Rant space- Picky Eaters
Hi all, thought it might be fun to have a thread to share your stories of insane pickiness with others
Picky eaters are a bit of a pet peeve for me. Everyone has a few things they simply do not enjoy,or the odd food quirk here or there many people have religious/ethical/medical/health reasons to not eat certain foods, that obviously isn't what I'm referring to.
I am talking about the people who are so limited in the food they will even attempt to eat, refuse to try anything new and generally have the mindset of a toddler when it comes to food. They drive me nuts.
I know someone who will not eat anything green except for iceberg lettuce, will only eat sandwiches at Subway, won't eat any meat beside beef or chicken, will not eat anything wholemeal or multigrain, only eats one brand of cheese, won't touch beans/lentils/peas, will only drink one brand of juice and will not eat anything spiced with anything besides salt and pepper.
Do you know a terrible picky eater? Do share!
Picky eaters are a bit of a pet peeve for me. Everyone has a few things they simply do not enjoy,or the odd food quirk here or there many people have religious/ethical/medical/health reasons to not eat certain foods, that obviously isn't what I'm referring to.
I am talking about the people who are so limited in the food they will even attempt to eat, refuse to try anything new and generally have the mindset of a toddler when it comes to food. They drive me nuts.
I know someone who will not eat anything green except for iceberg lettuce, will only eat sandwiches at Subway, won't eat any meat beside beef or chicken, will not eat anything wholemeal or multigrain, only eats one brand of cheese, won't touch beans/lentils/peas, will only drink one brand of juice and will not eat anything spiced with anything besides salt and pepper.
Do you know a terrible picky eater? Do share!
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Replies
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YES.
The BF. His entire repitore of foods is about 20 selections - and that includes beverages. It makes for an endlessly nauseating experience in our trips out to eat (his favorite place to eat is McDonald's. I like fast food but can only stomach so much there before even the smell makes me gag.)
He will refuse to eat other foods to the point where he is in physical pain from hunger. Like, serious cramping PAIN. I have no patience for it anymore and just ignore it now. Gone on long enough - a day or two - he will break down and eat what's available, but only after bugging everyone around him for five bucks for yet another trip to the McD's dollar menu. It's actually embarrassing, as most of the people he tries to borrow money from are in as desperate straits are we are financially.
Saddest thing is that he is yet the LEAST picky out of all his siblings. His brother eats even less, once crowing about his ability to "try new foods" by choosing a different Hot Pocket's flavor. And his sister won't eat bread, won't eat fruit, won't eat pasta, won't eat this, that, or anything. She subsists on french fries (and then wonders why her body is constantly in upset knots, which makes me bite my tongue.)
His parents coddled them all growing up - going out of their way to either prepare or visit separate restaurants for each of them. And even now, with all three children well into their 30's, will STILL do so, spending extra money and gas on keeping their kids from throwing temper tantrums.
Poverty is slowly teaching my BF about the virtues of eating what's on the table - but it is still a truly aggravating thing to deal with.0 -
His parents coddled them all growing up - going out of their way to either prepare or visit separate restaurants for each of them. And even now, with all three children well into their 30's, will STILL do so, spending extra money and gas on keeping their kids from throwing temper tantrums.
Poverty is slowly teaching my BF about the virtues of eating what's on the table - but it is still a truly aggravating thing to deal with.
I always guessed this was the most likely cause of unreasonably picky eaters. My parents had a rule- you didn't have to clean your plate, but you had to TRY everything. That's how you get a 4 year old who loves tabouli
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There's someone at my work that is INSANELY picky. It always bothers me because I like baking and making stuff for my friends at work and she not only won't eat a lot of things but she is proud of it almost...."OH...I don't eat that. Oh no...not peanut butter, see I don't like peanuts unless it's peanut chews." Her picky-ness expands to most healthy foods...and when I try to explain how some of the foods she detests are good for her she pretty much tells me I am a skinny girl who doesn't understand bigger women and their needs to eat whatever they want. This was frustrating in one instance because I was talking with SOMEONE ELSE while this lady was in the room and she interrupts and basically tells me my advice on healthy foods was crap because this person, like herself, was a bigger person who should eat whatever she wants.
