Picky eaters - how do you make yourself like food?

[misle]

Originally posted by: Injury
The problem isn't that you don't like the taste, the problem is that you've convinced yourself you don't like the taste long before you even try it. It's entirely psychological.

Lemme guess. You're the kinda guy that eats pasta with every other meal, you slather things in cheese and seasonings and 95% of what you eat your mom made for you when you were younger and didn't make you eat the vegetables. If so, the problem is so deep-rooted that you're going to be lucky to give in to anything.

You wanna change this? When you go to a restaurant, just ask for the waiter/waitress to give you a suggestion and go for it without asking for it to be made specially. Get in a situation where you have to try other people's cooking. See... if YOU cook it, you're gonna wuss out or throw it all away... or pour on sauces and cheese and condiments...

Nope, completely wrong. I try just about everything. I just don't like a lot of what I try.

Not big on pasta (maybe once a month?). I season meat before grilling and I salt/pepper food as needed. My parents definitely aren't adventurous when it comes to food. Lately, I've been teaching my mother how to cook better (how sad is that). And, yeah, they made me eat my veggies, even when the texture made me gag (yeah, seriously).

Originally posted by: sygyzy
There are two types of picky eathers:

1. Naive/Ignorant people who don't know what good food is. These people are usually unadventurous as well.

2. People who are foodies or gourmets who can't bring themselves to eat cafeteria lunch food because it's really that bad.

Both are hard to fix but #2 is less annoying than #1 when dining in a group.

I'm neither of those. I have a great appreciation for food. I just wish I enjoyed more of it, hence this thread. I have no problem with cafeteria food.

Maybe I'll pick up a vegetarian cook book. Surely they have some decent recipes that will help me like foods that I don't. Maybe?

 

[Vic]

"Supertasters" are usually not picky eaters except for quality.

 

[Mo0o]

Originally posted by: Anubis

Originally posted by: rasczak

Originally posted by: rasczak

Originally posted by: KeithTalent

Originally posted by: Mo0o
Depends on how much you dislike it. I really hate cilantro and no matter how much I try to convince myself otherwise, its mere presence in food nauseates me.

I know several people with that same hatred and it is something I will never understand. I absolutely love the stuff.

KT

I am with Mo0o on this one. I absolutely hate cilantro to the point that if i buy a burrito with cilantro in it I will drive back to the taco shop and request a new one. Even after I've driven ten or fifteen minutes away from the place.

cilantro = teh debil

Originally posted by: vi edit

Originally posted by: KeithTalent

Originally posted by: Mo0o
Depends on how much you dislike it. I really hate cilantro and no matter how much I try to convince myself otherwise, its mere presence in food nauseates me.

I know several people with that same hatred and it is something I will never understand. I absolutely love the stuff.

KT

To some people it tastes very strongly like soap. I can kind of taste it, but it's not that bad unless they go overboard with it in the dish.

I can taste black licorice when i eat it. :Q

i love black licorice, as a kid the black licorice jelly beans were the only ones i would eat

I dont taste Licorice or soap... I've gotten soap water in my mouth before and while unpleasant it's not gag inducing like cilantro is. I can't describe what the revulsion is, I bet the taste is similar to what other people taste but amplified. It's a litte like celery leaves but much more intense

 

[Chiropteran]

To me, cilantro tastes like ants. I like it's taste. I have never tried ants, but I remember the smell they had from when I was a kid.

 

[HardcoreRomantic]

Sometimes all it takes is a really good combination. I used to have a really hard time with salmon. Found a super easy recipe for salmon with pesto (another food I wasn't a fan of) and tomato on puff pastry (all things my boyfriend likes), and now I love all of it, together and separate.

 

[Gothgar]

how could people not like lettuce? I don't understand that at all... it hardly has a fucking taste at all, all it does it add crunchy to stuff, which is good.

 

[misle]

Originally posted by: Vic
"Supertasters" are usually not picky eaters except for quality.

Not from what I've read.

Here's a link: Super Taster

The article mentions:
broccoli
spinach
Brussels sprouts
pungent vegetables
grapefruit juice
wine
green tea
espresso

I can't consume any of them (well, certain wines and broccoli if it is cooked just right).

 

[rasczak]

Originally posted by: KeithTalent

Originally posted by: rasczak

Originally posted by: rasczak

Originally posted by: KeithTalent

Originally posted by: Mo0o
Depends on how much you dislike it. I really hate cilantro and no matter how much I try to convince myself otherwise, its mere presence in food nauseates me.

I know several people with that same hatred and it is something I will never understand. I absolutely love the stuff.

