.) Babies learn from their parents to be picky, among other things. They're pretty smart.
|
|
#
?
Oct 3, 2016 08:27
|
|
|
I don't know why but I have an irrational hatred of picky eaters. Also every picky eating thread turns into that.
|
|
#
?
Oct 3, 2016 23:17
|
|
|
Yorkshire Pudding & Chard both with the name/post combos there. YP, I prefer lovely meat to good veges usually, but still really enjoy veges. Do you find if you haven't been taking your vitamins, veges taste better? I often find if, for instance, my diet is low in vitamin c, an orange tastes so loving good. Not a vegetable I know, but you get the idea.
|
|
#
?
Oct 3, 2016 23:23
|
|
|
Baronjutter posted:I don't know why but I have an irrational hatred of picky eaters. Also every picky eating thread turns into that. It truly is the most polarizing thing. It's funny that in public you can say something like "I really support Trump and think that immigrants are the cause of most crime in America" and most people will just avoid you and call you a racist behind your back or whatever, but if you say "I don't eat vegetables" people will outright insult you.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2016 00:52
|
|
|
Yorkshire Pudding posted:It truly is the most polarizing thing. It's funny that in public you can say something like "I really support Trump and think that immigrants are the cause of most crime in America" and most people will just avoid you and call you a racist behind your back or whatever, but if you say "I don't eat vegetables" people will outright insult you. I think that's because the Trump thing is (a lovely) opinion while the vegetable thing is someone ignoring a common "this is a pretty good idea" science-proven fact
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2016 01:14
|
|
|
Earwicker posted:Yeah I'm not normally someone who tries to "convert" picky eaters but if you think a raw carrot vs a steamed carrot with cinnamon vs a pickled carrot have the same texture and flavor you either have a real problem with your taste buds or you don't know what texture is. I will never understanding why people feel the need to ruin perfectly good carrots by cooking them.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2016 01:24
|
|
|
areyoucontagious posted:I think that's because the Trump thing is (a lovely) opinion while the vegetable thing is someone ignoring a common "this is a pretty good idea" science-proven fact What exactly is the "science proven fact" here? That vegetables taste good? No one's arguing against them being healthy.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2016 01:26
|
|
|
Hate Fibration posted:I will never understanding why people feel the need to ruin perfectly good carrots by cooking them. I love chomping down on a big old carrot but roasted with some spices along with some yams and parsnips and poo poo are a good time.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2016 01:51
|
|
|
I generally prefer carrots raw but they can be cooked well, the problem is most people just make them steamed and glazed in something way too sweet. Pickled carrots are awesome though, not on their own but on a sandwich they are great.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2016 08:36
|
|
|
Carrots and celery are both best when uncooked. Preferably with some hummus or ranch.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2016 14:56
|
|
|
Earwicker posted:I generally prefer carrots raw but they can be cooked well, the problem is most people just make them steamed and glazed in something way too sweet. Pickled carrots are awesome though, not on their own but on a sandwich they are great. Giardinera is a delightful way to sneak veggies on to most things and meats.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2016 17:30
|
|
|
Picky eating is largely a result of upbringing, I think. My dad had an ironclad rule of "if I don't like it, you don't have to eat it" with me and my brothers, and since his mother had prepared all vegetables by boiling them until they turned grey that meant I got to dodge pretty much everything leafy and green for my entire childhood. He also couldn't maneuver his way around a spice rack with two hours and a helpful diagram. Avoidance of an entire food group is habit-forming and encourages people to stick to what's "safe" even if they wouldn't mind the taste. I remember eating over at a friend's house one night and they had tuna steaks for dinner; I thought they tasted pretty good but were weirdly gelatinous in the middle. Turns out those fuckers were served raw. I don't know if I'd have eaten them if I'd known that in advance. Years later my eating habits are still pretty awful but now that I'm doing my own cooking I'm growing out it. Sauteeing and simmering broccoli for my pastas, loading up chili with bell peppers, that sort of thing. If nothing else it means there's a little bit less grease in my diet.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2016 18:59
|
|
|
But taste develops later too... If it weren't for that nobody would drink alcohol or eat spicy food because they didn't do that as kids.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2016 21:00
|
|
|
