Worst Picky Eater You've Ever Seen

Her.

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I have a school friend that I used to hang out with more when I was younger. She only likes very plain food, like plain hamburgers with no condiments, chicken breast sandwiches with no lettuce, tomato, onion or anything but mayo and pickle, fries, didn't like eggs, didn't like beef, didn't like fish, didn't like anything spicy, no salsa, only "Mexican" food would be chicken chimichangas (fried) with no sauce or beans. Ate plain ham and cheese sandwiches on vacation with mayo no mustard or anything else. We went to Hawaii and she sought out Cheeseburger in Paradise and the Hard Rock Cafe because she knew they would have this type of bland American food. El Pollo Loco is too spicy for her. She wouldn't eat the luau or poi or the wonderful fish in Hawaii. Olive Garden and The Cheesecake Factory and The Old Spaghetti Factory are her favorite restaurants, even now, in her 50s.

R3 how sad.

Trying new foods is a way of life for me

Tia Pepita who sends absolutely every plate back to the restaurant's kitchen to be fixed. She's an embarresment.

He's a nice guy and eats most things as an adult but my brother was the pickiest of eaters as a child. He ate precisely 3 vegetables (carrots potatoes and green beans) and one fruit (granny smith apples), no rice or pasta either. Either we ate meat with carrots potatoes and beans or some bizarre apartheid meal every night of our childhood. For example, the rest of us had to endure ground beef cooked in one saucepan with tomato and onion cooked in a seperate saucepan as "bolognese" on our pasta while my bro ate mince on toast.

I have a friend exactly like R3 and he is 43. Whenever we go out to eat we can only go to one of two chain restaurants he will eat at, and he always orders the same plain chicken - with even the skin removed. He always says he doesn’t like this or that, but I just think that he hasn’t tried many other foods and was maybe slightly neglected as a child.

If you have to make super special accommodations every time you go out, I think the person is better off staying at home.

"She's an embarresment."

Oh, dear! And you're not?

I am good friends with a lesbian couple and we get together several times a year and occasionally vacation together. One has food allergies and the other is vegan. It is a fucking chore to go out to eat with them. I always let them pick the place and they will scrutinize menus before selecting the place. We usually end up at an Indian or Middle Eastern restaurant.

My dog. I’ve tried hundreds of wet and dry food to feed this lil fucker. He’ll eat something for 3 days to a week and won’t touch it again. I’ve had better luck with dry food, but even then he’ll grab a mouthful, run over to the carpet, drop the kibble, then pick certain pieces (they’re all the same) out.

Extreme picky eating in adults is often a sign of underlying psychological or personality disorders, like NPD.

R3 - lots of people who move to LA from places like Idaho (my friend was just like yours) or who grow up in Republican suburbs are just like this. Had a colleague who wouldn't eat ANYTHING more adventurous or "savory" than In N' Out on "cheat day". The rest of the week was essentially boiled vegetables and chicken breast with zero condiments or anything. It was total hospital food. Also, most refuse to try ethnic or even Americanized Italian food.

Had a friend in Honolulu who would not eat or drink anything white.

I once sat in front of her licking mayonnaise off a spoon.

My mom’s former friend.

She would go to a Mexican restaurant, order burritos with onions cooked separately on the side and then put back in, take a smoke break outside, and then come back and refuse to pay for the food because it was “cold”. Bitch, you took a 15 minute smoke break!

I was glad when she stopped being friends with my mom.

my niece. she's 22 and never eaten a burger in her life. hates mayo, mustard, salad, etc. the only meat she will eat is chicken and seafood.

I will put anything in my mouth and up my ass, except beets.

picky eaters deserve to starve to death

one of my exes was pretty picky, he mainly ate pizza and sushi

I grew up in a southern baptist environment in Texas. Our family was pretty strict, but there were other people in the church more so.

One time my brother and I took two super-Christian girls out to get food while their parents visited ours at home. We were all in high school (these girls were home schooled). These girls had bowl haircuts, glasses, properly covered clothes, no make up. Super quiet and obedient.

We took them to a popular Chinese take out place and they seemed really freaked out by it. They seemed upset when facing the Asian people at the counter and when my brother and I kept describing things they could get they looked legit scared! They said they’d never tried Chinese food. I think they though Chinese food might be satanic. We finally got one of them to take a bite of an egg roll. Her facial expression looked like she was trying to solve a complex math problem in her head as she chewed one bite of it. She put it down and said she didn’t like it because it had too many textures. We left.

On the drive back my brother and I looked at them sitting in the back seat and they were both praying. We imagined they ate nothing but gruel at home.

R20 I hate when people say "it's the texture." I don't fucking understand!

R21 Texture, like gelatin. l'll eat almost anything but I loathe jello, aspic, and gelatinous muck in my mouth.

[quote] Extreme picky eating in adults is often a sign of underlying psychological or personality disorders, like NPD.

Really?

I'd be considered a picky eater by some of you, but it's not to get attention, some stuff just tastes awful. The idea that I could grow to tolerate that stuff if I waited to makes no sense.

On the other hand, I'm all about different cuisines, so folks who squeal in horror that they could [italic]never[/italic] have Indian or Ethiopian food sound juvenile to me.

