But it seems to me that many of the picky eaters have had their choices politicized by their mates, and have dug in their heels, or have gotten to the point where they absolutely refuse to try anything new even if they wanted.
I think you're right, to a certain extent. I grew up on a very limited palette -- in part because my mum was just not an adventurous cook and we couldn't afford to eat out much, and in part I think because both my mum and I had at that time undiagnosed acid reflex disease, and instinctively avoided anything too spicy -- and have since expanded it quite a bit, but it's not an easy thing. For me, there's the poverty on top of it... I eat a lot of things I know I like and I don't experiment a lot because if I end up really not liking whatever I've bought, then I probably don't have enough money left to get something else. I do try to be adventurous and I do try new things but there are also certain things I know I'm not going to like, whether it's just the taste (or the bigger one for me) the texture. I don't like shellfish of any kind, which is mostly a texture thing with mollusks and the like, but with things like lobster and shrimp I can hardly stand the sight and smell of them, much less the taste. Just a quirk, I guess. Sushi's also a texture thing for me. (Also I've noticed that 99% of the time I don't want meat if it's cold, but it's perfectly acceptable to me if it's hot.) I literally tell basically anyone who ever mentions it that I'm allergic to shellfish, because it's the only way I can get them to leave me alone about it. It's not that I don't like every kind of shellfish except the kind at your favorite restaurant, people. I just don't like shellfish.
Which is where the politicizing comes in, because you would not believe how pushy people get over food. My boss once threatened to fire me if I didn't try the sushi at dinner. (I'm sure she wasn't serious, and I already knew she was a bully by nature, but that's just an example of exactly how aggressive people get about it.) I mostly walk a fine line between trying new things and making excuses. I LOVE to try new foods but I also would love for there to be no judgment involved when I try it and say, "Yeah, I'm not really into that." And there are a lot of times I just won't try something because it's easier to say I'm not hungry or I've got an upset stomach or whatever than to try it, not like it, and have to deal with the person who wants me to like it being disappointed or mad that I don't like it. (This is usually less of a problem at restaurants then if somebody's cooked something. It's also one of the reasons why I have traditionally avoided dinner parties. If I go somewhere and I don't like most of the appetizers laid out and maybe find one or two I like and graze on those, I'll get shit for only eating the ones I like. I really, honestly, do not get why people are so fucking invested in what I eat.)
Personally, I don't think I have that ridiculously limited a palette that I ought to get so much shit over it, and it does make me kind of belligerent when people act like I'm some sort of sheltered idiot or something. I don't like the majority of dishes you'd find at a Chinese or Japanese restaurant, but I can usually find something that's good, even if it's just teriyaki chicken and rice or something. I love Thai, Indian, Italian, Mexican, and just haven't tried a lot of other ethnic restaurants like Ethiopian or whatever else, and though not being a big fan of steak apparently makes me a heretic, usually anywhere I go I can find something that's good. There's tons of stuff I haven't tried and am willing to try (if I hadn't, I'd have never discovered my passion for any of the above foods) but I do wish people would stop trying to force me to eat things. I'm never going to be one of those people who properly appreciates "high art" kind of culinary dishes, and I get my cheeseburgers plain because I honestly think they taste better that way: without all the other stuff in the way, I can actually taste the meat and cheese. That's just how I like it. I'm not sure why whether I put lettuce and tomatoes (which I have also pretended to be allergic to :D) effects anybody else's enjoyment of their own meal.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2009-02-13 10:37 pm (UTC)I think you're right, to a certain extent. I grew up on a very limited palette -- in part because my mum was just not an adventurous cook and we couldn't afford to eat out much, and in part I think because both my mum and I had at that time undiagnosed acid reflex disease, and instinctively avoided anything too spicy -- and have since expanded it quite a bit, but it's not an easy thing. For me, there's the poverty on top of it... I eat a lot of things I know I like and I don't experiment a lot because if I end up really not liking whatever I've bought, then I probably don't have enough money left to get something else. I do try to be adventurous and I do try new things but there are also certain things I know I'm not going to like, whether it's just the taste (or the bigger one for me) the texture. I don't like shellfish of any kind, which is mostly a texture thing with mollusks and the like, but with things like lobster and shrimp I can hardly stand the sight and smell of them, much less the taste. Just a quirk, I guess. Sushi's also a texture thing for me. (Also I've noticed that 99% of the time I don't want meat if it's cold, but it's perfectly acceptable to me if it's hot.) I literally tell basically anyone who ever mentions it that I'm allergic to shellfish, because it's the only way I can get them to leave me alone about it. It's not that I don't like every kind of shellfish except the kind at your favorite restaurant, people. I just don't like shellfish.
Which is where the politicizing comes in, because you would not believe how pushy people get over food. My boss once threatened to fire me if I didn't try the sushi at dinner. (I'm sure she wasn't serious, and I already knew she was a bully by nature, but that's just an example of exactly how aggressive people get about it.) I mostly walk a fine line between trying new things and making excuses. I LOVE to try new foods but I also would love for there to be no judgment involved when I try it and say, "Yeah, I'm not really into that." And there are a lot of times I just won't try something because it's easier to say I'm not hungry or I've got an upset stomach or whatever than to try it, not like it, and have to deal with the person who wants me to like it being disappointed or mad that I don't like it. (This is usually less of a problem at restaurants then if somebody's cooked something. It's also one of the reasons why I have traditionally avoided dinner parties. If I go somewhere and I don't like most of the appetizers laid out and maybe find one or two I like and graze on those, I'll get shit for only eating the ones I like. I really, honestly, do not get why people are so fucking invested in what I eat.)
Personally, I don't think I have that ridiculously limited a palette that I ought to get so much shit over it, and it does make me kind of belligerent when people act like I'm some sort of sheltered idiot or something. I don't like the majority of dishes you'd find at a Chinese or Japanese restaurant, but I can usually find something that's good, even if it's just teriyaki chicken and rice or something. I love Thai, Indian, Italian, Mexican, and just haven't tried a lot of other ethnic restaurants like Ethiopian or whatever else, and though not being a big fan of steak apparently makes me a heretic, usually anywhere I go I can find something that's good. There's tons of stuff I haven't tried and am willing to try (if I hadn't, I'd have never discovered my passion for any of the above foods) but I do wish people would stop trying to force me to eat things. I'm never going to be one of those people who properly appreciates "high art" kind of culinary dishes, and I get my cheeseburgers plain because I honestly think they taste better that way: without all the other stuff in the way, I can actually taste the meat and cheese. That's just how I like it. I'm not sure why whether I put lettuce and tomatoes (which I have also pretended to be allergic to :D) effects anybody else's enjoyment of their own meal.
THE END. ;D