Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
One thing I've noticed that there's a perception that if you often eat very diverse cuisines, you might be some kind of snob that just likes to do so to show off your wordliness.
To comment on the "trying to be trendy/worldly" thing:
A few years ago, my aunt's husband's Japanese cousin was a really successful sushi chef at only 21 and came to visit our little midwestern town from California (he's still a successful sushi chef, but no longer 21). Even though I usually do try new things, I felt even more pressure to try new things in order to not seem like a dorky American small town idiot who just wants a big fat roast and thinks everything else is weird and gross. Even though I normally try new things anyways, I guess I did push myself a little more than normal so I guess if you consider that trying to be trendy...but that was the first time I tried unagi and now it's my favorite. Not for a trendy reason, but because it really is my favorite. However I tried ink soup and couldn't stand it. One bite literally hurt me to eat it. So that's on the never again list.
Last edited by thatsong64; 01-29-2011 at 09:26 PM..
It's the "No, I've never had it, and, no, I'm not going to" that rubs me the wrong way. It's just such a crappy attitude, and one that I would suspect carries over into other contexts, as well.
I think the desire, or at least adventourness, to try different foods says a lot about a person in general. Anyone that won't consider or try foods outside of their comfort zone would come across as someone who wouldn't be open to new ideas in general... and that I find unappealing.
I had raspberries and offered one to a girl at work. She never had one, and looked at like a bug, but she tried it and liked it. One of the reasons we get along, we come from different worlds, but we are willing to cross the border so to speak.
/while it may seem strange to never have tried raspberries, we have all kinds of stuff we eat regularly that you all have never tried.
I think the desire, or at least adventourness, to try different foods says a lot about a person in general. Anyone that won't consider or try foods outside of their comfort zone would come across as someone who wouldn't be open to new ideas in general... and that I find unappealing.
I had raspberries and offered one to a girl at work. She never had one, and looked at like a bug, but she tried it and liked it. One of the reasons we get along, we come from different worlds, but we are willing to cross the border so to speak.
/while it may seem strange to never have tried raspberries, we have all kinds of stuff we eat regularly that you all have never tried.
I agree with this. I find the people that don't even want to try new foods are somewhat rigid in their thinking.
I could personally never date (or even be a close friend of) somebody who does not eat and enjoy the same foods as I do. This being pretty much everything - the more ethnic and spicy, the better. They have to understand and appreciate herbs and spices too. I don't mind if somebody is vegan as long as they fulfill the above requirements (without ingesting meat).
Sometimes I find myself getting really down on people who won't try anything new. Maybe that is not a great criteria for judging people, but it is more an issue of incompatibility and annoyance at not having somebody to share food with. I can't live if I have to eat boring food everyday... it will make me cranky and destroy the relationship. I also like talking about food as I am eating it. Maybe that is a bit too much for most people... but I love it.
Anyone else feel the same? Thank god DH is into the same foods as me... I think food was actually one of the factors that drew us together. Strange as it may sound.
It probably wouldn't matter to me, I think that's something that could be compromised on. And really, who knows how it could be in the long run; we may like the same things at this very moment but 5, 10, 25 years from now our tastes could be vastly different.
On the flip side, if I had to choose between someone who had no problem eating (or at least trying) a variety of foods or someone who had a mac & cheese and Happy Meal fetish - I'd probably choose the first one.
Hmm. More thought-provoking than I originally thought!
I could personally never date (or even be a close friend of) somebody who does not eat and enjoy the same foods as I do. This being pretty much everything - the more ethnic and spicy, the better. They have to understand and appreciate herbs and spices too. I don't mind if somebody is vegan as long as they fulfill the above requirements (without ingesting meat).
Sometimes I find myself getting really down on people who won't try anything new. Maybe that is not a great criteria for judging people, but it is more an issue of incompatibility and annoyance at not having somebody to share food with. I can't live if I have to eat boring food everyday... it will make me cranky and destroy the relationship. I also like talking about food as I am eating it. Maybe that is a bit too much for most people... but I love it.
Anyone else feel the same? Thank god DH is into the same foods as me... I think food was actually one of the factors that drew us together. Strange as it may sound.
Nope, it's not. Food has been instrumental in the bond between me and the fiancee.
Nobody can eat like us. Two foodies. Two foodies gone completely out of control. We can eat all night LMAO. Shamelessly
And of course, the aftermath is that we spend too much time in the gym burning it off.
Recently, we were in a hotel in Manhattan, we had room service bring us thai chicken, mac and cheese, baked potato fries ALL fricking night, to the point that we got sick of food.
