Being Picky

If anyone is going to have kids that are picky eaters, it would be me. I am one of the pickiest eaters I have ever met. I've been this way since I was a child. My dad is a picky eater as well, although not as bad as me. He actually read an article recently that doctors are claiming that picky eating is a brain disorder. They've coined the affliction, Selective Eating Disorder, or SED. Look it up sometime. So I guess this means this is not my fault. But I wish it meant there was a cure. If there was one thing my husband would change about me, this would be it.  It can certainly make going out to a restaurant challenging and traveling to foreign countries is downright difficult.  Just ask me about traveling through Spain while 4 months pregnant!

While I do not like my “disorder” and am sometimes embarrassed by it, when I get in to conversations with people about it, they are usually fascinated by the things I will and will not eat. So I thought I would share some of my "quirks" for your reading pleasure.

I actually do like almost all vegetables. Most people assume picky eaters don't. In fact, two of my favorite vegetables are tomatoes (I guess that is a fruit) and Brussels sprouts which are things that even many non-picky eaters don't like.

One of the main categories I have issues with is condiments. I chalk this up to a very strong aversion to vinegar, which many condiments contain. So I don't like:

• Mayonnaise
• Mustard
• Pickles
• Relish
• Barbecue Sauce
• Ketchup
• Salad Dressing - all kinds
• Tartar Sauce
• Hot Sauce
• Most dips

I also don't like any seafood. Nothing that comes out of the water. I blame this on growing up in Colorado and being constantly exposed to delicious cheeseburgers. I considered becoming a vegetarian once when I was a child because I love animals so much. But then my mom told me I couldn't eat cheeseburgers and that was the end of that. So obviously I like cheeseburgers. And yes, I eat them plain. No ketchup, no mustard. Just meat, cheese & bun please.

I also don't really like pork products. I can eat it, but I prefer not to. "Charlotte's Web" is somewhat to blame. But it is also the salty taste (oh yeah, I'm also not a big fan of salt or pepper). I don't like bacon, sausage, ham, hot dogs, etc.  I’m not a big egg person either.  Kind of wigs me out if I think too much about what they are and where they came from.

For the most part, I like dairy products. Most cheese, yogurt and ice cream are all good with me. But there are a few exceptions:

• Sour cream
• Cream cheese
• Cottage cheese
• Ricotta cheese (yes, that means I don’t like lasagna)

Note, all these things are white. But I don't think I have a problem with white things. I love marshmallow cream. Who doesn't? And I love anything coconut. I also like Alfredo sauce, Parmesan, mozzarella and Jack cheeses, whipped cream and cauliflower. That is quite a lot of white.  So there! 

I love almost all fruit. Pineapple is my favorite.  But berries are an issue. Aside from strawberries, I don't really like any berries - raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, boysenberries, etc.

  

I can't really say anything bad about bread. I think I like it all. Especially bagels (no cream cheese), fresh homemade flour tortillas and French baguettes.

And then there are sweets. Unfortunately my picky eating has had no effect on my sweet tooth. I love candy, cookies, cake, pies, pastries, etc. And I am a huge fan of anything caramel. But I am one of the only people I've ever met that does not like cheesecake.

To make my pickiness even more difficult to understand, there are many exceptions that don't make sense. For example, I love tomatoes, but I don't like tomato soup or tomato juice.  I don't like ketchup either, except on French Fries.  And I don't like blueberries, but I like blueberry muffins.  I have no explanation.

I'm indifferent about alcohol.  I like red wine, rum or whiskey & coke, mojitos, pina colada and certain beers.  But I can easily live without all of it.

What are the worst things I can imagine eating? Well, if I were to be kidnapped and my captors wanted to torture me, they would simply need to force me to eat:

• Tuna casserole
• Egg salad sandwiches
• Thousand Island dressing

I feel ill just thinking about it.

For the most part, my pickiness hasn't changed as I have gotten older.  Many people assume that I don't like stuff simply because I haven't tried it.  Trust me, I've tried many of the things I have listed above and wished I hadn't.  But there are a few adventurous things I've added to my short "like list" in my adult years like Guacamole, Spinach Artichoke dip and a limited selection of Asian foods (Cashew Chicken, Yakisoba, Lettuce Wraps & Teriyaki).  So I'm not completely closed minded.

So what are some of my favorite things?

• Cheeseburgers
• Pizza – preferably plain cheese or tomato & basil
• Spaghetti and many other pastas
• Grilled cheese sandwiches & mozzarella, tomato & basil paninis
• Corn on the cob
• Cereal (especially Golden Grahams & Ohs)
• Most Mexican - Nachos, enchiladas, burritos (Chipotle!), quesadillas & tacos
• Toasted rosemary bagels and cinnamon crunch bagels 
• Extra sharp cheddar cheese & crackers
• My mother-in-law's risotto rice
• Nacho Cheese Doritos
• Oreos & Girl Scout Thin Mints
• Starbucks Caramel Light Frappaccinos
• Coke (although I gave up pop for my New Year's Resolution - ugh)
• Coconut Cream Pie
• Dairy Queen Blizzards (Heath with chocolate ice cream is the best)

I could go on and on about my odd eating ways, but I think you get the point.  Good luck Kate and Jack!  I hope this skips a generation so your dad has someone to eat adventurous things with someday!  And sorry Dave, but I think you'll have to find another date to take to the Herb Farm.