Items I would pretty FL anything to avoid: broccoli, cauliflower, olives, celery, cucumbers/pickles, beets (beetroot), strawberry, green bell pepper, raw tomato, blue cheese (can tolerate it in "crumble" form in salads on occasion).

R21: the raw tomato thing is about texture. A friend who didn't eat that either extended it to disliking watermelon as well. At DL, one poster said he couldn't stand jelly donuts as a texture thing (as in jam was fine spread on toast but not squirted globs).

That donut jelly is gross though. It isn't normal toast jelly, it's something else.

Jelly is not real food.

I'm fond of raspberry jelly donuts, though they're so messy.

Mmmmm donuts!

[quote] We finally got one of them to take a bite of an egg roll. Her facial expression looked like she was trying to solve a complex math problem in her head as she chewed one bite of it. She put it down and said she didn’t like it because it had too many textures.

Egg roll is usually the one thing a person first trying Chinese food will like. I can't understand not liking the texture of a fried wrapper and then a filling. I guess she just wanted to eat something like a potato chip that is one texture.

R11, I too have a picky dog. Go and get sugar free whipped cream and put a dab on top of the food, he’ll eat it right up.

[quote] Extreme picky eating in adults is often a sign of underlying psychological or personality disorders, like NPD.

Many people have medical issues where they can no longer eat spicy food, on doctors orders. These people deserve compassion, not shaming.

[quote] I hate when people say "it's the texture." I don't fucking understand!

Try eating tripe. You'll get it then.

[quote]Many people have medical issues where they can no longer eat spicy food, on doctors orders. These people deserve compassion, not shaming.

many people do NOT. go eat a bowl of shit

R20 - what would they do if you took them to a Korean BBQ? Most Koreans are very Christian. Say it has too much spicy Jesus juice?

Two of the most annoying picky eaters I've ever met both had a the similarity in that they considered mac and cheese a vegetable. Sure, I understand it being a side dish and it's delicious if made well, but that is in no way a vegetable and that's really damn stupid. In fact, they were both truly stupid. I wonder what their colons are like now. It reminds me of adults who say they don't like the taste of water. Dear lord.

[quote] I will put anything in my mouth and up my ass....

Maybe you should go to a salsa cooking class in the Southwest...

I knew a guy who hated anything spicy. Only liked bland foods. Even put a condom on hot dogs.

My friend's parents raised him & his siblings with a limited range of foods. Campbell's bean & bacon soup was one of the few things they'd eat. That soup has small bits of carrot (not cubes like in the vegetable soup) in the soup. Anyway, my friend would take the time to fish out every single bit of carrot before eating that soup.

A friend was a FOH manager at a Michelin 2-star restaurant frequented by celebrities and gastro-tourists, so she was used to dealing with the requests of picky eaters.

However, none topped a multi-page fax sent on behalf of a very wealthy customer who would be visiting from Japan. In addition to a whole bunch of very specific likes/dislikes, the most absurd of all was "no white food." Not as in no bleached flour, white rice, etc., which is not uncommon, but no white-colored food at all. No white sauce, no cauliflower, no bright white fish, etc.

The pickiest eater I knew personally was a former co-worker who took "meat and potatoes" to an extreme. She ate no fruit at all and no vegetables except potatoes and the occasional green bean. When a waiter would ask "Soup or salad?" she would just say "no." At age 20, she already looked like a middle-aged woman.

We're all particular about certain things, but I refuse to make a meal or dine out with a super duper picky eater. I'll make a vegan meal, dine in vegan places, that's cool and fun. You prefer certain things, awesome, tell me more. Truly picky eaters (adults) though are a personality type. No thank you and we won't ever get along, probably in all walks of life. And of course I'm not writing off people completely, I just know we won't add value to each other in general.

Parents who encourage their kids to be picky eaters are doing them a great disservice. Fair or not, people do make judgments about what a person eats. If I was at a business lunch and someone ordered chicken tenders I wouldn’t be able to take them seriously. I like chicken tenders as much as the next guy but in a business setting I am going to order something healthy and a bit more sophisticated.

R40 - thank you for saying that. A thing I always noticed was that when I was working in a law firm while getting my MBA, when I went out with colleagues who didn't have a degree and were married to blue collar guys (firefighters, etc.), they would look amazed that I would order an avocado chicken versus meatloaf...never felt so gay in my life and I'm not even remotely femme. In fact, growing up in a more educated environment and travel and sampling various cuisines at home and, later with my late partner, developed my palate. If they still think Olive Garden and mac n' cheese is the best thing you can eat...shows.

An old co-worker of mine used to boast that he never ate vegetables. For his birthday at the office, he got a cake in the shape of a hamburger.

I hate office birthday parties with the heat of a thousand suns. Also, pretending to get excited.

R39

Where is the line to cross as a "super duper picky eater"? My ex, whose only real no-go was meat on-the-bone, was fine with not having the half dozen or so items I can't stand at home.

R41 I worked at a law firm for a few years. I remember one Monday a younger lawyer was talking with a younger secretary in the break room. They were flirting hardcore. They asked about each others weekends.

