Picky eaters of the world unite

Waterbury Republican-American ^ | January 13, 2008 | Carrie Mackmillan

[Graybeard58]

A few weeks ago, I shared my dirtiest picky-eating secrets and listed the foods I refuse to try — from grapefruit to beans.

I asked readers to tell me about their finicky ways. It turns out I'm not the only one out there. Read what they said.

Mushrooms? No way.

Kevin McDermott, Waterbury

I wouldn't eat a banana on a dare. In the late '60s, one of our neighbors had visitors from Delaware and they introduced all the kids to baked bananas. Yum! You cannot even imagine the smell of oozing nanner guts in the oven. I can actually get sick thinking about it.

I didn't try gravy until I was in my 20s and still only use it sparingly. Mushrooms? Forget about 'em. Especially canned ones. The smell of the brine permeates everything. To this day I will only eat a hot dog or hamburger at a picnic. "Other" people's food freaks me out and I imagine all types of horrors going on in unforeseen kitchens. Some day perhaps I'll try so and so's beans but for now, I will have to live without the implied wonderfulness.

The best gift Santa ever gave us was a sandwich grill. It was like today's Panini grill. Mom would buy Velveeta and Wonder bread and we were able to make our own sandwiches any time, day or night. She felt that this combo was more nutritious than most of the other foods hitting our stomachs.

My lovely wife is an adventurous cook, blending all sorts of things together for dinner. Just recently I was informed via cell phone that dinner was to be a chicken tortellini dish.

I was actually excited about it until I came home and found that I would need to fish out the spinach and mushrooms before I could eat it. I have come a long way though. Not too very long ago I wouldn't have even considered fishing, I probably would have just made a grilled cheese instead.

If I live to be 100, I will never figure out why I decided to try something called mahi mahi at Outback Steakhouse. My wife chastised me for ordering flipper and I spent some very good money on a doggie bag.

Now that you think I am a food freak I will let you in on this little tidbit. I will eat tuna salad just about anywhere. From diners to Subway to delis to home I will try the tuna. I could eat it every day and sometimes do.

My personal lunchbox mainstay sandwich is Majesty ham, Land 'O Lakes American cheese, Hellmann's mayo and Gulden's mustard on any variety of bread. It has to be made in a specific order though. I would be embarrassed to admit how often I eat these.

@Copy of Briefhead:It's in the family genes

Megan Plourde, Watertown

I am a picky eater. My parents are picky eaters. My sister and four brothers are all picky eaters. All of our friends and other family members get so annoyed by our eating habits.

I, also, do not eat condiments. No ketchup, mustard, mayo, salad dressing, cheese, tomatoes, etc.

The meat I eat has to be cooked well done. I don't drink milk. I eat my cereal dry. I do not like pasta sauce, so I eat my pasta dry. But I do love cheese pizza. I do love salt. My family members are saltaholics. I would love to sit down and eat a lobster, but I just know I won't like it (never tried).

This list could go on and on, but it must be hereditary since my family is all the same.

@Copy of Briefhead:Picky eaters choose to be picky

Carolyn A. McDonough, Canaan

This is an interesting subject at this time of year when families are gathering together and suddenly learning that "Suzy" is now a vegetarian and "Little Billy" won't eat anything but Cheese Puffs.

Picky eaters are made, not born. I think it is an attention getter. It works for a while until everyone is just bored with it.

Once no one comments, the problem seems to go away. I don't like raw onions (except red or Vidalia onions), but love them cooked in any way. I prefer not to eat organ meats, but love liver pate! I ate an oyster once and that was enough, but love snails!

I will try almost any food. A taste doesn't mean you have to eat the whole thing!

I think people miss out on a lot of pleasure and enjoyment by obsessing about food!

@Copy of Briefhead:Hold the pickle

Stephanie Sims, Cheshire

I am 26 years old and have always had a thing with many types of food. Well actually, I should say condiments mostly. I was told by my parents that I would grow out of it.

But here I am years later and staying strong. I just like what I like. I don't like pickles, mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, hot sauce, relish, coleslaw, tartar sauce, etc.

Being in the same room with someone eating it can even make me nauseous from the smell. In fact, most times I go out to eat, I order something that won't have the option of a pickle being on the plate. I can't just eat around it.

The juice has seeped into the food and ruined it. I usually just tell the waiter I'm allergic to pickles. And most times that works.

Otherwise, they aren't too sympathetic to someone who just doesn't like pickles.

I figure it's not really lying because if a pickle does show up on my plate I WILL have a reaction.

Nice to hear there's other people out there who are considered abnormal.

[Graybeard58]

The author is a liar.

Or just doesn't know the meaning of the word "condiments".

[txhurl]

My great-Aunt used to make squirrel & dumplings like it was the most normal, natural thing in the world.

East Texas 'normal', I guess. Another thing I'll never understand: pickled pigs feet.

[A knight without armor]

Interesting. I know wild rabbit has a wild flavor that ‘tame rabbit’ lacks. I prefer the wildness.

What I avoid that a lot of people seem to like is lobster and crab. I’m not against seafood per se, just that can you believe these two things are way too much like tarantulas to me. I saw a show on PBS where South Americans were catching and roasting tarantulas and they really do cook up with white meat in their shells. Frankly, old as I am I've never eaten lobster or crabs as far as I know so it is not the flavor that puts me off. Just the looks.

But speaking of seafood I am crazy about breaded deep fried shrimp and fish (ala Long John Silvers) and oysters and oyster stew. Yes I know oysters are like big boogers but I’ve loved them since childhood.