Stalins Moustache posted:it still feels to me that the whole thing about picky eating and most of those afflicted with it is a case of manbaby-ism who are used to being coddled with and have not in any way any experience with hunger or an actual sense of need. Actually, I understand that picking eating is usually caused by the opposite: overly strict parenting. Like, putting a child in a headlock and force-feeding him. First-time parents especially can get a bit antsy because they don't always understand that kids grow in spurts, meaning it's quite safe for them to stop eating for a day or two if they just aren't feeling hungry. There aren't really any illnesses that just have 'loss of appetite resulting in starvation' as the one and only symptom, so you don't need to make them eat if they stop.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2016 21:08
|
|
|
I'm 35 and only just starting to become a bit more ok with cilantro. Anyone can grow.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2016 21:09
|
|
|
I despise ketchup and mayo. People can't understand how I can eat a burger without ketchup (or another sauce such as BBQ sauce) or a sandwich without mayo. I dunno, I kind of enjoy eating ground beef and sandwiches without tasting disgusting things slathered on them. I love most vegetables, enjoy spicy foods, am always willing to try new things, and my tastes have evolved as I have grown older (used to hate sushi, now I like it). I just hate ketchup and mayo and that has never changed.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2016 21:12
|
|
|
/\/\/\/\ Ketchup and Mayo are more used for "moistening" than purely for flavor, anyway. If a food requires them, maybe you're not doing it right? The thing that gets set in childhood is actually "adventurous eating," or the lack of it. I was an adorable, delightful baby so my parents took me out to eat a lot, and I grew to love trying new things and foods. After my father got some bad consecutive food poisoning or stomach issues or something when I was still very small, we went out to eat less, but it was too late; I was an adventurous eater. Mrs. Rainbowbeard grew up in a very white suburban household and is overcoming her pickiness, but it's not surprising at all given her parents. Wonderful people, just... suburban. The worst thing you can do for a kid in this matter is be picky about food which is safe in front of them. Kids are hella smart, and will pick up on your likes and dislikes. (Don't be racist, even jokingly, in front of kids either, that's how they learn. They're like sponges for all your bad habits as well as good, until they hit puberty or so.)
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2016 21:13
|
|
|
Mind_Taker posted:I despise ketchup and mayo. People can't understand how I can eat a burger without ketchup (or another sauce such as BBQ sauce) or a sandwich without mayo. I dunno, I kind of enjoy eating ground beef and sandwiches without tasting disgusting things slathered on them. The condiment shouldn't really be slathered, more they should serve some important practical and flavor accenting/balancing purposes. Like keeping the toasted bun less soggy by providing a thin lipid barrier against the moistness of the veggies and meat. People who over-apply condiments are usually folks who have leaned on the habit of trying to hide bad flavors, like poorly seasoned, bitter and burnt blacked-into-charcoal or gas-fume-laden meat. In addition to tasteless veggies like artificially ripened large sandwich sized globe tomatoes and iceberg lettuce. D.Ork Bimboolean fucked around with this message at 21:21 on Oct 4, 2016 |
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2016 21:18
|
|
|
homemade mayo with herbs in it can be good and ailoli can be amazing
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2016 21:28
|
|
|
Mind_Taker posted:I despise ketchup and mayo. People can't understand how I can eat a burger without ketchup (or another sauce such as BBQ sauce) or a sandwich without mayo. I dunno, I kind of enjoy eating ground beef and sandwiches without tasting disgusting things slathered on them. I commiserate to a certain extent. The smell of ketchup and taste of mayo is enough to induce my gag reflex. I know why ketchup does this - school cafeterias smelled like lovely meat covered by pungent ketchup. But mayo?  Then again, if its good ketchup, or homemade mayo, or kewpie, I'm ok. Speaking of pickiness, I absolutely hate the smell of celery. It reminds me of prickly weeds you get on your clothes while walking through a feeling. Ugh. I can't be the only one.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2016 21:59
|
|
|
Hm, I thought I was a picky eater, and then I read this thread and realized I don't even register on most people's scales for this. Part of my pickiness comes from weird food allergies limiting my options, and being a supertaster which makes some things totally inedible to me. My parents were also terrible cooks and really only had about 4 or 5 different dishes in their repertoire, so I don't really know if that had an effect. I'm fairly picky about a lot of veggies and dishes I don't like, but I can go to pretty much any restaurant and find something I'll enjoy. I do know some folks that grew up in little towns in the midwest or the south and are pretty much afraid of any new, scary sounding food. Literally they tried fish once 10 years ago and decided from then on that all seafood is terrible and fishy, or they've heard that Indian food is "weird" so they don't want to try it. They'll go into a big city with lots of local food options and promptly find the closest Applebee's.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2016 22:11
|
|
|
I learned today picky eating is a family cultural thing and werdios breed weridos. Also, 'I'm a HYPERLINK', I seem to have an irrational hatred for that too.
