Picky Eaters

[Duckslayer100]

The pike cleaning thread got me thinking about this: Are you a picky eater? I'm continually surprised by the amount of grown individuals who are exceedingly picky about what they eat (allergies notwithstanding).

When I was raised, there was one four-letter word that my mother hated above all others..."YUCK." If I said that or even tiptoed around the subject, I got second helpings and I sat at the kitchen table until my plate was clean.

I didn't realize it at the time, or appreciate it, but we ate home-cooked meals every single day. Mama spent a lot of time and energy putting her love into those dishes, and I now know how deeply it cut her when we refused to eat something she made.

Anyway, these days I will consume with great passion just about anything set forth in front of me. There are very few dishes that I can't handle. I'm sure a big part of that is my respect for cooks. It's not an easy job and with our fast-food, vast-consumptino society, not as respected as it should be.

I work with several people, (Men, actually), who constantly make me scratch my head by their overt pickiness with food. I can understand if you're 3 and you don't like peas, but when you're in your 30s I expect some maturation of tastebuds to occur.

So are you a picky eater? Is there any food that you can't stand that other people love? I will say that the one food I don't care for (but still eat with a SMILE on my face) is my mother's broccoli-cranberry salad she always makes for the holidays. If she knew I'd rather just have the broccolis bakes or steamed, she'd be crushed.

 

[guywhofishes]

I will, and have, eaten dang near everything. Zero pickiness tolerance policy in the home I grew up in. Thanks Mom!!!
That said I have a low tolerance for food made improperly, lazily, without zest. I'll eat it but sulk the entire time about "what might have been".

 

[Kurtr]

I got told eat whats on your plate or you are going to be hungry the end.. I hated stuffed green peppers but i ate them now i love them

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i will add i cant do brain never been able to get past that hurdle but liver and heart i can eat

 

[johnr]

My sisters boys will eat little more than jelly sandwiches. Her rule was if what I make you don't like there is jelly in the fridge.
Turned out real well for them, as that option has made them the pickiest adult eaters ever.

My kids prefer some food over other foods, but what mrs johnr puts on the table is what is for dinner. Not ever has a PB&J been an acceptable substitute. Not much I cant eat, but ishta to beets.

 

[Up Y'oars]

Be in the Army for a couple dozen years.... you'll learn in a hurry that there's a great flavor in food outside of the Army's menu system. We ate yard bird (chicken) 40% of the time, in some fashion or another, and beef another 40%. When the food wasn't cooked for 150 people in one sitting, you could always count on the MRE's for a number of days. After all of those meals, eating peas or steamed broccoli is a minor thing.

Now, to me, food is food and all is pretty much edible.... except for boiled spinnach, brussel sprouts, and the ever evil plate of liver & onions. Anything else remains a tasty morsel!

 

[ndbwhunter]

I'll eat damn near anything, but I don't like rubber on my meat (silver skin) and bones in my fish!

 

[Joe]

I won't touch hot dishes, ham, over cooked or poorly flavored beef, and most local "homemade" soups. Once you've tasted food outside of this Scandinavian/German pocket of blandness, it is really hard to come back.

 

[Fishmission]

I love fish but won't eat mushy or real fishy fish (hold the lateral lines) Picky on how it is taken care of after the catch.

 

[arrowdem]

im sure ill get a lot of flack for this but... i just cant stand eating onions or tomatoes.. ishta, diced tomatoes in stuff isnt too bad but im not gonna ask for a big slick of tomatoes for my burger and those onions you can shove them right up your ass!

 

[Duckslayer100]

My sisters boys will eat little more than jelly sandwiches. Her rule was if what I make you don't like there is jelly in the fridge.
Turned out real well for them, as that option has made them the pickiest adult eaters ever.

My kids prefer some food over other foods, but what mrs johnr puts on the table is what is for dinner. Not ever has a PB&J been an acceptable substitute. Not much I cant eat, but ishta to beets.

Same here. Our kids get what they're served and if they don't want what's in front of them, tough. We encourage them to be "tasters" and get pretty excited when they at least try everything on their plates. I don't want to force them to eat, but I absolutely can't stand whiny, snotty little kids who refuse to eat everything but macaroni and cheese. Please, lord, don't let my daughter (she's 7 months old) be one of those kids....