More of a rant about this person than about picky people in general.
I think being picky not only is annoying, but it limits you and it also may prevent you from trying new things....but everyone is different I guess.0 -
Your co-worker sounds like a bit of a B with an itch
I've also found many very picky eaters seem to be almost.. Proud of their pickiness?0 -
Your co-worker sounds like a bit of a B with an itch
I've also found many very picky eaters seem to be almost.. Proud of their pickiness?
It is true...and they're usually quite stubborn about trying new things. Unfortunate and frustrating.0 -
Your co-worker sounds like a bit of a B with an itch
I've also found many very picky eaters seem to be almost.. Proud of their pickiness?
Yes! All of the picky eaters I've met seem to think they have highly cultivated and sophisticated tastes. But being able to be picky is a luxury. Has little to do with culture or being refined - it has far more to do with having the availability of a wide variety of choices around you.0 -
I agree!
I just remembered another very picky eating friend of mine. She thought it was "disgusting" to eat goats cheese. She told me this whilst eating a packaged sausage roll 0 -
If I do not like something I will not eat just to make someone else happy. I find it easier to simply not eat with people who have a problem with my idiosyncrasies. A simple "No thank you" works very well for me when co-workers bring food in that I don't eat.
I like my food simple. I like to be able to identify all the ingredients. I prefer most vegetables raw. I don't like onions so much that if they screw up my order and put onions on anyway I won't eat it even after removing them. Mushrooms are nasty. I do try new foods, but only if I prepare them.
With all that said, I really do enjoy cooking and love to experiment in the kitchen. I make many dishes for my family that I don't actually eat, but they love.0 -
I'd like to share a story of hope: Hope for all the picky eaters or those frustrated with those picky eaters in their lives.
My wife, when we first met, ate about 10 things....there was actually a list on her fridge that listed these items so all her roommates knew what she could/would eat. 90% of her meals consisted of pasta with butter, french fries or pancakes. That was 5 years ago. After slowly incorporating new foods, although very slowly, she has expanded her palate to many types of vegetables( she actually ordered a beet and goat cheese salad for dinner last night!). Now, this took time, patience and learning new ways of preparing things I love, so she could feel less intimidated by new foods. Her family, was very much like the stories told here; they coddled her growing up, they never forced her to eat new foods to avoid a fight. The lesson I learned was not to push it, but to understand where she was coming from and work on the little changes I could implement, knowing where the new stuff COULD be incorporated. Now, we travel to Europe or Asia and while she is still pickier than I am, she will try new stuff or at least have a taste of what I have gotten. There is hope for all picky eaters!0 -
I don't give a damn about what people will eat or not eat, but I do get annoyed when they overshare their reasoning. For instance, an Atkins follower who had a mini-fit when someone offered her ketchup on her hamburger at a barbecue. "KETCHUP is FULL of CARBS!" A tablespoon has 20 calories and 5g of carbs. Meanwhile, she was eating that burger on a bun. :laugh: She also believed she was following the Atkins diet when she dipped Slim Jims in Nacho-flavored cheese-food.0
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If I do not like something I will not eat just to make someone else happy. I find it easier to simply not eat with people who have a problem with my idiosyncrasies. A simple "No thank you" works very well for me when co-workers bring food in that I don't eat.
I like my food simple. I like to be able to identify all the ingredients. I prefer most vegetables raw. I don't like onions so much that if they screw up my order and put onions on anyway I won't eat it even after removing them. Mushrooms are nasty. I do try new foods, but only if I prepare them.
With all that said, I really do enjoy cooking and love to experiment in the kitchen. I make many dishes for my family that I don't actually eat, but they love.