|
|
#
?
Oct 5, 2016 00:42
|
|
|
Baronjutter posted:I'm 35 and only just starting to become a bit more ok with cilantro. Anyone can grow. Cilantro aversion is genetic. This means you have a strong willpower but weak genes.
|
|
#
?
Oct 5, 2016 00:44
|
|
|
Just stopping by to out my aversion to picky eaters. I start dry heaving when one even gets CLOSE to me. Please stay away because you personally DISGUST me. I'm a superfucker.
|
|
#
?
Oct 5, 2016 02:34
|
|
|
Nathilus posted:I'm a superfucker. oh thank god, i'm no longer alone
|
|
#
?
Oct 5, 2016 02:44
|
|
|
Chard posted:oh thank god, i'm no longer alone Welcome to the club. We're fully catered. Meat, tons of veggies, all the good stuff. And of course, triple helpings of human misery to enjoy.
|
|
#
?
Oct 5, 2016 02:57
|
|
|
Super picky eaters seem to only exist on the internet, do they just never go out, or does society shun them? The most picky eater I know is a vegetarian that doesn't like mushrooms. Even vegans are easy to feed, just don't include anything produced by ENSLAVED SUFFERING ANIMALS and it's fine and they still like lots of tasty things and never cause a fuss at restaurants or dinners.
|
|
#
?
Oct 5, 2016 05:03
|
|
|
I hate celery and cucumbers. And I'm not big on apple pie because crunchy poo poo has no place in generally soft poo poo. Otherwise food is delicious and I also have an irrational hatred of childish supertasters and the like. Like, I'm not ruling out nearly all foods for bullshit reasons. I used to keep a five pound bag of broccoli in my desk drawer to eat while I worked, and we cook a bunch of different cuisines all the time and mostly eat vegetarian. I think smoking has similar irrational responses in some circles though. Probably because people consider dumb choices that people negatively attribute offensive. 
|
|
#
?
Oct 5, 2016 06:05
|
|
|
Doctor Malaver posted:But taste develops later too... If it weren't for that nobody would drink alcohol or eat spicy food because they didn't do that as kids. I drank alcohol and ate spicy food as a kid.
|
|
#
?
Oct 5, 2016 07:20
|
|
|
tuyop posted:Like, I'm not ruling out nearly all foods for bullshit reasons tuyop posted:crunchy poo poo has no place in generally soft poo poo. lol I mean if you apply that specifically to apple pie and nothing else that's also kind of weird because theres a huge number of great foods that combine softness and crunchiness. like almost every other kind of pie for example.
|
|
#
?
Oct 5, 2016 08:13
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 7, 2024 03:10 |
|
|
Doctor Malaver posted:But taste develops later too... If it weren't for that nobody would drink alcohol or eat spicy food because they didn't do that as kids. I ate spicy food as a kid. Pretty sure plenty of others have too.
|
|
#
?
Oct 5, 2016 08:42
|
|