I don't judge people that much if they're unadventurous in gastronomy, but I really dislike it when people are super-picky eaters. The only reasons I won't eat or drink something is because I've tried it and found it pretty nasty or just really dislike the taste (i.e. hate peanut butter, but would eat it if I had to survive, dislike any milk that isn't fat-free..but I'll drink whole milk if it's chocolate milk, etc..)
there are a few food lines that I really don't plan on crossing, though-organs, bugs, pigs' feet..
I digress. Not a dealbreaker unless they refuse to eat anything with unavoidable ingredients like salt, or pepper, etc. Can't stand unseasoned foods most of the time, and I've met a lot of people who are more than happy to eat things without any sort of spices or seasonings.. bleh.
I will be most unpopular no doubt but yes I do think a person's attitude to food generally to me is a reflection on their attitude to life in general. An indication of what is to come in a relationship, be it a friendship or loving relationship.
I will eat just about anything anyone puts on a plate for me ( and have done ) , because to me life is about acquiring knowledge and new experiences and eating is part of this.
Also if someone has bothered to cook for me or is offering me a week's worth of their protein I would find it beyond boorish and churlish to refuse.
I cannot even comprehend how someone can go "ewwww gross" without trying something. To me it is ridiculous, narrow minded and ignorant. As well as grotesquely rude and selfish.
I have had some delicious food which looked appalling and from my own cultural point of view was really off putting but it never occured to me to make a face and refuse someone's food. I have on the whole been pleasantly surprised and on the few occasions where I was not, at least I tried it and can make an informed opinion on it.
Picky eaters bug the hell out of me.
I love travel , exploring new things, meeting new people and generally immersin myself in other people's cultures and I do not believe you can ever really do that without being open to new experiences when it coems to food. Food is such a big part of people's cultures. We are in many ways defined by what we eat and how we eat.
I find picky eaters usually quite pedestrian in their views of the world, unadventurous and unwilling to try new things, all these values I seek in others and which to me make people far more interesting. I want friends who will open my mind not close it .
Dog has pretty much always been my only personal cultural taboo ( I was never offered it fortunately so have not had to cross that bridge quite yet) ( with Tarentula which as an Arachnophobe was simply not something I was able to eat ( it was served to me whole, had it been in chopped bits I would certainly have tried it). And I was deeply embarassed about refusing something someone else had made for me and was good enough to share with me. I felt I was letting myself down and being rude which is something I was not proud of.
I have no problems socialising and being an "acquaintance" with picky eaters but for anything deeper and more meaningful in terms of relationship then yes I suppose picky eaters are something I find very hard to deal with. I see it as an attitude towards life in general which I can simply not respect .
I need to respect my friends and someone who refuses to try something new or makes a face at someone's dinner party I will find pretty impossible to have much respect for.
I find rude people annoying and insufferable.
I know this will sound harsh to many people and I am sure I shall be derided for my views but it is how I feel.
People can eat what they like and I for one have no desire to force people to eat something they can't even be bothered to try but I don't think they should expect me to condone or appreciate their quirks.
I also find that picky eaters have the gall to point the finger at me and think I am gross for eating unusual food. They are just as judgemental as I am ( more I would say) and I have often been made to feel as though I was somehow disgusting and a freak.
I would never make comments about people's pickiness ( I keep my opinions to myself, one thing I have learnt in life is that you cannot change someone's mind when it is closed already... no point in trying it is just a waste of energy) but picky eaters seem to have no qualms in saying I am gross for having had rotten Shark's Meat or Seal intestines.
Faces have been pulled at me by other people and comments made about the food I love to eat or chose to try. That to me is about as ignorant and intolerant as it gets.
I think picky eaters are usually boring and insipid but I do not go and say that to them. I can think it but I do not feel I have the right to tell people what to eat or not to eat. So why can't they reciprocate ?
If people want to live on boiled chicken and carrots for the rest of their lives , it's their lives, their problem not mine. They are missing out IMO but not my life so nothing to do with me. Considering how much I love my food though, and what a big part of my life it is though , as is travelling a picky eater and I are very unlikely to hit it off.
I think as Humans we tend to seek people who share similar interests and outlook in life, it is human nature. I personally would find someone who was afraid of his/her food a little lacking in interest to me.
I don't think I have ever met anyone who was fascinating, well traveled , adventurous and to me exciting who was a fussy eater. Ever.
On the whole I would say most people who refuse to try new foods will also be too afraid to try new things and be willing to really let go and experience life to the full.
I am sure there are exceptions but they must be far and few between.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