This makes sense. As long as you are able to procure the foods you do like without causing undue stress on yourself or others, I can see where pickiness would be less of a problem and more of an idiosyncrasy. And I have no problem when the BF prepares my food differently than his, or if I have to put in some work to rearrange the dish to my personal liking. (I eat condiments more like side dishes, he can't stand them. So I often get up and ready all that for myself.) It's just when we don't have the option to cater to his tastes that it becomes a problem.
I think you're absolutely within your rights to not eat something you don't like just to make someone else happy. I also imagine (you sound really reasonable) that you would not allow yourself to pass into physical pain from hunger, either. I really wish the BF were more like that.
And Ubermensch - that is AWESOME! God I hope the BF and I can pass into that point eventually. He has begun learning how to cook dishes he does like and will even sometimes experiment with different spices or cuts of meat, which is a huge sign of progress. Maybe someday we will be where you guys are!0 -
My mom is a picky eater. I do a lot of the food shopping for her, and there's only about 10 different foods I can buy her, because I know if I get anything out of the ordinary, she won't eat it.
I used to be a very picky eater, but as I've gotten older I've expanded my palate a lot, I grew up drinking a lot of cola and not liking many vegetables, but now I know how to prepare most vegetables in a way I'll enjoy them, and I've traded the coke in for water (mostly).0 -
ugh yes my boyfriend is really picky.... well in the sense of, wont touch anything healthy... its hard for me to cook. ive been cooking separately,, well really just making small things like him sandwiches or hotdogs or something and me like a tuna wrap, but if i cook something like alfredo or chicken or something, he wont eat any vegetables unless i force him to, and the only vegetable i can get him to eat is corn, which is probably my least favorite vegetable.... oh and heres the cake topper.... he says hes allergic to lettuce...... i feel he just doesnt wanna eat it and says hes allergic lol but whatever floats his boat... he just likes to make my job harder! lol0
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Your co-worker sounds like a bit of a B with an itch
I've also found many very picky eaters seem to be almost.. Proud of their pickiness?
Yes! All of the picky eaters I've met seem to think they have highly cultivated and sophisticated tastes. But being able to be picky is a luxury. Has little to do with culture or being refined - it has far more to do with having the availability of a wide variety of choices around you.
YES!! Being an insanely picky eater is truly a first world problem...
I do make some allowances for children, but nothing crazy. My older son eats EVERYTHING, always has, but my younger son is a little different, he REFUSES to eat any kind of beans, doesn't like hot dogs or mac and cheese (since I don't really make those anymore, it's a win, though, lol), but he does like all kinds of salads.
But my rule is, THIS is what I have made. If you try it and don't like it, fine. Either hav nothing, or make yourself something else, because I won't make 2-3 different meals to appease everyone.0 -
I don't give a damn about what people will eat or not eat, but I do get annoyed when they overshare their reasoning. For instance, an Atkins follower who had a mini-fit when someone offered her ketchup on her hamburger at a barbecue. "KETCHUP is FULL of CARBS!" A tablespoon has 20 calories and 5g of carbs. Meanwhile, she was eating that burger on a bun. :laugh: She also believed she was following the Atkins diet when she dipped Slim Jims in Nacho-flavored cheese-food.
This made me LOL0 -
I do not eat Oreo cookies. I've been told that I'm un-American because of that! However, that's one of only a very few things I don't like. I wish there were more foods I won't eat. Maybe I wouldn't have gained so much weight if there were.0
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His parents coddled them all growing up - going out of their way to either prepare or visit separate restaurants for each of them. And even now, with all three children well into their 30's, will STILL do so, spending extra money and gas on keeping their kids from throwing temper tantrums.
Poverty is slowly teaching my BF about the virtues of eating what's on the table - but it is still a truly aggravating thing to deal with.
I always guessed this was the most likely cause of unreasonably picky eaters. My parents had a rule- you didn't have to clean your plate, but you had to TRY everything. That's how you get a 4 year old who loves tabouli
This is the rule in my house as well, and I'm happy to say, it's yielding results with my kids.0 -
I generally have no problem catering to people's preferences when I'm cooking for them. But I recently had a dinner party for some people I'd never cooked for. I sent out the usual email asking about food allergies or any hated foods and got back an email saying "I don't eat anything too sweet, too salty, or too oily" along with a long list of detested foods. At that point I could only say "too sweet, salty or oily is in the eye of the beholder" and cook what I thought would taste good.
