Why are my observations the opposite of what people generally accept? (state, society)

[Serious Conversation]

It sounds like they're just being jackasses.

[TrafficCory]

You're not special. Not a unique snowflake. You're just some guy posting on an internet forum, a nobody like the rest of us.

[PuddingPops]

I think people around the world fall into distinct groups of "food cultures". Americans of medium economic status and higher for instance, are generally willing to try out different foods and take pride in challenging themselves with foreign cuisine or gourmet items. Lots of Europeans and East Asians are the same. But if you look at the US "urban" populations, they generally feel safe with their "comfort" foods like fast food, burgers, chicken, etc.

Why do you think actors in McDonalds commercials are almost entirely people of the "urban" market? I know some would say that it's because they're poor and McDonalds is exploting them, but the truth is, they just really love that food and eat it a lot.

During college, I used to hang out with a lot of international students, some from poor countries who came on scholarships. They tended to stick close to their home foods, and were usually hesitant to try different things. Muslims in particular, I found, were very reluctant to try American foods. It's pretty interesting.

[le roi]

Originally Posted by MetroWord

I went to the University of Chicago. There, I stayed in the dorms with some people that were sons and daughters of millionaires. These guys were literally born with silver spoons in their mouths.

I don't think you know what "Literally" means. You're saying that they biologically left the womb with actual physical spoons in their mouths.

But yes, continue--

I was always told that these guys would be picky eaters since they were used to having their way. And yet, over the months I was friend with them and went to classes with them, I noticed that they would try out and eat anything you put in front of them. One time, one of them asked me about the evil durian fruit.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durian

They begged me to bring some for them to try. So, one weekend I visited a Vietnamese store and got some. The smell overwhelmed them like I expected. But to my surprise, every one of them lined up and tried it out. Some hated it and some thought it was sweet.

Right now in my life, off the top of my head I can name 6 people who were born poor and literally grew up on food stamps. These people are also the most picky eaters I have ever known in my life.

Just the other day, one of them visited us. I offered some delicious cheese cake of variety flavors. Cost me almost $50. She put a vanilla piece on her plate, picked a little tiny piece on her spoon, made a face with disgust, put it in her mouth, made another face, and to my surprise she dumped it into the garbage. Was it really that terrible to her?

Every single time, EVERY SINGLE TIME I've been out with these 6 people they always order chicken nuggets or pizza with french fries. I always offer to pay, so they could have ordered anything they wanted.

One time, my boyfriend and I took a couple of them to Royal Buffet for lunch. I paid, of course. They would not get anything but chicken nuggets and pizza even though there was a Chinese bar, Japanese bar, Italian bar, etc. There were even lobsters that day. But they would not even consider trying out anything else. Just chicken nuggets and pizza.

I've had them over for BBQ where people generally agreed the ribs and chicken I BBQ'ed were good. But they were not able to eat them at all, claiming EWWWWWW!

ok.

I've been told that poor people who grew up poor can eat just about anything. Why can't I find any poor people that will eat anything like I've been told? Why haven't I found any rich people that are annoying picky eaters like I've been told?

I guess you were misinformed.

[MoonBeam33]

Originally Posted by MetroWord

Did you missed the part where I used to work for Habitat for Humanity and that was when I started making this observation?

Did you miss the part where your experiences with a group of people do not speak to that group of people as a whole?

Again, if I meet 50 people from your culture, does that make me an expert on your culture? Should I extrapolate my observations about those 50 people and then apply them to every single person from your culture?

You were told something about a certain group of people, which was incorrect. Then you observed that this group of people didn't behave like you expect them to behave, and then somehow concluded that ALL people from this group must behave that way. That, honey, is ignorant bigotry. Time to grow up now.

[MetroWord]

Originally Posted by MoonBeam33

Did you miss the part where your experiences with a group of people do not speak to that group of people as a whole?

Again, if I meet 50 people from your culture, does that make me an expert on your culture? Should I extrapolate my observations about those 50 people and then apply them to every single person from your culture?

You were told something about a certain group of people, which was incorrect. Then you observed that this group of people didn't behave like you expect them to behave, and then somehow concluded that ALL people from this group must behave that way. That, honey, is ignorant bigotry. Time to grow up now.

Back when I was president of the philosophy debate club in college, I noticed that simple folks loved to use the words "ALL" and "NONE". To them, everything is either black or white.

If you go back through my posts, you will *surprise surprise* not find a single instance where I used the word "ALL". I even wrote a post explaining that my observations are meant as a general statement and are not meant to portray ALL in a group.

[thefragile]

Originally Posted by MetroWord

I even suggested to them try a few things other than what they were getting and if they didn't like them just simply toss them. They made a face in disgust and went back to their nuggets, fried chicken, pizza, etc.

So what? Suggestion: focus on what you want to eat. And second, focus on what you want to eat.

[MoonBeam33]

Originally Posted by MetroWord

I've been told that poor people who grew up poor can eat just about anything.

Why can't I find any poor people that will eat anything like I've been told? Why haven't I found any rich people that are annoying picky eaters like I've been told?

I'm told one thing by society, but I keep observing the opposite. Rich people who grew up rich that I know will eat anything you put in front of them. Poor people who grew up on food stamps that I know are the most picky eaters I've ever known in my life. Completely the opposite of what society generally believes. Why?

There's a whole lot of generalizations about "poor people" (a group you have chosen to define) and "rich people" (also a group you have defined) and what you were told, and what society generally believes.

Your post is assumption after assumption after assumption. I, for one, have never heard that "society generally believes" that poor people will eat anything and rich people are picky. I have never heard that statement in my life.

So once again, you are applying your incorrect assumptions and what you were incorrectly taught to wide swaths of people, and then you can't understand why they don't act the way you expect them to act.

Once again, that's called bigotry.

Maybe once you get some adult life experience you will stop expecting certain people to act in certain ways.

[Donna-501]

My children did not grow up on food stamps and one eats chicken strips or pizza. Even when we went to Disney on the dining plan which was $40+ a person she ate chicken nuggets or pizza off the kids menu. One daughter will pick the most expensive thing on a menu and eat it all.

[max340]

I learned how not to be picky by always being told "there are starving people in China". Later I learned that there were starving people just down the street.