Picky adult eaters

[MJ2.0]

Do you know any? Are you one of them?

On my GNO last Saturday one of the girls ordered a hamburger with no tomato, no pickle, and no onion along with a salad of just lettuce. The people forgot her preference on the burger. She picked them off and told us she would have normally sent it back but she was really hungry and didn't want to wait. I was like, WTF? No allergy, she just doesn't like them. She'll cook with them but then remove them when she eats the dish. That's something I could see myself doing when I was a kid but not as a 30-something.

[billisonboard]

Why eat something you don't like?

[sarcasticgirl]

Being an adult doesn't mean you can suddenly control your taste buds. I am a picky eater, there are many things I simply do not like how they taste- as a matter of fact raw tomato and onion are two of them, so I would have asked that they be left off my burger as week. I would never send a burger back for that, since those can easily be removed with no issue and it doesn't effect how the food tastes. 

So- do you simply eat foods you hate because you are an adult and not a child?

[MJ2.0]

I think I was more in awe that she would normally send it back.

I don't know .... I was a pretty picky eater when I was younger but I seem to have gotten over that. I guess I figured that's kind of how it worked for other people. Guess not, lol!

Part of that may have also been that the foods weren't being prepared to my tastes.

[billisonboard]

Aug 24, 2015 16:40:37 GMT -5 sarcasticgirl said:

... as a matter of fact raw tomato and onion are two of them, so I would have asked that they be left off my burger as week. I would never send a burger back for that, since those can easily be removed with no issue and it doesn't effect how the food tastes. ...

However pickle juice ... When frequenting places I know, I make a big (smiling) deal of not wanting a pickle anywhere near my plate.

[The Captain]

Everyone has their hill to die on.

I will not tolerate powdered sugar on my pancakes, in any form.  The vile, gritty stuff has no business on my breakfast plate.

Funny story - when I was preggers with DD I had horrible morning sickness.  Like "If you don't gain weight by the next visit I'm admitting you" stuff.

DH and I were on a small road trip and the restaurant by our hotel had baked German Apple pancakes.  These bits of heaven take 45 minutes to bake from order.  I was craving it soooo bad (a sign the food might actually, yannow, stay down!) that I made DH get up early the next morning so I could have some.  Note:  I had very few cravings during my pregnancy.

Place the order and wait with great anticipation.  Smiling at DH and talking until the waitress puts my plate down in front of me - yep - you guessed it - drenched in powdered sugar.  Poor DH looks at my face grabs a menu to check and sure enough, it did not! say powdered sugar.  He calls the waitress over who tells us that's how they serve all their pancakes (1).

Then she proceeds to tell me I'll have to wait another 45 minutes for them to fire up another one.  I burst into tears, look at DH and sob "I can't take it anymore" and run out of the restaurant leaving poor DH behind to a room full of glares for making his poor, (visibly) pregnant wife cry.

Sure we laugh about it now, but back then...

(1)  No self respecting German would ever put powdered sugar on their baked apple pancake.  It's simply not done.  Extra apple/cinnamon glaze, yes, fresh lemon juice, yes, even (shudder) maple syrup.  Powdered sugar on a Baked apple pancake is a vile as ketchup on a hot dog.

[MJ2.0]

Mayo is about the only thing I try to get excluded from sandwiches. And only use light oil and vinegar.

[chiver78]

Aug 24, 2015 16:44:47 GMT -5 billisonboard said:

Aug 24, 2015 16:40:37 GMT -5 sarcasticgirl said:

... as a matter of fact raw tomato and onion are two of them, so I would have asked that they be left off my burger as week. I would never send a burger back for that, since those can easily be removed with no issue and it doesn't effect how the food tastes. ...

However pickle juice ... When frequenting places I know, I make a big (smiling) deal of not wanting a pickle anywhere near my plate.