His was classy- a little work, a new upscale Italian restaurant, and a production of Salome.

Hers- she ordered a pizza from Little Caesars, drank wine, and watched the Real Housewives.

She talked to the other secretaries how he was a snob and an elitist.

Sorry R45, but hetero-metros do exist.

R45 - did you get ass?

My friend’s current boyfriend has to be up there. This is the message he sent me when he was coming over to dinner:

Hi there. Paul here. Michael forwarded to me your message regarding food exclusions (which for embellishment and self esteem purposes I will call 'touches of food discernment') and now I have the delightful task of going through the details with you. Please let me pre-empt this message with a note that, after the list, the following options will go through your mind: 1. You wish you had not invited us 2. You wish you had invited Michael only 3. You wish you could postpone this dinner invite to March. Year 2035. 4. Maybe if you don't ever reply, we will forget about it and never discuss it again. All valid options, by the way.

Ok, let's start with basics. I don't eat raw leafy greens, so no salads. In fact, no raw vegetables. Period. From the cooked vegetables, I can't eat stuff that goes mushy in texture, so no eggplant, zucchini or squash. No okra either, or capsicum. Broccoli, broccolini, cauliflower, green beans, Brussel sprouts (sadly, no cabbage), peas, carrots, potatoes, pumpkin, mushroom, all very much LIKED. 󾌵 Meat wise, can eat most anything, tend to eat duck a bit less as find a bit too fatty and rich. No dry fruit in general, even less when added to food, like raisins or sultanas. Vile. No olives, no raw onions or, if cooked, usually can have them if they are finely chopped. Fish usually ok, and shellfish wise, love prawns, calamari, scallops. No mussels (it's basically cunt in a shell) or oysters (who needs to eat snot?) Lucky I pre-empted the options, huh?

R46 He was a super smart and nice guy.

R47 The girl he went on the dat with is a surgeon and they are a happily married power couple.

R48 At least he likes vegetables.

R46 He is the type of guy that only listens to classical music, is super well read and well versed on current events, but is also super popular and can fit in anywhere. His wife, the surgeon, is kind of bitchy princess but he is not whipped. It's a "you do you" type of marriage I guess.

so, in short, he is probably gay R47

R48 - hated eggplant until I came out to Eastern Europe. You char them on an open flame and poke a few holes so the smoke penetrates the soft interior. You remove the skin and then puree the insides with crushed garlic, salt, a dash of vinegar for tanginess...throw in some chopped crunchy red onions and whip it up with some homemade mayo. Then you spread it on homemade baked bread. I make a zucchini cream soup with smoked bacon bits that I am pretty sure would change your mind. I have cooked this stuff and it had helped the set the "mood" for an evening. Also, your palate is a turn-off bitch. Explore some ethnic cuisine because at this rate you will end up celibate for life.

Two friends, one I've known since I was a kid. She refuses to eat vegetables or fruit. It's the most bizarre thing to me as I love both and grew up eating them. I once went to dinner with her and her husband and I ordered a salad instead of the soup and they both looked at me like I was an alien. "A SALAD???" Yes, dear. You should try one. Yes she has a weight problem (as do I so no judgement on that) but she's also starting to suffer from some health issues. Her doctors keep telling her to eat more greens. She refuses.

Another won't eat anything with condiments. She will order a burger plain. Hates onions. Seems to enjoy only grilled cheese sandwiches. It's a pain going out to eat with her as she has to modify every fucking thing she orders.

Those girls sound like a trip. Yeah, they probably think of it as heathen godless non-kkkristian food.

I forgot to add my sister. She's a health nut and refuses to eat anything she hasn't cooked herself. She only eats organic and spends upwards of a grand on organic food a month. She's paranoid about everything. She called me last month out of the blue to tell me she read an article about a chemical that is in every cooking oil we use and that it's KILLING US! She then mentioned an oil at Trader Joes that is the only one that doesn't have said chemical. I tune her out most of the time so I can't tell you the name of the chemical. She brings her own food to any party/dinner she's invited to. She won't eat sweets but if I'm eating something sweet she will eat a bite of whatever I'm having. She is obsessed with weight and people who are fat. She's in great health but I'm overweight so she's constantly sending me articles about what to eat and weight loss tips, unsolicited. Whenever we talk she asks me what I eat. She's the food police but I've gotten to the point where I tell her she's ridiculous and she needs help. She's obsessed with food moreso than any fat person I've ever met. She is in a position where she can hire where she works and she refuses to hire anyone with a weight issue. She's convinced that all I need is an energy healer and to stop being a night owl (been my whole life) and that I'll lose weight. It's highly annoying.

Some of these people probably grew up in households where the parents catered to their weird shit. My mom would cook and if we didn't eat it, tough shit, go hungry.

R54 your sister has an eating disorder.

My nephew, who is autistic (yes, he really is autistic) is a picky eater. I believe that some of the pickiness is due to autism. However, the parents make it worse. We were in a restaurant and he decided he wanted to try something new (new to him) from the menu. His parents were saying: "You sure you want to try that?" Honestly, I wanted to cry. (Mary!) He's already disabled and the parents are just making it worse.

