to not understand people who say they don't like vegetables?

[NormalityBites]

I know several people like this and it drives me bonkers. They are so hard to cook for. It makes my mind boggle. I hear people moaning about what to cook, you suggest something and then you get 'oh I don't like veg' Dig a little and you usually get a list of exceptions such as tomato pasta sauce, or they might eat carrots.

I just flat out do not understand how it is possible to not like every single vegetable on the planet cooked in every single way you can think of? Because that's pretty much an infinite number of tastes. I'm probably being unreasonable with the sneaky thoughts I have about the 'veg' that must have been served up in their house when they were kids to make them feel this way. I'm probably not being unreasonable to worry a little about their health.

But AIBU to want to strap everyone who claims this down and forcefeed them a hundred varieties of scrummy vegetables cooked in a myriad of delicious ways?

I;ve got a friend like this, v odd.
She came round for a roast dinner once and ate just the meat, no veg, no potatoes and didnt eat the pie we had for pudding as it had fruit in [comfused]

YANBU. The man next door is like this. He will only eat meat, pies, potatoes and baked beans. His wife hides vegetables in things to try to get him to eat them.

I feel very sad for people like this, as they are missing out on so many delicious things.

YABU. I dont like vegetables. Some (strange in my opinion) people dont like meat. I do however do my best to eat what is put in front of me, but I refuse to make myself feel ill eating a food which I do not like the taste of. I'm not a faddy eater either by the way.

DH won't eat veg, I wouldn't either if I ahd grown up in his house.
It didn't help that he was looked after for 10 years after school by his Gran who spoilt him rotten and never made him eat a vegetable.
He will eat them if they are blended or mixed, and he likes rocket and watercress, but it's the 'texture' of cooked veg he can't cope with, makes him gag.

Yes. it's irritating but he's not difficult to serve food to, he will just not eat the veggies, he wouldn't make a massive fuss over it as he knows it is awkward.

What's more annoying is that he hates the taste of onions. And I lvoe them.

faddle, really no veggies AT ALL?

see I can understand someone not liking meat because of the texture as most meats have a similar texture

but vegetables are so diverse, I find it really suprising that someone can like none of them, what is it that you dont like? Taste, texture, smell?

Do you eat fruit?

(I am genuinely interested, not having a go by the way)

You can have a perfectly healthy diet without eating meat. Not eating any fruit or veg is surely going to cause health problems- you can't really compare the two.

I had a colleague once who used to pick the cucumber out of a tuna and cucumber sandwich. She basically ate no veg or fruit.

Boy, was she tricky to go out to eat with.

If you "don't like" any vegetables, its not about the taste or texture, since the vast range of differences preclude that, never mid the myriad of cooking techniques that you can apply.

Its a mental thing. Or you're just a fussy bugger. Either way its childish, annoying and unhealthy.

Yes Im a fussy bugger, totally agree. Yes I do eat fairly unhealthily (though do eat fruit everyday). People may find me annoying and I say if thats the case dont cook for me. Simple as. I would never expect people to cook for me anyway as I realise that I am more than likely not to like what is being cooked. I often find something I like when I go out for something to eat and usually leave the bits I dont like (for example the little side salad I get).

I would like to know why does it make me childish? I dont like most veg, but I certainly dont make a fuss over the fact and I dont really bring it up unless in a general conversation like this.

BTW with me it is partly taste, but for some things it is texture.

Another thing I don't understand is how 'veg' are Something Seperate, something you have in addition to the 'main' bits of the meal, where in most cooking I can think of, they ARE the meal, or a huge, huge part of it.

Seriously what do you eat if you don't eat vegetables? I really, really don't know.

The reason I would say childish is because it seems to stem from childhood issues, and also because children are reknowned for being vegetable-fussy (but don't get me started on that)

But the variety of vegetable taste and texture is nearly infinite, it's pretty much impossible to say that you don't like them because of taste or texture.

You can say that you don't like cooked mushrooms because of texture, or don't like raw celery because of taste, but not all veg cooked in all ways with all flavourings, ever!

Right. Vegetables I can eat (not saying I particularly like them, just that I can eat them) carrots cauliflower with cheese, broccoli with cheese. Mashed potatoes, boiled spuds with butter, roast spuds, chips, sweetcorn. baby corn (I almost like these) mange tout (only if raw) Butternut squash as long as its not overcooked and mushy. cucumber.