 

if it's a busy time like a lunch rush, I'll just find a stack of napkins (usually bar "coasters") and mop up the puddle when my plate invariably comes out with pickles on it.     but I'd never send a plate back just for that.

picking certain things out of meals after you've cooked with them? I do that. I hate carrots, but soup broth doesn't come out right if the carrots aren't in there during cooking. if I'm the only one eating the soup, I'll peel and halve the carrots instead of slicing, so I can pick 'em out easier.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

I do not like raw onion so I try to make sure that is excluded.

If it happens to end up on my burger I simply pick it off.  I am not going to send it back and wait even longer just b/c there was some onion.  Doesn't mean I have to eat it either.

DH however will have a hissy and hates it when I tell him to "just pick it off" according to him his burger is now contaminated and all he can taste is onion or pickle or whatever the offending item is.

Sometimes he's hard to go out to eat with b/c his list of picky things is so long.   Thank god for the internet, now I can look up menus and figure out if it is a place that has something DH can eat before we leave the house.

[andi9899]

Aug 24, 2015 16:44:47 GMT -5 billisonboard said:

Aug 24, 2015 16:40:37 GMT -5 sarcasticgirl said:

... as a matter of fact raw tomato and onion are two of them, so I would have asked that they be left off my burger as week. I would never send a burger back for that, since those can easily be removed with no issue and it doesn't effect how the food tastes. ...

However pickle juice ... When frequenting places I know, I make a big (smiling) deal of not wanting a pickle anywhere near my plate.

This is me with jalapeños. I don't want any pet of it. Not because I don't like them, but because they are too spicy for me. And before anyone says it, yes I am a Mexican that can't eat spicy food. I know. I know.

[sarcasticgirl]

I think lots of kids are picky eaters, but not because they don't actually dislike the taste of food, but for other reasons. 

I am picky, and I hate it. I try and try and TRY prepping food I dislike in different ways to find a way that I can eat it. And I eat foods I don't like, but can tolerate because they are good for me. 

Some people are lucky and can eat just about any food with very few exceptions, but that isn't the case for everyone. 

[flamingo]

I don't eat raw tomatoes, pickles, olives, or mushrooms. If possible, I order dishes without those things in/on them. I hate when pickles come on a plate with a sandwich-pickle juice on my otherwise tasty food is VILE! Very rarely do I send something back with those things on/in them if the kitchen/server messed up, as it's a taste thing for me, not an allergy. As for salads, unless it says diced tomatoes, I assume I'm getting chunks that I can just eat around or pass off to my DH.

Lots of times I ask for things on the side (like mayo) so I can control how much is put on. Just because you CAN slather your sandwich in mayo so that it oozes down the side doesn't mean you should!! I went out with a friend recently who ordered her salad without tomato, onion, cheese, and croutons (so JUST lettuce) with ranch dressing on the side. They brought the ranch dressing in a gravy boat (seriously) and she proceeded to the entire thing on her lettuce. When the waitress came back, she then asked for more!!   Um, who needs a bottle of dressing for a SIDE SALAD?!?!?! If you really don't like the taste of lettuce (which is what she said) then don't get a salad!

[Deleted]

I am the least picky person in my family, but I would still have asked for no mayo, lettuce, or onions.  Mayo is disgusting and anything with it will be sent back!  I can pick lettuce and onions off, so that isn't such a big deal.  DH and DD are way worse.  DH won't eat anything that touches lettuce.  He swears lettuce leaves a taste.  He eats the most bland sandwiches, meat and cheese, nothing else. 

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

I'm pretty lucky in that the only foods I refuse to eat I can count on my thumbs.  Liver and okra.  There are foods that I don't care for, but will eat anyway.  I don't care for kale, yogurt or chick peas.

There are items where I have changed my mind through repeated trying.  Oysters, avocados are the biggies here.

Everything else is on the table.

[billisonboard]

Aug 24, 2015 16:45:52 GMT -5 The Captain said:

... vile as ketchup on a hot dog.

lol. One of those great times of figuring things out growing up: I remember learning that not only doesn't the entire world eat their hot dogs with only ketchup as my family did, but that most of the world doesn't eat them that way, i.e. that my family was weird.