I'm not really a picky eater--the only things I truly detest are fish (naturally) and raw tomatoes)--but I AM a picky drinker. I don't like milk, tea, sugary sodas (Diet Coke is OK), beer, wine, or liquor. I didn't start drinking coffee until I was 60. Pretty much all I drink is coffee, water, and one diet Coke a day. Once in a great while I'll have juice. But that's about it.

I apologize for the low tone of this, but glimpsing through this thread makes me think of what Jeffrey Dahmer's mother would say...

R10 get rid of those lez you friends, fast!

Also please consider that some people have a taste for shit. I don’t care how good the name or ethnicity, sometimes you gotta call it shit. Ethiopian food sucks.

A friend was once served a house ketchup with her fries at a small-brewery restaurant. She dipped a fry, took a bite, gasped, choked, spit, and started crying while she loudly attacked her lesbian friend for not telling her there was cumin in the ketchup. She [italic]was[/italic] high-strung, but after the "you poisoned me" evening I ensured she chose the restaurant on the very infrequent occasions we dined together.

R62, I'd never associate again with this friend, much less dine together.

I have had a similar experience where the tap water they bring to the table has been infused with cucumber. I'm firm about it, but don't throw a total fit, in asking the server if I can have some plain water. ("Sorry, but I really dislike cucumber.")

A friend of a friend who I will refer to as Danny Downer. He has a laundry list of " sensitivities" that MUST be catered to. Take the prissy cunt to anywhere more exotic than Bob Evans and he will spend the entire meal making bizarre exaggerated facial expressions as he chews. It's like he's in one of those reaction videos on YouTube. He once sighed heavily and said " I can't do this anymore" while eating bulgogi. The elderly Korean woman waiting on us made a stank eye at him when she took away his mostly full plate and I don't blame her. I wish she had slapped him. Hard.

The worst incident I recall is when my friend, a trainer who 'didn't eat fat,' made the falafel guy give him the falafel raw. The falafel guy begged him not to eat it that way, but he wouldn't budge. He didn't come to any harm, but it put me off my lunch.

That sounds falawful!

I don't give a fuck what other people eat. The lengths some of you will go to to have an opportunity to judge, I can't take it sometimes.

I had a very picky brother. He ate bacon, angel hair w/homemade meat sauce, pizza, grilled cheese, Campbell's Vegetarian Vegetable soup, pastina. By the time we were teens, he had advanced to fast food hamburgers with nothing on them—just the burger and the roll.

I eat almost everything, but I have preferences. I like Italian, Mexican, Thai, and sushi when I eat out. Or various interpretations we call American cooking that basically depend on French technique. My favorite thing to cook at home is Italian.

The things I don't like are mostly the things on the supertaster list, save coffee and grapefruit.

Perhaps because of my brother, it has never occurred to me to judge other people for what they eat.

R68 eats it all and thinks she has a spot on this thread.

And notice how "worst picky eater" is now considered "judging,"

Judging you, debaser of Gustav's willingness to observe all human activities and comment on them.

I’m a picky eater. Don’t like it? Mind your own damn business, control freak.

Smell you, R68. People who gross out/inconvenience/shame others with their kooky food preferences are not generally popular. You're trying to sound like Gandhi, but you're failing.

R51 not sure who you’re talking to as the post I made clearly states that this was a message I received from my friend’s new boyfriend, not me. And the fact he’s my friend’s new boyfriend means he isn’t suffering from celibacy even if that’s what you think is happening. And look at you with your smoked eggplant recipe. You almost rival Greg in culinary skill. Can’t wait to hear what you do with prunes.

[quote] I have a friend exactly like [R3] and he is 43. Whenever we go out to eat we can only go to one of two chain restaurants he will eat at, and he always orders the same plain chicken - with even the skin removed. He always says he doesn’t like this or that, but I just think that he hasn’t tried many other foods and was maybe slightly neglected as a child.

[quote] People who come to LA haven't been exposed to more foods...

I am from LA and I have eccentric food tastes like the quote. Sushi and other shared dishes was an issue with an ex who felt sushi was communal. I like great restaurants, just plain dishes. I went to see a nutritionist and I, as well as many of the people described. are what she called "super tasters" . Our taste buds are so sensitive we are more textural in our preferences like plain burgers, minimal sauces or condiments. Liking white foods is also common. I eat nutritiously but I can eat the same shit every day. It's more common than you think. My parents did also acquiesce to my picky ways which doesn't help.

[quote] I like chicken tenders as much as the next guy but in a business setting I am going to order something healthy and a bit more sophisticated.

I think you can only make that judgement on the hotness factor. If a guy looks great, has an amazing body, and is way hotter than you, if he orders chicken tenders it's a show that you can look hot and eat what you want. When hot people eat bad food it's almost considered sexy or a trait you want. Not so much the case if you are a fatty or don't look good in nice clothing.

You know what I dont get is fat people who are picky eaters. The type that you take out to eat and they are so impossible, take forever to order and send food back like 10 times.

I have never, and will never eat any sort of bean. Hate the smell, texture, appearance. Mom used to make huge vats of Pinto Beans with cornbread on the side. I ate PB&J those nights.

