Picky Eaters Need to Grow Up

Don’t let “Fear of Food” limit you

There’s a world filled with wonderful taste sensations — partake in the feast.

As a child, my mother often referred to me as a “picky eater.” I had my relatively small menu of acceptable foods and I didn’t stray far from that list. I have this vague childhood memory of my fourth birthday dinner where I requested to have only ham, mashed potatoes and peas, because — “These are the only foods I like.”

Looking back with the wisdom of age, my theory is that most young children are at least somewhat picky when it comes to the foods they will eat. I attribute this to the fact that little kids have “little kid taste buds.” Everything is new and fresh and intense. This may be fine when it comes to relatively bland foods like applesauce, but it’s a whole different ballgame when it comes to something with the tang and bite of hot sausage or even mixed up foods like pizza with the works.

Being a sophisticated eater is a slow process of trial and error. New foods may be introduced on a regular basis. Some pass the taste test immediately. Some need to be reintroduced again and again. Some never make the cut.

Even as an adult there are still some foods I choose not to eat. Mostly my decisions are based on health concerns — avoid fried foods, stay away from anything with a huge fat content, limit foods with a sketchy nutritional profile and mostly empty calories.

Beyond that, I find myself open to most new and untried foods — especially those that come from a variety of ethnic backgrounds.

I think that’s the way the adult palate should evolve.

It has been my experience that not all adults reach this level of culinary sophistication.

I have had dinner guests pick apart a basic dinner side salad because they only eat certain vegetables (one actually advised me that he only ate lettuce out of all the vegetables included in his salad — and then proceeded to only eat the lettuce).

With a exception of digestive disorders or food allergies, the bountiful gift of variety in food selection is a gift that should not be squandered.

Even today, while I cannot claim to actually love every food item that comes my way, I can honestly say I will honor the experience of being exposed to them. If it’s edible, chances are it has some special place in the world of food. I don’t “love” mushrooms but I will never pick apart my food to remove them. They add an interesting texture, if nothing else.

Science has not yet uncovered all of the beneficial nutrients in our foods that can help sustain life and longevity.

I’m willing to take my chances on a kumquat or a foreign sounding legume in the hope that 1) It tastes good, and 2) It provides a valuable nutrient.

“Fear of Food” is a quasi real psychological condition, in my opinion. My brother once opened my refrigerator door and let out a mock shriek of horror because he saw an onion on the shelf. This is a man who only fears the onion he can see. I know from personal experience that he will eat foods with onion as an ingredient if no one tells him they are there.

I must admit my own culinary growth was, and is, an ongoing process. It is a challenge I am more than happy to undertake.

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