[techguy]

Thread fail.

Apparently there are lots of picky adult eaters!

[busymom]

I'm married to a very picky eater. Fortunately, my kids didn't inherit that issue. Of course, it helps that I made them try a little of everything when they were growing up.  If we eat at a restaurant, it takes him longer than the rest of us to figure out what he wants to eat.  (It can't have mayo, pickles, salad dressing, most condiments, most cooked vegetables, etc.)  Obviously, he misses out on most Summer favorites.

[MJ2.0]

I don't see it as a fail, I'm learning!

[dannylion]

There is a small list of foods I don't care for and another small list that I cannot abide. I don't see that there is anything to be gained by being a drama queen about it.   I don't order something I know will be problematic and deal with problem ingredients as discreetly as possible if they turn up in food that is served to me. I have no real phobias, though, and no food allergies, so just removing the offending item (usually jalapeno peppers) generally solves the problem.  The only ingredient I ever inquire about are a couple of spices found in Indian and Mexican foods that I simply cannot stand if they are the only flavoring and not balanced by other flavors.  If there is any question about what is in something, I just don't order it.  Expecting the chef to alter the recipe for one portion seems silly to me, so I have never asked for that.  For all I know, though, it is something that would not be a problem.  I don't bother; there is always something else appealing on the menu. 

I have a friend who cannot stand fruit of any kind.  It even bothers her to be around fruit, but she doesn't insist that anyone else forego eating it around her because of her phobia.  It's a significant phobia, but she has never used it to make herself the center of attention.  It's her problem, and she manages it quietly on her own.   

I can understand not liking something.  Everyone reacts differently to the flavors and textures of various foods. Unless it involves a potential allergic reaction, I just don't see the point in turning it into a big deal other than to get attention.  There are other ways of dealing with the problem. 

Maybe picky eaters should all be given the opportunity to experience military survival training.  I learned to eat a lot of , um, shall we say new foods that way.  It didn't kill me and gave me a benchmark for "stuff I don't want to eat again.  Ever."

[Deleted]

Can't stand onions and both mine and DW's family want to put them in everything. I don't complain and I insist that they make whatever they want and I'll work with it, either picking them out or having a piece of fruit. They still make a big deal about going out of their way to accommodate even though I tell them not to.

I do get irritated when restaurants add onions to things that a reasonable person would never think them to be in, like one time a place had them on a Reuben.

[Tiny]

I'm not fond of seafood - I've had oysters (and twice was one time too many)- but seafood isn't something I'd order and send back... mostly because I probably wouldn't order it (or would order something relative mundane - like salmon or tuna or halibut). There's not anything in a particular 'entree' I don't like... so how ever it comes is OK - especially if I've read the menu (so in theory there shouldn't be a surprise)  and if it's something like 'maybe it comes with ketchup' I'll ask when I order. Even if it comes with ketchup - I'd probably still eat it.



I asked friends/family about why they avoid certain foods (in the name of science - no judgement). Was it taste? Texture? Childhood Trauma? something else?

Here's what I found... sometimes it's the 'texture' - raw tomatoes were the biggest offender. apparently lots of foods just don't have a pleasing texture. Smushy - aka smooth or creamy seems to be the favorite texture (I'm guessing either because of dental work, dentures, or missing teeth. - Crunchy is the least favorite).

Then it came down to foods that give people "indigestion" or "heart burn" - raw onions (even the decorative green ones) apparently is a major cause of heart burn. Raw onions also can leave an "after taste" or Bad Breath. Garlic also falls into this category - 'Bad Breath' was a major reason to 'not like' soemthing.

Oddly, a lot of people 'fessed up to avoiding Broccoli because it causes gas.

Fried or oily foods are bad - when the eater doesn't have a gallbladder.

The brine from pickles (and other pickled things) is bad - again because of heartburn. As well as the taste... the vinegar/tartness was too much. (yet, Buffalo Wings were OK... go figure).