The idea of eating a Lima bean, fills me with dread.

r76 did you like other things your mom cooked?

My ex, who was coddled by his parents. No salad. The only vegetable or fruit he eats is applesauce. Every meal is either Mac and cheese or pancakes. Chick Fil A is a gourmet outing for him.

This diet lead to some pretty serious health issues. So friends, if you meet someone super picky who has baby tastes, strap yourself in or on for a little ED fun. Will they tell the doctor about it? Nope.

90 percent of these picky eaters are a result of either indulgent parents or lazy parents. The idea that a child will eat nothing but chicken tenders and mac and cheese is a myth spread by suburban American breeders. If the brat is regularly told to eat the food presented to them or go to bed hungry they would change their act quickly enough. The trick is to introduce them to a variety of foods early. Oh little Jaydyn and Madlee don't like salmon teriyaki stir fry? Then send their asses to their room while everyone else eats.

I have a good friend who's very picky. Our mutual friends despair and have given up taking him out to good restaurants or cooking for him, but I enjoy having him over for dinner. I'm not a great cook, and it's a kick getting out my mom's 1950s cookbooks and making some chicken-broccoli-cheese bake à la June Cleaver.

I come from a lower middle-class background, which breeds this kind of pickiness, but I was able to escape the culinary limitations. The rest are stuck. My one sister subsists on chips, bread, and pasta; she won't even eat the fruit in a pie--picks it out and eats the crust only. The other is a vegetarian (for ethical reasons) who doesn't like most vegetables or eggs. My stepdad wants only meat, packet gravy, and a limited range of veg. Trying to cook or eat at a good restaurant with these people is impossible. They think I'm the picky one for hating Red Robin, their favorite trash pizza joints, Denny's.

[quote]If I [bold]was[/bold] at a business lunch and someone ordered chicken tenders I wouldn’t be able to take them seriously.

Similarly, I can't take someone seriously who doesn't know how to use the subjunctive.

Oh, [italic]dear.[/italic]

Picky drinkers, especially broke ones, are the worst. I have a family member who was broke half the time. Whenever we'd all get together, he'd be looking for the most expensive thing to drink (free) and would be mooching cigarettes. Then, he'd complain about how he can't drink rotgut this or that; it would upset his stomach / give him a hangover. He'd say he can only drink ___ brand of ___ (expensive booze that somebody else brought to the party). 🙄

My best friend! I love the man to death, but damn does he have baby tastes.

- He won't any seafood. None. EXCEPT raw tuna. Which is just bizarre. So no shrimp, salmon, sea bass, scallops.

- He won't let tomatoes or onions on his plate. Ever. Especially tomatoes. This includes any and all tomato sauces.

- Anything "squishy". Whatever the fuck that means.

He's brilliantly smart, very successful, a great, great guy. But eating out with him is a chore.

Thankfully, he has a good sense of humor about it. And he always let's the server know he tips very, very well (and he does).

Stop shaming those of us who like what we like so long as we go out and have a good time. If we both want steak at Mastros, don't shame me that I want a well done steak and call it a crime. Who cares? I will turn a blind eye when you cover your potatoes with disgusting sour cream and loaded with butter. Mind your own business unless you are paying for my meal, which I presume you want me to enjoy. If you find someone so terrible to dine with, don't ask them out. There are worst traits to have then being a picky eater.

[quote] He always says he doesn’t like this or that, but I just think that he hasn’t tried many other foods

I'd be considered a picky eater by most of you folks, and I've tried those foods, which is why I know I dislike them. The only food I can think of that I eat now, though having been against it before, is cooked spinach; even then, I prefer it as part of an Indian meal rather than western.

R83 - I hate broccoli so much I don't want it on the plate. If, despite my best efforts, it arrives as an unpleasant surprise at a restaurant as a vegetable, you'd better believe that I try to quarantine every single fleck of it. R80's June Cleaver dish reminds me of an episode earlier this year. My aunt and uncle had come over for lunch, with her providing a mixed vegetable quiche as the main dish. I ate one piece to be polite, but it was a real effort.

To the "I eat everything, how can these people object to foods???" gang, here's an example: green pepper. It hits my taste buds as very bitter. Would you have a glass of vinegar with your meal?

R84 - I used to order food well done, but got tired of having to wait so long for it to be finished, so now order food beef medium well. On the other hand, I like sour cream on baked potatoes though adding butter also is a bit over-the-top.

Finally,... I eat Brussel sprouts, anchovies, and durian (though not papaya, which does taste of vomit to me), three things many folks won't touch. I don't mind liver, but avoid tripe.

R70 - there is a difference between a picky eater and a person who makes everyone else miserable because they won't eat a damned thing at the table. You may not like spicy, I can't have anything with milk or cream...ok, but we tell people and don't have a problem with EVERYTHING on the table. Overly picky people are just annoying and obnoxious and spoiled.

R72 - here's what I have been doing with prunes since I work from home and have so much time. Also, don't ask why they say "plums". I buy prunes. Also, I don't drink it but it makes a good present. Since you asked. Also, my comment was a response to your friend, not to you so my apologies if I didn't make that clear.