She did bring some of her own food, I suppose just in case.
I have another friend with a complicated list of food rules - not hot and cold on the same plate, foods that are supposed to be served hot (rice, potatoes, pasta) must not be served cold (in salads). And that's just the tip of the food rule iceberg. I've known him for years, and don't worry about it any more. He'll eat what he eats.0 -
My 14 year old niece has a very limited repertoire of what she will eat. I worry about her, actually.
When I meet a grown adult who is very very picky, I'm simply perplexed. I've always enjoyed trying new foods - so much so, that I don't understand why others avoid it so much.0 -
Yeah. Me. I don't like vegetables, sauces/creams that people tend to cook with, so when we have potlucks at work, I never eat anything because I know that I won't like it. As far as the sauce thing is concerned, the only thing that I can tolerate is mustard and ketchup, and I'm still picky about that. I don't like the smell of either of them, but I love extra mustard on my burgers. For my fries, I eat ketchup, but I try not to put the ketchup on my tongue because I don't like the flavor THAT much. I know, it's weird.0
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I generally have no problem catering to people's preferences when I'm cooking for them. But I recently had a dinner party for some people I'd never cooked for. I sent out the usual email asking about food allergies or any hated foods and got back an email saying "I don't eat anything too sweet, too salty, or too oily" along with a long list of detested foods. At that point I could only say "too sweet, salty or oily is in the eye of the beholder" and cook what I thought would taste good.
She did bring some of her own food, I suppose just in case.
I have another friend with a complicated list of food rules - not hot and cold on the same plate, foods that are supposed to be served hot (rice, potatoes, pasta) must not be served cold (in salads). And that's just the tip of the food rule iceberg. I've known him for years, and don't worry about it any more. He'll eat what he eats.
As someone who never cooks (and thus has an insanely high amount of gratitude for anyone who does put in the effort to cook for me) - that would drive me UP THE WALL. Wow. If someone is willing to cook for you, you'd damn well better be grateful for their efforts to please you. I'd be soooo annoyed - you have MAJOR patience!0 -
I think so much of pickiness is mental attitude.
My husband was super picky when he was growing up, but I'm a damn good cook and I wasn't about to make him a separate meal, so after a year he was trying different things. Even his mom was amazed. Now he travels all over the world and is trying new cuisine all the time. But he still doesn't like broccoli. I'll allow it.
I have a friend who doesn't like sour cream, mushrooms, several veggies... she won't eat ANYTHING if it has sour cream in it. We had a party one night and she just LOVED what I served - it had sour cream and a few of the veggies she 'hates'. Apparently she still won't try to use these items in her own cooking at home, but she will try anything I make and has never disliked it. With her new son, she is making him try all different foods so he doesn't get as crazy, er, I mean, as picky as her. 0 -
Yeah. Me. I don't like vegetables, sauces/creams that people tend to cook with, so when we have potlucks at work, I never eat anything because I know that I won't like it. As far as the sauce thing is concerned, the only thing that I can tolerate is mustard and ketchup, and I'm still picky about that. I don't like the smell of either of them, but I love extra mustard on my burgers. For my fries, I eat ketchup, but I try not to put the ketchup on my tongue because I don't like the flavor THAT much. I know, it's weird.