Avoiding certain foods because of Heartburn or even Diverticulitis was a major reason for the "picky eaters" in my world.

ADDED:  forgot that some people reported that they just 'didn't like' certain foods - onions (raw or cooked) or calamari (even if it was breaded and didn't look like little octopi) or whatever.   It came down to taste of the food. 

 
I must have a cast iron stomach. I've never experienced heartburn... and I guess I eat a lot of fiber - cause I don't suffer much from 'gas' or 'indigestion'.


ASIDE:
I don't particularly like ketchup - so I don't add it to anything. You have to ask for ketchup on your hotdog around... it's not part of the 'comes with' fixings....

I have discovered Tomato Jam though -- which is pretty damn tasty (I guess you could call it "ketchup" but it's savory sweet with a bit of texture.... where ketchup tends to be runny sugar syrup. )

[MJ2.0]

Other than crab and lobster meat in things, I don't do seafood - it's a taste/smell and texture thing.

[swamp]

I won't eat peas, olives, and mustard. That's about it.  I prefer my food not touch though. 

[Tiny]

I guess I could be a picky eater - if I had my way I'd live solely on the 4 food groups (sugar) AND coffee/caffeine ALA "Elf"

"We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup"

Elf Dinner Scene (spaghetti w/ syrup, and pop belch) in HD :

[dannylion]

I'm not a fan of ketchup, either, though I do like a layer of it baked on top of a meatloaf where it gets all thick and yummy, not unlike the tomato jam Tiny mentioned, but sweeter.

I saw a cooking show where ketchup leather was made, which achieved about the same thing only in a form that could be put onto a sandwich. I might try it just for fun.

Many people love ketchup on fries. I find that very unpalatable.  I had a colleague who grew up in a large family and learned to eat his fries with mustard on them because he discovered he could keep his fries all for himself that way.

 

[MJ2.0]

IMO you only put ketchup on mediocre fries. I hardly ever put ketchup on Wendy's or Chick Fil-A fries.

[whoisjohngalt]

I think my husband is.  He doesn't eat fish, except for tuna salad.  But it has to be prepared just so.  He doesn't like any "white" sauces.  No olives or raw onions.  His sandwiches are very bland.  There are other things.

And yet, he can cook a much more elaborate meal than I can. Go figure

[Green Eyed Lady]

I think probably everyone has foods they do not like, but I don't think that's being a picky eater.  I have 2 girlfriends who I would consider to be picky eaters. When I USED to go out with them, they'd send stuff back all the time for this reason or that. The lettuce was slightly wilted, she could tell her baked potato had been a in microwave, asked for dressing on the side, too much salt, over easy eggs are over medium, bacon too crispy, too much ice in their drink....that kind of stuff. One of them even complained once about the popcorn at a movie. I don't go out to eat with those 2 anymore. I figure if you are that dang picky, stay home, cook for yourself and spare the rest of us your "princess" stuff.   If I don't like it, I don't eat it but I don't consider that picky.  Just my particular tastes. 

[MJ2.0]

One of my HS friends' food tastes haven't evolved beyond the teen years: plain burgers, mozzarella sticks, waffles, pizza, diet soda. No Mexican, Chinese, vegetables or fruit that I could see..

[dannylion]

Fortunately, I don't seem to be the sort of person princesses want to be seen with, so I have pretty much been spared the role of audience to a princess's food-related attention grab.

I did get to witness some practiced princess behavior, though, when a relative married a middle-aged but still practicing princess after his first wife died. Whenever they visited and the family went out to eat, we discovered that if she started to feel that she was not the center of attention, she would find fault with something and create a small scene, usually sending back some inoffensive food item or saying the water tasted funny or she was given the wrong fork (once it was because the dessert fork and teaspoon were different patterns) or something to get the staff making a fuss over her.   Some of us used to try to guess what she would complain about.  Her repertoire was endless, so we seldom guessed right.  We didn't like her.