Are you a fussy eater?

[Bimgy85]

I can't comprehend adults being fussy eaters. Fussy is for children surely, and at that, children aged up to 14/15

I truly don't understand fussy adults eating habits, I work with a woman who's 26 and she won't eat anything out of the ordinary. Ham sandwich for lunch and crisps, she cringed when I mentioned I was going for sushi for dinner, or even a basic Chinese buffet with vegetables noodles etc.

Are you a fussy eater, and why?

I understood everybody grew out of that

If not eating cheap processed meat products, eg economy sausages, pies, burgers, nuggets etc makes one a ‘fussy eater’, I plead guilty.

I am very well aware that I am lucky to be able to afford to be fussy about the type & quality of meat I consume, and I would never judge those less fortunate than me. Trying to feed a family well on a very tight budget must be tough.

I wouldn't say I'm fussy.

But I only eat foods I enjoy because quite frankly I'm fat enough as it is and don't see the point of unnecessarily stuffing my face on foods I don't like.

Do some people exclusively only eat foods they like?

^^

Yes. I'd say the majority of people privileged enough to live in the western world only eat food they like.

When I was a child I had a strong antipathy towards boiled potatoes. They made me feel ill. That deserved some sympathy.

When ds started school he discovered that several of his friends basically lived off a diet of hamburgers, sausage, chips and crisps. He felt it was unfair that he couldn't do the same and for a time tried refusing everything else. That was not an antipathy and did not deserve the same sympathy as my aversion to boiled spuds.

I “grew out of” being a fussy eater across my late teens.

However it wasn’t because I suddenly decided to grow up and stop being fussy. It was because my tastebuds changed. I began to like flavours I genuinely hadn’t liked before (mainly onion).

Maybe adult fussy eaters never had their tastes change? I doubt many would choose to be fussy and turn down food they actually like.

There are many reasons why people are 'fussy' eaters. Personally I a man very fussy because I am autistic and get very anxious about new things. I also have sensory issues around certain smells and textures. You wouldn't know just by meeting me that I had autism as I generally mask in public.

I have less than no problem with someone choosing not to eat what they don't like at all....in fact I'm at great pains to ensure my DC don't have to eat anything they don't like (rule in our house is try things once if you really don't like it fair enough)

However ...when you say fussy I see it as the people who make a huge fuss

I cannot for the life of me understand an adult who will make gagging noises when someone eats or is served something near them and I've seen that before. That is what I would classify as fussy and absolutely I judge that level of attention seeking behaviour (think gagging and dramatic "how can you eat that ??" Crap...im not sorry I do judge that because that's not about food preference that's about being the centre of attention at the expense of others

I admit my stbxh refused to eat fish, tomatoes, anything other than basics and I just ignored it but I admit I found it childish on his behalf because it wasn't that he had ever tried it...his mother had told him his kind of people didn't eat that sort of food...try it and don't like it ...no problemo...but refuse to try because you might not like it ?that I do not understand

It's not fussy eaters I have an issue with ( although I do at someone who proudly defines themselves as fussy because I don't quite understand that as something to be proud of ) it is the frantic scene making eaters I don't understand

A goid example is veganism...i think it's laudable and all power to anyone who chooses that...i intensely dislike those who guilt trip or batter anyone who eats differently

It's about human behaviour because I can't imagine it being an issue what someone physically puts into their body but the behaviour that attaches to it.

Do some people exclusively only eat foods they like?

Why on earth would you eat something you don't like?! I don't think it's fussy either to have certain likes and dislikes about food either, we don't all like the same things in life, food is no different.

Yes I am an extremely fussy eater. I have IBS and don't see why I should eat anything that will cause me grief.

I was a fussy eater as a child, but when I got to about 15 I realised I had to get my act together and learn to like this stuff if I wanted to manage at Cambridge which is where I had decided I wanted to go. I knew there would be formal dinners and didn’t want to be embarrassed. So we started with simple simple smooth pasta sauces and the such, and sauces for meats and new vegetables. By the time I got to uni I was still fussy but manageably so.

At uni I went to many dinners; I learnt then how to eat entire dishes I didn’t like and learnt to eat a hell of a lot more things. Before I would almost gag eating soup but I knew I had to and did manage it.

Now I will deliberately make soup for myself and eat it. This wasn’t something I (or my mother) ever thought would happen. I never did learn to like chilli.

I’m now back to being fussier again though; I have IBS and cannot eat pulses - this is like a lactose intolerant equivalence - it is a genuine dietary requirement, not a picky decision. I’ve lost various dishes I really love to it. Chilli does me no good either and I wonder if that’s why I still can’t stand it.

Op do you eat everything? Is there nothing that you would refuse at all?

I think with some people it's a lack of understanding that the world doesn't revolve around them. They don't have a physical issue or a severe psychological one with food: they just aren't prepared to put themselves out for the benefit of other people.
I was brought up to accept that, if you are served a food that you're not very keen on, you eat what you can without whining so as not to spoil other people's enjoyment of the meal. If that's not going to be possible because you have an allergy or whatever, then dinner parties are something you should basically not attend unless you're adult enough (and your hosts are, too) for the discussion to take place before you accept the invitation.

Mushrooms aren't vegetables, they are fungus. I thought that was common knowledge.

There's nothing to understand and I'm not a fussy eater, some foods just taste fucking vile to me.