KT

I am with Mo0o on this one. I absolutely hate cilantro to the point that if i buy a burrito with cilantro in it I will drive back to the taco shop and request a new one. Even after I've driven ten or fifteen minutes away from the place.

cilantro = teh debil

Originally posted by: vi edit

Originally posted by: KeithTalent

Originally posted by: Mo0o
Depends on how much you dislike it. I really hate cilantro and no matter how much I try to convince myself otherwise, its mere presence in food nauseates me.

I know several people with that same hatred and it is something I will never understand. I absolutely love the stuff.

KT

To some people it tastes very strongly like soap. I can kind of taste it, but it's not that bad unless they go overboard with it in the dish.

I can taste black licorice when i eat it. :Q

Crazy. It just tastes incredibly fresh and delicious to me, hard to describe. I've heard people say it tatstes like soap, but I just can't taste that at all.

I wish I were a geneticist, I would totally make it my life's mission to discover the cause of this. Then I could produce a cure so everyone could enjoy the wonderful world of cilantro/coriander.

KT

hrmm. i don't think you can cure what i've got 😉

Originally posted by: Anubis


i love black licorice, as a kid the black licorice jelly beans were the only ones i would eat

no offense but **barf**, i was more of the red licorice kinda guy myself.

😀

 

[Chiropteran]

Originally posted by: Gothgar
how could people not like lettuce? I don't understand that at all... it hardly has a fucking taste at all, all it does it add crunchy to stuff, which is good.

How is adding crunchy to stuff good? You might like it, other people might not.

Who really cares? It's not like lettuce is some super amazing nutritious food anyway. It basically has nothing to it, it's like drinking water, so leaving it out of a meal doesn't really change the meal.

FWIW, I like a little lettuce on burritos, tacos, burgers, etc. But I'm not interested in eating lettuce alone or "plain" salads made up of mostly lettuce. I'd rather just drink of glass of water and get the same benefit thank you very much.

 

[skace]

Originally posted by: misle
I'm a picky eater. I believe that I'm a 'super-taster' (especially with bitter) and food texture make a big difference to me. I dunno why, I actually find it rather annoying.

I am very much a meat and potatoes guy. I really dislike salad, but I would like to be able to eat it because I really don't get enough veggies.

I would also like to be able to drink coffee. I think coffee would be a better alternative to soda, which I drink a lot.

So, how do you re-train yourself to like foods that you don't?

Taste buds can change. You don't necessarily have to force the food you hate down your throat to change your taste buds also. For instance, if your diet is high in sugar your body will dull the natural flavor in most foods that are less sugary, to you they will taste like cardboard, water will taste unbearable, but soda in the morning won't even be surprising. However if you move away from sugars, they will eventually become the unbearable product, while more subtle foods will gain back their original tastes that made them so popular originally.

You can't ignore acquired tastes. Anyone who tells you beer tastes good has usually acquired that taste through drinking lots of beer that never originally tasted good. Lots of these scenarios exist.

Why do you want to replace soda with coffee? Coffee is just as bad. How about you work to replace a bad with a good.

 

[skace]

Originally posted by: Chiropteran
How is adding crunchy to stuff good? You might like it, other people might not.

Who really cares? It's not like lettuce is some super amazing nutritious food anyway. It basically has nothing to it, it's like drinking water, so leaving it out of a meal doesn't really change the meal.

FWIW, I like a little lettuce on burritos, tacos, burgers, etc. But I'm not interested in eating lettuce alone or "plain" salads made up of mostly lettuce. I'd rather just drink of glass of water and get the same benefit thank you very much.

I would say not liking lettuce is odd because I would expect that if someone can't stomach lettuce then they can't stomach most leafy green vegetables, which as a whole means they are missing a whole hell of a lot of stuff. Can't stomach lettuce? What about spinach, kale, cabbage, etc? Lettuce is kind of like the bunny slopes.

 

[Taejin]

Originally posted by: misle
I'm a picky eater. I believe that I'm a 'super-taster' (especially with bitter) and food texture make a big difference to me. I dunno why, I actually find it rather annoying.

I am very much a meat and potatoes guy. I really dislike salad, but I would like to be able to eat it because I really don't get enough veggies.

I would also like to be able to drink coffee. I think coffee would be a better alternative to soda, which I drink a lot.

So, how do you re-train yourself to like foods that you don't?

you're probably less of a super-taster and more of someone who had a crappy upbringing and never got acclimated to healthy food.

 

[moshquerade]

Originally posted by: misle
I'm a picky eater. I believe that I'm a 'super-taster' (especially with bitter) and food texture make a big difference to me. I dunno why, I actually find it rather annoying.