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I won't touch hot dishes, ham, over cooked or poorly flavored beef, and most local "homemade" soups. Once you've tasted food outside of this Scandinavian/German pocket of blandness, it is really hard to come back.

You must be a fun guy to hang out with at Podunk, ND bars...

 

[bigcatpike]

I will eat just about anything. There's some things I don't particularly care for, but I still eat them.

 

[DirtyMike]

quinoa. I'll eat it, but my wife knows I hate it. She got on this kick and made it for almost every meal over six months.

 

[Bfishn]

There are very few things i'm not fond of (some organs, water chestnuts). I do expect my food to be decent quality though and prepared well. Nothing turns me off more than the slop they serve at places like golden corral and pretty much every Chinese buffet. A pet peeve of mine are the people that every time they order hold like 3/4 of the ingredients.

 

[AR-15]

When we were kids, the fish peddlers would show up and Mom and Dad would buy hole frozen Northerns, Mom would take a ax and a big hammer and chop them in chunks and skin them and fry them up, you got use to getting all the bones out or you didn't get any, there was a saying at the table, if you got a bone in your throat, eat some bread

 

[Davy Crockett]

The only edible animal part that I won't eat is liver, Other than that I'm a fish, fowl ,meat and vegetable eating machine , I have been known to clean up any left over green beans after supper and drink the juice. Sadly almost all fruit is way down on my list of edible foods and I seldom eat it.

 

[Allen]

quinoa. I'll eat it, but my wife knows I hate it. She got on this kick and made it for almost every meal over six months.

LOL, I only learned to pronounce it correctly about 4 years ago. I was like WTF is this crap? keen-wha That ain't what the label says.




Having spent some time with Uncle Sam's Misguided Children, I'll eat most anything at least once. My kids are fairly finicky, but I know other kids that take it to another level. Seriously, "I hate cheese, but then watch him eat pizza". WTF?

I think the key is like others have suggested, it's all in the preparation. Take something as nasty sounding and looking as bolut and you will be surprised at how good it actually is if properly prepared.

A few things I am not fond of include: squid, trout (salmonids in general), raw oysters, most organs even though as a kid I actually like liver and onions, asparagus, sushi/sashimi, curry, sea weed, dumplings. Oh crap, I guess I am picky.

 

[Mort]

wow...lots of dislike for liver...hmmmm I'm not big of it but i'll eat it, IF I cook it, was cook for over 10+ years and I cook a ton of liver and onions for customers at our restaurant. I got a kick of out of watching other cooks who hated to touch it raw...lol....another big favorite at our restaurant was chicken fried steaks....

 

[bigbrad123]

Ok. I will admit that I am a picky eater. Not big on veggies. I grew up eating a lot of home cooking, but mainly meat and potatoes and "quick" meals due to a busy family life. We make our kids try most things, but we've decided not to make food a big fight with them. One thing I will not do is make my kids "clean up their plate" as long as they eat a little of everything and all of their veggies. I grew up eating everything on my plate since my parents told me to, and to this day I feel like I can't leave any food un-eaten. I guess that's probably why I look like I do :;:cheers

 

[Duckslayer100]

Ok. I will admit that I am a picky eater. Not big on veggies. I grew up eating a lot of home cooking, but mainly meat and potatoes and "quick" meals due to a busy family life. We make our kids try most things, but we've decided not to make food a big fight with them. One thing I will not do is make my kids "clean up their plate" as long as they eat a little of everything and all of their veggies. I grew up eating everything on my plate since my parents told me to, and to this day I feel like I can't leave any food un-eaten. I guess that's probably why I look like I do :;:cheers

I'm with you. I remember being so god-awful full I felt sick sometimes because of that rule. My kids need to try everything, but they don't have to eat everything. And if they don't finish supper, plastic wrap goes on the plate and they get to eat it later in the evening when they're inevitably hungry and want a snack.

 

[Bowhunter_24]

I really love food. I will eat anything. I can't think of one thing I don't like. Hell I'll even drink miller lite if that's all U got