I've two kids. One eats a very small range of foods and the other will happily eat asparagus and what have you.

The finicky one probably has his reasons. I can't relate, I dislike very few foods (cottage cheese, is that even edible?) but I have to work with it.

We're all different. I find it hard to get past the wartime mentality - it's food, just bloody eat it, lots of kids don't have a choice at all. Sigh

A goid example is veganism..

Oh definitely. Today I had to wait a lifetime for a woman in front to decide what she could eat off the menu as she was vegan. Not only did she cause a huge queue but she openly discussed how eggs give everyone IBS and how dairy farming is immoral. Oh and the usual "you wouldn't eat meat if you've seen the videos I've seen".

I took great pleasure in ordering a regular diary latte with a chicken sandwich, oh and extra bacon in that sandwich. The look she gave me was hilarious

Oh and regarding being fussy, I won't eat anything with a 'mashy' texture such as beans, potato that isn't fries or over cooked roast potatoes, peas or lentils. And I hate cheese and fish. I love spicy food, olives, mushrooms, onions, it's purely a texture issue.

The only one that's ever an issue is cheese, they sneak that in so much and I'm constantly having to ask for no cheese. No one seems to mind, I think at 30 years old I can decide what I will/won't eat.

I find this such a strange question. Why do some people dislike travelling, or clubbing, why don't some people like the colour yellow? We are all different, have had different experiences, different tastes. I cant stand seafood of any kind. I grew up on a farm so we naturally ate more beef, lamb and chicken, plus I was once violently ill after eating fish as a child. My husband doesnt like it either but for him he just doesnt like the taste or texture.

What I would like to know is why everyone makes it their business and thinks they must try and change us. The number of people who have pushed and pushed for me to try something and only take no for an answer when i finally snap, is insane.

Apparently genetics and parental attitudes to food play a large part in neophobia.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neophobia

My family experience fits - my parents believed in trying new foods, and regularly reintroducing ones I didn't like. Tastes were also pegged as "adult" which made them a bit aspirational!

It worked - as a child I hated tomatoes, Brussels sprouts, fatty meat, celery, liver, in fact any offal. Now I love all of them.

The only things I dislike now are that Icelandic rotting fish and Japanese mountain potato (like eating spit - once you start, you have to finish).

@Bimgy85 - are you saying that there isn't a single food that you don't like...?

I don't consider myself a fussy eater - but there are a couple of foods I don't like. Including mushroom, which many people don't like.

If I went to someone's house and they served me a mushroom risotto, I'd eat it and be complimentary, etc. but I wouldn't enjoy it.

I can't believe though, that because I don't like mushrooms, I'm now classified as a 'fussy eater'.

And no, I don't eat food I don't like (unless served up by someone else at their house). Why would I prepare and cook food I don't like, when there's so much other enjoyable food out there?

Japanese Mountain Spit, aka Tororo:

dailyfoodporn.wordpress.com/2013/06/08/tororo-gohan-with-mitsuba-yam-creamed-rice-in-green/

I broke up with a boyfriend over this. His mum had let him grow up on just meat and potatoes with ketchup. It affected our relationship in so many ways. Dinner invitations, going to restaurants, attending events, visiting museums and places of interests (always had to work out if the cafe sold food on the ‘acceptable list’) and cooking at home. There was nothing wrong with him other than an over indulging mother and after a year it got too much going out with a man that behaved like a toddler when it came to food and I jacked it in.

I have cried at many dinner tables due to my struggles with food. I hate being labelled as a fussy eater because my issues are deeply psychological. I have an extremely limited diet which is restricted to plain chicken breast, bread, bacon and potatoes or chips. I dread mealtimes and eating out is usually stressful. If I find something to eat on the menu and have to order it without certain parts, I spend a lot of time worrying that it will come with those parts (salad/sauce/cheese etc). If I have to send it back I’m then convinced they are just scraping off what I don’t like and bringing the same food back out which really puts me off eating it. The thought of certain textures is enough to put me off most foods and I don’t care that I haven’t tried them. Most experiences of trying a new food has been very unpleasant. At dinners and weddings I usually end up giving my meal to my husband or whoever I’m with and either spend the whole time starving or make sure I’ve eaten before I go. Eating is something I really don’t enjoy and I only eat because I have to.

YANBU

When I meet fussy eaters in adulthood I assume they have emotional problems they are unable/unwilling to deal with, in all honesty.

I say this as a former fussy eater. I had very restricted eating until I went to uni when I decided to make the effort and tried things on the basis that I was being silly if I didn't like it. Now I eat anything except maybe some seafood and offal!

I had to get used to eating new foods by facing down the fear of the unfamiliar and overcoming the idea certain tastes were 'bad'.

Unless people have a medical reason for not eating something, they're just being immature. Preferences are fine, but cutting out foods altogether is a sign of something seriously wrong.

DH is a fussy eater. He has anxiety issues over food he feels is “un-safe”. The list expands all the time and as a very un-fussy person I find it exhausting. The list of no no items is at an all time high and includes nuts, fish, seafood, lamb, steak, cheese, spicy, chicken in anything but small chunks, offal, Chinese food, subway, kfc, Burger King, peppers, garlic, sausage ....

I will eat pretty much everything except raw tomatoes (a tomato based sauce is ok), squid ink, whale, caviar, cottage cheese. I don’t fancy oysters but would try them. I am not keen on cooked mushrooms but will eat them to be polite!