I am very much a meat and potatoes guy. I really dislike salad, but I would like to be able to eat it because I really don't get enough veggies.

I would also like to be able to drink coffee. I think coffee would be a better alternative to soda, which I drink a lot.

So, how do you re-train yourself to like foods that you don't?

put freshly grated parmesan cheese on it.

 

[Chiropteran]

Originally posted by: moshquerade

put freshly grated parmesan cheese on it.

That is a good point. You can make anything good by deep-fat-frying it.

 

[hanoverphist]

Originally posted by: Chiropteran
I don't. If I don't like something, I don't eat it.

I might give it another try if it's been a long time since the last time I tried it, but basically I avoid food I dislike.

I don't really eat vegetables, they are just empty vitamins anyway.

o.0

 

[hanoverphist]

Originally posted by: KeithTalent

Originally posted by: Mo0o
Depends on how much you dislike it. I really hate cilantro and no matter how much I try to convince myself otherwise, its mere presence in food nauseates me.

I know several people with that same hatred and it is something I will never understand. I absolutely love the stuff.

KT

i like cilantro. in moderation. every week i cut up a bunch of greens to feed my lizard, cilatro is one of them. the smell from handling two bundles at one time, cutting it and such makes the whole house stink. it sticks to your hands as well. sprinkle some on some guacamole and we are havin a snack tho.

 

[hanoverphist]

Originally posted by: Eeezee
I've always had trouble with textures too

I've found that as I get older, I enjoy food more (specifically food that I used to hate). I now enjoy blue cheese and horseradish, but I used to hate both of those. I still dislike sour cream, though.

The best thing to do is keep your mind open. Don't order entire dishes that you dislike. If you're eating with a friend who orders a dish you dislike, ask if you can try a bite. If you dislike it, that's okay. Try condiments that you normally dislike, but only enough for a bite so that your whole meal isn't accidentally ruined.

I love lettuce, but dislike salad. It's the dressings; I hate salad dressing, but dry salad doesn't taste good. I've tried pretty hard to overcome this, since salad is good for you and comes with the meal at a lot of places (lots of opportunities to overcome a challenge). Sadly, a lot of these places will let you get soup instead of salad, which is what I do when the opportunity presents itself 😛

i love ranch. seriously. love it. sometimes tho, i just dont want it. in these cases, ill order an artichoke/ spinach dip appetizer. dump it on the dry salad, crumble crackers and some cheese over it and stir it up. tasty. the warm/ cold mix is awesome as well.

 

[KeithTalent]

Originally posted by: hanoverphist

Originally posted by: KeithTalent

Originally posted by: Mo0o
Depends on how much you dislike it. I really hate cilantro and no matter how much I try to convince myself otherwise, its mere presence in food nauseates me.

I know several people with that same hatred and it is something I will never understand. I absolutely love the stuff.

KT

i like cilantro. in moderation. every week i cut up a bunch of greens to feed my lizard, cilatro is one of them. the smell from handling two bundles at one time, cutting it and such makes the whole house stink. it sticks to your hands as well. sprinkle some on some guacamole and we are havin a snack tho.

Heh, I feed it to my rabbit, so I know what you mean, but I don't think it makes the house stink, I think it makes the house smell great!

KT

 

[hanoverphist]

Originally posted by: G Wizard
mushrooms can be tough for me to eat.
i'm slowly getting over that spongy, meaty texture of them.

.

if eating them raw, dip them in your fave cream sauce for a while. the sauce flavor overrides the texture, and eventually youll not care. my mom raised me eating all kinds of veggies and odd foods, so the only thing i really hated was onions. mainly due to her hating them. i slowly started not asking for no onions on burgers, and eventually i realized it wasnt the flavor but the texture. once i got over the texture it was all good. my kids dont like them now either, but i made them eat and try them a few times before letting them off the hook. i also cook with onions and bell peppers, just not in big enough chunks for them to notice. as long as they dont see it they cant taste it. i must have been the only kid that looked forward to stuffed bell pepper night.

 

[hanoverphist]

Originally posted by: KeithTalent

Originally posted by: hanoverphist

Originally posted by: KeithTalent

Originally posted by: Mo0o
Depends on how much you dislike it. I really hate cilantro and no matter how much I try to convince myself otherwise, its mere presence in food nauseates me.

I know several people with that same hatred and it is something I will never understand. I absolutely love the stuff.

KT

i like cilantro. in moderation. every week i cut up a bunch of greens to feed my lizard, cilatro is one of them. the smell from handling two bundles at one time, cutting it and such makes the whole house stink. it sticks to your hands as well. sprinkle some on some guacamole and we are havin a snack tho.