My mom is also a picky eater. She won't eat most chicken dishes ("tastes like the smell of a cadaver"), any raw onion or anything that contains it, any raw or cooked garlic, any red meat or pork, any innards, most fish and everything makes her nauseous. She was so obsessed with being a size 8 when her sister was a size 4 that she ate like 2 apples a day and had to get on hormones to re-start her period. She essentially can't stand to cook because it requires oil (can't stand it either) and the smell of cooked food. It's very hard to deal with her. That said, she amazingly wolfs down Indian food and chocolate ice cream. However, at home the only thing she will eat is a bowl of pasta, with the plainest tomato sauce, cottage cheese and thawed frozen peas or chickpeas from a can. Absolutely crazy.

I once knew a guy who ONLY DRANK DR. PEPPER WITH NO ICE. Cold, but no ice. Literally that's all he drank. No water at all. Nothing but Dr. Pepper.

He also ate only a few things:

Chicken strips Pasta of any kind with cheese on it Tortilla chips with warm cheese sauce

...like, no joke, that's all he ate. I could barely be in his presence without wanting to smack him.

I've often fantasized about eating nothing but roti canai and mee goreng myself...

Picky eaters with baby tastes = Autistic

I have a cousin who is a picky eater even as an adult. I had the misfortune of sitting next to her at a wedding. She wouldn’t eat fish (hates seafood), wouldn’t eat the chicken (didn’t like the way it looked…it was a simple grilled chicken breast), bitched about how gross salad dressing was (also didn’t eat tomatoes) and the coup de grace was her rejection of dessert. It was ice cream rolled in a simple crepe. WTF?! Just eat it, damn it!

And you, R71, try to sound like Oscar Wilde but it's more like Hal Holbrook playing a gay man Off-Broadway in 1972.

Unlike most of you here I'm a little picky about eating human flesh.

I mean, I [italic]know[/italic] it's a delicacy, but....

I hate going out to dinner who is on a keto diet...just the worst.

I had a boyfriend who wouldn't eat my ass or my loads.

"I hate broccoli so much I don't want it on the plate. If, despite my best efforts, it arrives as an unpleasant surprise at a restaurant as a vegetable, you'd better believe that I try to quarantine every single fleck of it."

MARY!

I'm somewhat picky in that I lost some weight a few years ago and want to keep it off. However, I don't tell anybody about my diet restrictions. I mainly eat at home, but when I'm out or at other people's houses, I just make do with what's available.

Call me judgmental, but I think it's kind of nuts to make a big deal about your diet restrictions unless you're planning on being somewhere for a few days.

r95, they are just behind vegans in biggest pains in the asses to eat with. I had a friend who is constantly doing keto (really, really bad for you). Went to dinner and they brought us bread with butter. My friend actually sat across from me, pealing open butter pack after butter pack and eating them. She actually ordered more and kept telling me how good the bread looked that I was eating. Bitch, eat some bread.

I stand by that, R97. Has to do with the smell of broccoli bring nauseating. I just want nothing to do with it. I hate it do much that I'm afraid it'd be a deal breaker in a future relationship about forbidding it from the house. If he likes it, he can eat it elsewhere.

Are you 5, r100?

No, R101. Broccoli smells gross when cooked.

In my desire to share a really good recipe for cod with tomato sauce and prunes, it became clear that most people out here have the palate of a child and have not matured into adults who are interested in trying new things and moving beyond whatever mom made. That's unfortunate.

When I was a child I had a cousin who ate only Cream of Wheat. I also had a nephew who only ate Celeste frozen pizza (even on Thanksgiving). Parents should not allow this sort of eccentric behavior. Children who are allowed to fixate on certain food items to the exclusion of other "normal" food, are helping create immature adults who annoy others and who embarrass themselves in social situations. Clearly, that is what has happened with a good many of the people on DL.

R75, the pickiest eater I knew was morbidly obese. Didn't eat most vegetables or fruit (didn't like the seeds in strawberries, for example). I don't mind picky eaters but she would always complain when going out to eat. Yet when I lived with her and I woke up in the morning I'd find empty chip bags or an empty Ben and Jerry's pint. She grow up poor, though, and it's not easy to eat healthy when you have little money, and when you're a kid you're dependent on your parents, in her case her single mother, to feed you. She eventually started eating a wider variety of foods, but never lost weight.

R103 exactly. 90 percent of these whiny, entitled and childish eaters could have had their behavior nipped in the bud immediately. Introducing a variety of foods is like learning a new language. It must be done early on. I do wonder how many of these types are living with undiagnosed mineral deficiencies thanks to their neuroses.

R105 You are 100% right. No child will starve themselves deliberately. Parents who coddles their children’s food jags are doing them a huge disservice. If they don’t eat what you’ve presented them, instead of offering them nuggets or a PBJ, give them nothing. No choices. They’ll cry for a few days but it’ll break a nasty habit.

Somehow, I get the feeling that the last few posters are taking the Mickey? I have several dislikes, which tastes really awful. No amount of eating them regularly is going to make me accept them. There has been scientific validation that people taste things differently.

[quote]I had a boyfriend who wouldn't eat my ass or my loads.