I'm not trying to pick on you, but it's statements like 'I don't like vegetables' that I don't understand. I find it impossible that you could have tried all vegetables, cooked in all styles and concluded that you don't like any of them. Could you explain this further?0 -
I would consider myself a picky eater. I do try new things, but I don't like a lot of food. Part of it is the texture of things, I know this sounds weird but for instance, I like the taste of green pepper but can't stand eating a raw piece of a green pepper. I will not eat food I don't like, that's just the way it is. I don't like a lot of things that I know are good for me, I wish I did honestly, being a picky eater isn't always a choice. I literally gag eating some things that I know are healthy for me and I am not going to make myself gag just to eat something I don't like. Sometimes it really sucks because I will be out at someones house and not like hardly anything they serve. I will choke some down to be polite, but I don't see why I should have to eat something I don't like just because it is healthy or convenient for someone else. I don't have a huge food budget either and it is very frustrating. So please take it easy on some of the picky eaters out there, my parents didn't make extra meals for me, they told me to at least try things, and we BARELY ate out when I was younger. I have since tried many things that I didn't like in the past....still don't like many of them. I used to eat EVERYTHING when I was little but now, pretty picky.0
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My buddy's list of foods he will eat:
Hamburgers, plain...he will had the ketchup
Steak (not prime rib)
plain chips
chocolate milk
scrambled eggs and toast
pizza, plain
spaghetti, only if made with his mother's sauce recipe
French fries
Potato (baked or mashed w/o skin)
occasional pork chop with ketchup
Footlong hotdog from a specific seafood shack
Coke/Pepsi
crystal light fruit punch
Chocolate covered donuts
Reeses
Snickers
Peanut butter sandwich (just peanut butter)
That is it.0 -
I'm a somewhat picky eater, but not to the point where I'd come across as rude if I'm being served something I'd prefer not to eat.
I think most of it comes from being a creature of habit, there are certain food item I will only eat if they are the brand I have always eaten (unless I need to in order to not be rude). 0 -
I don't know much about his diet currently but my former BFF was pretty goshdarn picky.
That boy loved his processed foods, to the point he'd out and out refuse home-made steak for a pre-made, frozen pogo-stick. Dinners usually consisted of either pogo sticks, frozen pizza, fries or chicken strips and whenever we'd go out to eat it was ALWAYS fries and chicken strips. Hell I remember one time we went out to a restaurant, me paying, and that was an appetizer option so there wasn't very much of them, maybe three or so?
So he asks for more, which the waitress tries to talk him out of, and ends up costing me double the money it would have otherwise because he essentially had to order it twice.
We'd likewise have to make sure that we were going to a restaurant that would serve something like that, for my birthday, otherwise he just wouldn't come.
Strangely enough it only seemed to get worse as he got older. When we were in highschool he'd eat just about whatever his mom made for dinner.
I saw him for the first time in a year or two in December and no shock, the processed food caught up to him. He used to be a stick, nothing but bones to him but I'd guestimate he's probably gained 40-60lbs. It was pretty alarming.
As for me I mostly just don't do nuts, brussel sprouts and asparagus, though I might make myself eat more nuts. Mom couldn't afford a picky-eater so if I didn't like what we were having for dinner, I just didn't eat. Too bad so sad.0 -
My buddy's list of foods he will eat:
Hamburgers, plain...he will had the ketchup
Steak (not prime rib)
plain chips
chocolate milk
scrambled eggs and toast
pizza, plain
spaghetti, only if made with his mother's sauce recipe
French fries
Potato (baked or mashed w/o skin)
occasional pork chop with ketchup
Footlong hotdog from a specific seafood shack
Coke/Pepsi
crystal light fruit punch
Chocolate covered donuts
Reeses
Snickers
Peanut butter sandwich (just peanut butter)
That is it.
I think I'm dating your friend. That literally just about sums up what my BF will eat.
And Merbear, it's admirable that you do admit eating picky on a limited budget is frustrating. The BF won't even admit to that, merely throwing mini-temper tantrum when we don't have the money to get what he wants. And while I honestly don't think anyone should eat foods they don't like, I think it's imperative that they not go hungry when other food is available.
It's possible that most picky eaters might not be as drastic as my BF.0 -
My ex was like this! He wouldn't try anything new, and he pretty much only ate pasta, white bread, chips and grape pop. I love cooking and trying out different recipes, and everyone loved my food except for him. It's actually one of the reasons we broke up--I couldn't imagine spending my life with someone whose first response to anything new is "I don't like that."0
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