Charlatan

Hello, my name is Charlatan and I used to be a picky eater.

When I was young, I wouldn't eat much of anything. Vegetables I would eat: peas, corn and potatoes. All else was out of the picture. Tomatoes were OK as long as they were in a sauce (i.e. Pizza or Spaghetti). Chinese Food: no way! (not that it was real Chinese food... just the stuff they served in Chinese take out places).

I was not adventurous.

In first year University I met two women (an early girlfriend and my soon to be wife) who opened my eyes to other foods to eat. Many years after that, I was more adventurous but still rather limited in what I was willing to eat.

A few years ago, I took a job that not only brought me to the other side of the world where they eat different things but put me in situations where I was meeting some very talented chefs and foodies. I made a vow to myself that I would expand my culinary horizons. I decieded:

1. To eat any food I was offered, regardless of past experience or preconceived notions.
2. When dining out, I would choose items on the menu that I had never tried before or was less likely to try. (i.e. I wouldn't play it safe).
3. I would learn to cook new dishes and expand my cooking abilities.

So far, this has been a reasonable success. Just about every weekend I have learned to cook something new or I made something again so I can learn from previous mistakes. I have been eating more fish and seafood (something I usually don't choose) when dining out, not to mention the food of various ethnicities. And whenever, I have been offered something to try... I do (granted, when Daniel Boulud tells you to try something you don't turn your nose up).

How about you? Are you a picky eater or do you like to try new foods? What do you do when faced with something new, odd or different on your plate? Do you have any foods that you will not eat (or even try)? Do you have any food that you have tried but will never eat again?

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Jozrael

My mom served a variety of foods as a kid, or so it seemed. Then when I moved out, I realized that she'd been serving a very small segment of possible foods, and that there was a world of other ones out there. Seafood, for example. I'd never eaten fish in my life. I am constantly expanding my boundaries. There are some things which are difficult. Brussel sprouts, for example. Never tasted them, but was so prejudiced against them that it was difficult to bring myself to eat one. I found it delicious.

There are still some I haven't mustered the nerve to try, but I try more and more foods each year now =). I'm not quite as quick as you ^^.

annie1

I am a pretty picky eater but I have improved as time has gone on. Even with improvement, I am a 9.5 out of 10 on the picky scale. I think a lot of the reason is from growin up I was not ever exposed to new things or new places. Because of that I never learned about new foods and was never encouraged to try anything.

genuinegirly

I am not a picky eater. I have always enjoyed being adventurous with meals.

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Charlatan

I am sure that was my problem as well.

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Baraka_Guru

I have always been a picky eater: I pick food and I eat it.

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lostgirl

I used to be a very picky eater when I was little. I wouldn't eat eggs, chicken, turkey, fish, and many other things I love now.

I can't believe I used to not like sushi and Indian food. I will now try anything that is put in front of me. I have now eaten escargot and haggis and many other strange foods without a problem.

I still can't drink milk plain, it has to be chocolate or in cereal.

Makedde

I am an extremely picky eater. There are not many foods I actually. The foods I don't like I have never been able to get used to. Just a smell alone will make me heave. It's especially hard when I have to prepare my dinner, and I cannot think of what to have. My diet is so limited I eat the same foods at least twice a week, as I have no variety.

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Nisses

I like food

I like lots of kinds of food.

There are some tastes I however can't get used to, even after repeatedly trying it.

And there are some tastes I have learned to dislike because of overindulgence when I was little.


Also, adventurous with food too me sounds like trying pufferfish sushi, or one of those survival-shows on National geographic where you catch and roast your own squirrel...
Openminded however: definitly

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skizziks

i'll eat just about anything. i won't eat brains though, even though supposedly they are good breaded and fried. maybe, if i didn't know what they were and i ate them and liked them, and then found out, i might from that moment on eat them, but i won't knowingly eat them. i don't know why though, as i will eat just about anything put in front of me (provided everyone else is eating it and it's not some stupid dare).

onesnowyowl

No. I'm not sure I ever was, either. The one food I won't eat is chicken tempura, and that's a result of a bad food poisoning experience. I love all sorts of crazy foods and am willing to try just about anything.

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anti fishstick

I am picky but have been learning to branch out a bit. I now eat cucumbers, olives, and onions! When I was a kid, I always ordered plain cheeseburgers, and I still do to this day. It tastes better to me without condiments or anything else.

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alicat

I am definately a picky eater, although not as bad as my BIL who all through elementary and high school wouldn't eat anything but pizza, corn, chicken nuggets and a few other foods.

We were pretty poor growing up, so I didn't have many ecclectic foods introduced to me. The extent of seafood (lake too here in MI) exposure was my Dad baking these god-awful frozen rectangular blocks of cod. No seasonings whatsoever, although I choked it down with "Old Style Sauce".

I still don't like fish, although ironically, one of the strongest tasting and cheapest we ate alot of I love, canned tuna. I don't even like Albicore because it's not as flavorfull. I'll also nibble on a bit of smoked whitefish.

As I've aged my tastes have definately changed. I've learned to "like" but not love some seafood. Lobster, crab and scallops are . I like clams if they're breaded/fried. I've tried, still do, but I just can't like shrimp.

I love watching "Bizarre Foods" and Anthony Bourdain, probably because they are the complete opposite of me, totally adventuresome.

This is a really timely thread, just yesterday the hubby and I ate at a new Asian Buffet. I went up first and reported to him that they had baby octopus, mussles w/ cheese, sushi, etc. He came back with two octopus (just cringe worthy to me) and mussles. I thought I'd be brave and got one mussle and one piece of sushi. Looking at the mussle grossed me out so I gave it to him. I braved a half bite of a tiny piece of sushi and haven't had to work so hard to get something down since I was a kid. To be fair, it had avacado in it that I don't like and the place itself was sub-par, but I really think it was the seaweed I couldn't stand.

I've rattled on too much, I'll just add that I used to hate asparagus and dill pickels and I starting loving both about age 30.

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