That'll teach you never to date a vegan.

Thank you so much for sharing, R98.

Please tell us how much weight you lost, what you cut down on to maintain, which is the worst part of losing weight, and if you have all that heavy skin left from your deflation.

Do you still look like this or did you have the old leather cut off and sold to a German company that works in vintage bookbinding repairs?

Oh. I thought it said "Worst Piggy Eater You've Ever Seen."

Never mind.

I met someone who didn't like fruit, vegetables, starches. They lived off of pizza, hamburgers, and mac n cheese. Their skin was God-awful.

R103, you’re the one who sounds fixated. Only you’re fixated on what OTHER people eat.

P.S. Fish with tomato sauce and prunes sounds like something that belongs in the Gallery of Regrettable Food.

I stand by Christina Crawford. Mommy dearest can go do one if she expected me to eat that raw, slimy steak. Absolutely disgusting. I had a boyfriend who wanted in practically blue in the center. All my meat needs to be well done with NO pink in the middle. I like meat but don't want to eat juices or think it came from an animal.

R113 remember we only have the word of a disgruntled daughter that the steak was in fact undercooked. For all we know the steak was perfectly fine. We weren't there.

[quote] [R103], you’re the one who sounds fixated. Only you’re fixated on what OTHER people eat. Fish with tomato sauce and prunes sounds like something that belongs in the Gallery of Regrettable Food.

Case in point, my friends. Here's another immature and picky eater. Fish with tomato sauce and prunes is in no way regrettable and until you try it, you might keep your unenlightened and childish opinions to yourself.

"Mom never put prunes with fish! How could I? I can't even imagine such a thing! What next? Dog steaks?"

[quote] [R113] remember we only have the word of a disgruntled daughter that the steak was in fact undercooked. For all we know the steak was perfectly fine. We weren't there.

No mystery here. It's a well known fact that Joan Crawford liked her meat rare. Very rare. Christina was a child and so couldn't bring herself to eat it. Once I worked in a nice restaurant and when someone ordered meat cooked like R114, it was customary to give that person the worst piece of meat we had. Why? Because it was assumed that this was a person who knew nothing about food, who lacked discerning taste, and who didn't mind eating something that was bad. Seriously. If you like your steak cooked with no trace of juice of pink in it, you really don't have a developed palate and it would seem as though you don't give a shit about good food.

[quote]she ordered a pizza from Little Caesars, drank wine, and watched the Real Housewives

Gurl, I've got COVID again even though I'm vaxxed and this is basically my plan for Labor Day weekend, just switch out "Real Housewives" with "Drop Dead Gorgeous." Don't knock it.

r105, there was a girl in my grade school who had terrible skin and hair and the adults would quietly tell us it was because she didn't drink milk. By fourth grade or so it became clear she was neurotic about pretty much every kind of food she came in contact with. Absolute mess of a girl, stole things and hit other kids and made the paper when she was 7 years old because she threw a temper tantrum until her mother would let her legally change her name from "Donna" to "LaDonna."

[quote] Absolute mess of a girl, stole things and hit other kids and made the paper when she was 7 years old because she threw a temper tantrum until her mother would let her legally change her name from "Donna" to "LaDonna."

I would have put LaDonna up for LaAdoption.

Adult picky eating is, in fact, a psychological disorder in the DSM.

Someone I dine with occasionally has it. She has this horribly unhealthy, restrictive diet but digs her heels in so hard on trying anything else, even with the help of a psychologist, that you can see at base it's a control issue like anorexia. It is combined with anxiety-depression in this case, and probably always. She's never been thin, that's not her motivation, and she's middle-aged.

That behavior is not the same as just having an immature palate, though, which might be as simple as the result of a mother who was a lousy cook, or a juvenile home life so stressful that the child made comfort food a priority. Someone with an immature palate can be educated over time, just as people can be educated in wines, but a person with ARFID has no interest in learning more about food and will actively resist it.

R115 /Greg, you're never going to educate anybody to have a more sophisticated palate than they do, because your methodology involves making them feel inadequate for not already being where you are. Nobody would ever learn to read if teachers behaved like that.

Sorry, here's that link again.

The blanket statement that folks don't like certain foods because they haven't tried them, or eating them enough, or had them prepared in just the right way, just isn't so. Some people have foods that taste bad to them, unfortunately to a greater extent at times.

All vegans. Annoying as hell.

Vegetarians and gluten free are next.

[quote]a mother who was a lousy cook, or a juvenile home life so stressful that the child made comfort food a priority

r120 sounds like he's been reading my diary!

They've all been girls with eating disorders. Down to drinking vodka water as their cocktail of choice.

R122 I think most people have food that they prefer and food they hate. However if it becomes part of a quirky personality trait being a picky eater can be rude or embarrassing.

I am not an adventurous eater but I will eat whatever is served. I may not enjoy it but I wouldn’t embarrass myself by sending my host or dining companions a list of foods I won’t eat.

I once was having some newish friends over for dinner. Literally one day prior to them coming, the wife called me and said, "Rick doesn't eat meat on a bone. He'll eat hotdogs or sausage or boneless chicken breasts but not a pork chop or rack of lamb or anything else on a bone."