Heh, I feed it to my rabbit, so I know what you mean, but I don't think it makes the house stink, I think it makes the house smell great!

KT

oh i think it smells good too, just in that concentration it gets a bit overpowering. mebbe its the mix of kale, collard greens, turnip greens and cilantro that does it...

 

[KeithTalent]

Originally posted by: hanoverphist

Originally posted by: KeithTalent

Originally posted by: hanoverphist

Originally posted by: KeithTalent

Originally posted by: Mo0o
Depends on how much you dislike it. I really hate cilantro and no matter how much I try to convince myself otherwise, its mere presence in food nauseates me.

I know several people with that same hatred and it is something I will never understand. I absolutely love the stuff.

KT

i like cilantro. in moderation. every week i cut up a bunch of greens to feed my lizard, cilatro is one of them. the smell from handling two bundles at one time, cutting it and such makes the whole house stink. it sticks to your hands as well. sprinkle some on some guacamole and we are havin a snack tho.

Heh, I feed it to my rabbit, so I know what you mean, but I don't think it makes the house stink, I think it makes the house smell great!

KT

oh i think it smells good too, just in that concentration it gets a bit overpowering. mebbe its the mix of kale, collard greens, turnip greens and cilantro that does it...

Lol yeah, that would probably do it.

KT

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: Mo0o

Originally posted by: Anubis

Originally posted by: rasczak

Originally posted by: rasczak

Originally posted by: KeithTalent

Originally posted by: Mo0o
Depends on how much you dislike it. I really hate cilantro and no matter how much I try to convince myself otherwise, its mere presence in food nauseates me.

I know several people with that same hatred and it is something I will never understand. I absolutely love the stuff.

KT

I am with Mo0o on this one. I absolutely hate cilantro to the point that if i buy a burrito with cilantro in it I will drive back to the taco shop and request a new one. Even after I've driven ten or fifteen minutes away from the place.

cilantro = teh debil

Originally posted by: vi edit

Originally posted by: KeithTalent

Originally posted by: Mo0o
Depends on how much you dislike it. I really hate cilantro and no matter how much I try to convince myself otherwise, its mere presence in food nauseates me.

I know several people with that same hatred and it is something I will never understand. I absolutely love the stuff.

KT

To some people it tastes very strongly like soap. I can kind of taste it, but it's not that bad unless they go overboard with it in the dish.

I can taste black licorice when i eat it. :Q

i love black licorice, as a kid the black licorice jelly beans were the only ones i would eat

I dont taste Licorice or soap... I've gotten soap water in my mouth before and while unpleasant it's not gag inducing like cilantro is. I can't describe what the revulsion is, I bet the taste is similar to what other people taste but amplified. It's a litte like celery leaves but much more intense

Do you think East Asians are more likely to be affected by the taste difference? I know I dislike cilantro for the same reason.

 

[evident]

get an acquired taste for coffee. ocne you do you can drink it black and notice different flavors w/ each blend

 

[Jeff7]

How do I make myself like food? I don't. 🙂
My menu is fairly limited. I generally am just annoyed at having to stop what I'm doing because I'm too shaky to function properly, which generally means that I haven't eaten in several hours again.

While growing up, my mom kept trying to serve the family all kinds of bizarre dishes from around the world, though a lot of it was Pennsylvania Dutch stuff. Everyone else thought it was just wonderful. I couldn't stand most of it. It wasn't until I was a teenager when she finally decided that it'd be a lot easier for everyone if she'd make stuff that I liked if she felt like cooking something.
(A few years ago, she finally said that she was like that because she always felt it was her obligation to feed the family well, as that was just the way she had been raised, in a "traditional" household.)
One the occasions when she'd make quiche, I had to get out of the house. The first time I smelled the stuff, I almost threw up on the spot, it was just awful. I've smelled garbage compactors and not felt such an urge to throw up. Nasty, nasty stuff.

I tend to have fairly simple tastes. Plain pizza. Spaghetti with plain Ragu sauce and parmesan cheese. Plain chocolate ice cream. You get the idea.
Some plain things I don't like. Ragu sauce is fine. Ketchup is fine. Plain tomatoes - there goes the old gag reflex. Even just trying to chew and swallow a whole cherry tomato didn't work out. I had to spit it out because I was starting to gag.

I think I need to go rinse out my mouth after all this talk of spitting, swallowing, and gagging.

 

[Farang]

How do I make myself like food? I cover myself in mustard and climb into a giant bun on an oversized plate.