Vegetables which I wont touch regardless of persuasion: cabbage. Onions. leeks. sweet potato. beetroot.

Vegetables which actually make me ill.
Peas of any persuasion, beans of any sort. Kale. spring greens. any sort of lettuce, except for rocket.

in my last year at junior school, I once forced myself to eat the peas on my plate in order to get my fave pudding (no pud without a clean plate) unfortuantely eating the peas made me physically sick while I was waiting in the queue for pudding. I had been feeling fine until I ate the peas.

I do resent quite strongly being called childish or faddy because I dislike most vegetables. I'm sorry but its not something that I can overcome by being more "adult" about it, I have done this to a degree over the years and have developed a tolerance for certain veg which allows me to have a reasonable diet and makes it possible for me to eat at restaurants and not cause offence when people cook for me. I'm almost 35 btw.

faddle that sounds like a prefectly reasonable diet to me - no point eating foods which make you sick whether you are allergic or just that they make you gag - I do not eat any shellfish and hardly any fish - and I wont eat any food with a particular texture eg custard tart/gypsy tart/bread pudding because the feel of it in my mouth makes me feel so sick.

Asparagus, spinach, parsnips, fennel, peppers? Mushrooms, radishes, marrow, pumpkin? Artichokes, celery? Sprouts, aubergine, swede, yam, tomato? What about herbs - basil, parsley, coriander? Chillies? Garlic?

Nuts? Pulses? Chickpeas? (hummous?)

Honestly curious!

Asparagus, spinach, parsnips, fennel, peppers? Mushrooms, radishes, marrow, pumpkin? Artichokes, celery? Sprouts, aubergine, swede, yam, tomato? What about herbs - basil, parsley, coriander? Chillies? Garlic?

Nuts? Pulses? Chickpeas? (hummous?)

Honestly curious!

Fair enough I can see where the childish bit has come from, although I dont particularly think Im childish when it comes to it, its just a variety of food Im not a fan of.

I am quite happy to say that perhaps I havent discovered a way to like the veg I dont like. you are saying that there are many different ways to cook veg and these ways can change the flavour. Fair enough, give me some examples so I can try them. I really would like to get to know veg better so I can enjoy a healthier eating pattern.

I dont mind herbs as such, so long as its just to add flavour (sorry though not a fan of actual herbs in their leafy form, but am happy to have the jarred version). Do like Garlic though.

dont like nuts, dont like nutty taste at all.

Ooohhhh I like leaks, just remembered that one. So thats another I like.

YANBU I had a friend at school who didn't like any fruit or vegetables, actually didn't like much at all. She would say she had tried e.g. tomatoes when she was 3 (!) and didn't like them, so wouldn't try them again.
Her daily diet consisted of boiled egg for breakfast, jam sandwich, chipsticks and fanta for lunch, and crispy chicken and chips for dinner. Every day.
Her parents ate a normal varied diet but would not push her to eat anything she didn't 'like' meaning she had no fresh food in her diet. She was very skinny at school, extremely overweight now.

There are so many different ways to prepare vegetables, so many different ways they can taste, different textures, so say you don't like all vegetables must surely be more to do with having a mental block over them. And they are so good for you it is worth overcoming this. The more you eat something the more you start to like it (I made myself like olives but forcing myself to eat them, now I love them). Agree it is probably the meat and two (overcooked) veg mentality that leads to a lot of dislike. What about a delicious veg curry? Or stir fry?

I don't like vegetables in any way shape or form t the point I would gag on eating them.

I hate being like this but have been from approx the age of 6, before that I used to eat anything. My mother even took me to Docs about it and his response was "She looks healthy enough, don't worry about it" (this was approx 25 years ago).

I eat as much fruit as I can reasonably eat in a day which is normally 3/4 servings.

Mine is definitely a texture thing as I could probably eat many of them raw if pushed (with the exception of tomato, which I know is really a fruit, due to the squishyness etc).

But in response to the OP, my friends and famiy don't have an issue cooking for me at all. I am extremely easily pleased, never make a fuss about where we can and can't eat, due to my restrictions, I will always find something on the menu I can eat and eat whatever I can off the plate (I don't eat chips either by the way - yuk!) A meal out for me is normally some chicken or steak with some bread or a pizza.