Of course, I made sure that Rick had something acceptable to eat, but thought it was such bad manners to tell me that so close to them coming.

One moment I enjoyed: I served tuna tartare as an hors d'oeuvre. I served it atop slices of English cucumber. My guest thought it was tomato because it actually looked like beautifully diced tomato. The look on his face was priceless when he put it in his mouth and was greeted with an entirely unexpected taste and consistency.

Unless you have an allergy or some other health issue, or you have religious food restrictions, keep your peculiar eating issues to yourself and either deal with what someone serves you to eat, or stay home.

My ex had the same meat on the bone dislike, which I ascribed to being raised vegetarian.

I would never think of bringing up my food dislikes as a guest; it's my issue to work with what is served as best I can. If asked, I might say, "I'd prefer to avoid broccoli or cauliflower, but otherwise whatever you provide will be great!" If, say, pineapple cake is the dessert, I'd do the best I could.

Why on earth would you not ask guests in advance if they like what you are planning to serve? Don’t you want them to enjoy themselves? I just don’t understand why you expect a guest to choke down whatever you serve whether they like it or not. What kind of hospitality is that?

R16 There are plenty of us who would love to say we have never eaten a hamburger in their life. I haven't eaten one in 42 years. Except for vegi-burgers.

I have been to countless business functions and meetings where a meal is served. Sometimes from a menu, sometimes with a choice between two options, but often just a plate with food put in front of you. I used to travel internationally for work and have eaten a lot of things I would never willingly eat again but I would never call attention to myself by refusing to eat something that was served to me. I would deeply disrespect someone who did. Also, people with bonafide food restrictions (allergies, religion, health, vegan or vegetarian) know how to be accomodated without drawing attention to themselves. In all other cases if someone simply doesn’t like what is served it is not going to kill them to eat it.

[quote] I used to travel internationally for work and have eaten a lot of things I would never willingly eat again.

What are some of those? I would just as soon never experience French tripe sausage nor Peruvian beef hearts again.

R132, drunken prawns served live is up there, ahead of tripe, eel, and turtle soup.

But besides “exotic” I would never choose beef carpaccio, steak tartare, pate, veal or lamb chops, goat, but I’ve eaten all of them.

Thanks for the prompt response! I'm fine with chops, goat, pate, and raw beef (though the last not exactly "tasty"), but anything live... no thanks.

Greg serves clams in prune sauce and has a very aggressive pallet, clearly.

Also, Greg, you might serve the worst cuts of meat, but going out for a picky eater is often for the experience and atmosphere. As long as you fetch what's asked, when asked and as long as the steak tastes good, shitty cut or not, you'll get your tip. If it doesn't taste good, it simply gets sent back, but whatever makes you feel good.

[quote] Why on earth would you not ask guests in advance if they like what you are planning to serve? Don’t you want them to enjoy themselves? I just don’t understand why you expect a guest to choke down whatever you serve whether they like it or not. What kind of hospitality is that?

What a crazy question. I NEVER ask guests in advance if they will like what I'm planning to serve. And, no one has ever asked me that question. I'm not sure where you come from, but that just isn't done around here. It's also a dumb question because if someone asked me if I like what they're serving, my response would always be 'yes.'

I can just hear you now..."Oh no...actually that doesn't sound too good to me. Could you possibly prepare something else?"

This isn't high school. Some of you need to grow up.

Also, if you're having six or seven people over for dinner, do you really check with everyone?

No thanks. I'd never do that. And for anyone who expects that—they need to get over themselves or make other plans.

Thank goodness my friends aren't rude or picky.

Years ago, my sister-in-law in India asked if there was anything I wish to avoid before my ex and I set off for our first trip to visit them. I mentioned cauliflower, and there was absolutely no problem with anything she served.

R137 My dinner parties are nice and laid back. This is not the Gilded Age. LOL

I send a text to my future guests (I only have eight chairs at my table) asking if they have any allergies (I have one friend who is allergic to shellfish) or any taboo foods (like onions). I try to have three or four vegetable options, but one main meat.

I allow for a cocktail time where the guests can have a drink and eat the appetizers. I serve "family style" and let everyone make their own plate and get their own portions. I do formally serve the salad and dessert.

R139, this all sounds lovely.

Cousin Joel. Always brought a pepperoni pizza at Thanksgiving. Insolent bastard.

R141 as long as he shared with everyone else.

R140 Thanks, Greg! I want to attend one of your parties, too. I've never really been to a super formal dinner party.

hen I have my super good friends over, I don't care as much if they say they don't like XYZ. I cook and they bring the booze.

Cousin Joel was left out of the conversation after our great grandmother and grandmother passed. The reminiscences included a lot of talk about the wonderful food they would prepare. I tried to remind everyone that “poor, Joel. He doesn’t understand what we are talking about about because never sampled the mashed potatoes or stuffing. Please, everyone. Be sensitive.”

[quote] Thanks, Greg! I want to attend one of your parties, too. I've never really been to a super formal dinner party.

Thanks! Let me know if you're ever in the Boston/Cape Cod area and I'll invite you!