[A knight without armor]

I don’t blame you. I don’t approve of tricking people about food at all. I would really resent being tricked like you were. Not funny. I just replied to a person with a picky child. It must be very tough to deal with that because you want them to eat things but you still love them and want to please them. But I would never use trickery. Hey, I never liked the tv commercials with the wife sneaking hubby decaf in stead of regular coffee.

[txhurl]

There’s nothing more fun than the whole (extended) family loading up for a trip to the gulf (Port Bolivar is THE place) to drag up three big Igloos’ worth of blue crab.

You take pictures of those who got pinched with crab still hanging on, examine all the unusuals people reel in (sharks, rays, ribbon fish), drive back to the house, boil and pick for four hours (the crabmeat is to be frozen for future use: no filching!) and wind up with a net of maybe four pounds meat after all that travel and effort.

Nothin’ better.

[A knight without armor]

You make that sound so great. I am sure I’d be tempted to indulge if I were with your gang!

[MS.BEHAVIN]

PING!!

[MS.BEHAVIN]

The only things I really don’t like are fresh peaches..
UGH!
That fuzz..(shudder)
It would be like eating a dead mouse!
Lima beans are just plain gross.
I’m trying to learn to like Brussell Sprouts..
Living in Maine, I am lucky to enjoy the gifts of the sea..
Maine lobster ROCKS!

[McLynnan]

Sorry for the delay, but had to watch the Cowboys and now wish I hadn’t. Good job with the hearts! It’s so unfair you have to make your own smoked turkey salad. We should demand they reopen The Turkey Shop.

[grame]

I learned this when we discovered that my grandson(with a twin brother who would eat anything) won’t eat sweets. Fruit, candy, suckers, koolaid, jelly(he will tolerate a tiny bit on pb&j). But I think he’s normal because he will eat chocolate. Now he does do ice cream, but a little cake w/frosting is enough for him. He will make his own lunch after he has surveyed the weekly menu from school. And sad is the day when they change the menu after they’ve printed it. He is constantly dragging things off to the side of his plate. Plain hot dogs, Kraft mac and cheese are staples here to make sure I have something for him to eat. Oh, yeah, cheese pizza.

[grame]

Oxtails make the best broth, and the meat is wonderful. I normally watch for them to be marked down and make a pot of soup. The broth is so rich and delicious and the meat melt-in-your-mouth tender.

We ate fried brain sandwiches as a kid. But they taste better in my memory than in reality. Plus it is a whole lot of work.

[Rte66]

Well, “them PineyWoods peeps” also eat possum - I never have. Haven’t eaten armadillo - Hoover Hog - either, but have played with my share of the little critters.

I *have* eaten rattlesnake - lol, how’d I like it? “Tastes like chicken,” you figure it out!

I’ve also told about my favorite soup in the whole world, for eons - at Bookbinder’s in Philly. After 40+ years of not knowing this important fact, I found out it was made with turtle meat.

It’s called “Snapper Soup” and I *always, always* assumed it meant red snapper, the fish! (And I had a funny bond with a whole mess of snapping turtles that lived in a creek behind my house - I was devastated when I found out about the soup after my last trip to Philly.)

*Then,* I found out how much snapping turtle meat goes for, per pound, when sold to restaurants. Anyone seen my frog gig, lol? (Oh, I love frog’s legs, too! La Grenouille’s, especially.)

[Rte66]

Oh, I forgot - I do like pickled pigs’ feet. I don’t *love* them, but I like them.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

If I live to be 100, I will never figure out why I decided to try something called mahi mahi at Outback Steakhouse. My wife chastised me for ordering flipper and I spent some very good money on a doggie bag.

Your wife is stupid.

Mahi Mahi is not Flipper.

Mahi Mahi.

Flipper

[Rte66]

I took one of my nieces out to eat one time and ordered a favorite food for both of us, not telling her what was in it. She loved the food and wanted seconds.

I was waiting to tell her they were “sausage/sauerkraut balls” (yummy!), so I guess I tricked her - but she fooled me. It was onions she had refused to eat since a baby - the sauerkraut didn’t bother her (you can’t taste it unless you want to) and when she found out she had eaten onions, she was quite pleased.

Don’t know if she then became an onion-eater or not (forgot to ask), but I hoped so - why miss out on one of life’s great foods?

Myself, I’ve been thinking of looking up some of those recipes of Seinfeld’s wife in her cookbook of recipes with hidden veggies to fool kids (sneaky foods) - just for me, to eat more greens.

[Churchillspirit]

FAT....can't stand it - even a little bit.

Takes me ages to eat anything with fat on/in it. Have to remove every last piece.

[txhurl]

But how do you EAT pig’s feet? Just tear into them like a cob of corn? Do you dip them in sauce? Or what?

[Rte66]

Well, see what you can do! Think of all those hungry people about to descend on the area on “their way through” from MX to Canada!

Oh, I think Comanche Moon is on TV tonight, speaking of riding the TX trail.

[Rte66]

Well, I just pick the little bits of meat out from between the toes.

Oh, lawsie, I just read that back to myself!

[Rte66]

Peach fuzz: That’s why God made man-made nectarines, lol. (I agree with you.)

Lima beans: Aaarrgggh! Dust. They taste like dust inside.

Brussels Sprouts: Love them! Just had some with dinner. I have a new way of making some veggies to insure I eat them more often.

I chop them up and then toss them with lo-cal mayo or other sauce, some little additions like cheese or bacon (very little), form them into nuggets, then roll them in whole wheat bread crumbs mixed with ground up corn flakes, then bake them for 25 minutes. Serve with a tiny bit of horseradish or mustard sauce.

And Maine lobster! Wow! Have you ever grilled one? In the Caribbean, they have all these open-air cafes with big grills out front and lobster halves BBQing. They are scrumptious! Afraid to try it at home in case I messed it up, so I stick with clarified butter. Mmmm!