I wish I could eat them, I have tried hypno amongst other things, to no avail. For me, I don't see it as a choice, but I also don't see it is a hindrance to anyone other than myself as the people that love and care about me are happy to cook me a piece of chicken and get me some nice bread.

fartblossom, how about fritters or pakora? You can use all kinds of veg: spinach, grated carrot, onions, cauliflower all work well. They are nice hot, and also cold the next day as snacks.

There are plenty of other ideas here: www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/vegetablesrecipes

Thanks for the ideas, will def give them a go.

Clackety Clack - how long did it take you? That is something else to consider.

I know what you are saying about the mentality bit. I grew up with a mother who likes her food well done. I grew up thinking I didnt like Roast Potatoes, but as soon as I made some myself I discovered I really liked them (I just dont like my mums roast's as she likes them nearly black ugh)

I dont think I will ever get into mushrooms (that is definately a texture thing) ewwww, but I might start with a couple of simple veg at first like carrots, cauliflower and peppers in a new variety of ways.

Sorry to have turned this thread onto getting me to eat more veg, I just wanted to point out that there are some people out there who dont like veg. OK so I cant say I dont like all veg, but I bet there is someone out there who genuinely doesnt like veg at all no matter how its cooked.

"I grew up thinking I didnt like Roast Potatoes, but as soon as I made some myself I discovered I really liked them"

This made me laugh! Until I left home, I thought sausages were meant to be black, and all chips had black flecks all over them.

SO no nuts either....what about borderline nuts? Chestnuts, pine nuts. Seeds? Sunflower, poppy, pumpkin.

Chop courgettes in half longways and poach in milk, put under the grill with half a ton of melted cheese and nutmeg. Chop asparagus, mushrooms and chuck in a pan with garlic, basil and smoked bacon lardons. Serve on toast, on their own or add two beaten eggs at the end and a handful of parmesan. Squeeze an orange over a dish of carrots before they go in the oven and blitz with black pepper. Roast parsnips in a honey trap, wrapped in foil with a good dollop of eucalyptus honey and a spring of thyme. Pea and mint risotto, fresh peas, delicious. Stuff a chicken breast with garlic butter and porcini mushrooms. Pretty much any kind of soup you can whizz. Chicken and sweetcorn pie. Pea and ham pie. Beef and tomato stew. Spinach and ricotta lasagne. Chicken and broccolli bake. Lentil patties with spicy bean dip. Bacon and red lentil bake. Canneloni stuffed with olives, red peppers and cherry tomatoes, baked and covered with parmesan. Eggs florentine. Curried lentils with giant couscous and mint dressing. Pasta with spinach and creme fraiche. Fajitas with fresh tomato, peppers and mushrooms in a smoky sauce with spicy salsa. Beef tomato, mozzarella and basil salad. Jacket potatoes with fresh red pepper hummous....

...I could go on for a long time

But they all have different textures and tastes, and depending on what you do with them, a single vegetable can have 10 different tastes or textures!
Take a carrot. So you don't like boiled plain carrot, fine. What about honey roasted carrots? Or thinly sliced stirfried with garlic and soy, or grated in a vinagrette with raisens? Or grated into a rosti and fried?

You can flavour a vegetable any way you want. There are millions of different vegetables.

Honestly, its no skin off my nose, but your diet must be very unhealthy with no vegetables, you are missing essential nutrients. Your colon for example would thank you for some pumpkin and spinach!

And yes childish, if your main reason is that a vegetable once made you sick so you can't eat any vegetables. Thats some serious food ishoos.

Actually many Food Experts and Nutritionists have agreed that as long as you are getting five portions of fruit and veg a day it doesn't matter if they all come from one group. So fruit in my case.

I find it strange how someone can be so hung up about someone else's diet. If you find people a pain to cook for who don't eat veg then don't have them round. When I have friends/family round for dinner I ensure I cater so that everyone is happy no matter what their preferences, if I wasn't prepared to do that I wouldn't ask them round, but then it wouldn't say much for how much I wanted to enjoy their company and be with them rather than being hung up on whether they were going to eat a carrot!

My oldest is currently refusing to eat veg

Well he´s not going as far as picking stuff out that´s mixed in-but won´t eat anything extra on the side except potato.

This has coinciding with him eating more fruit.

Guess he doesn´t want to overdo the healthy stuff