When Did Anderson Cooper Come Out…

As a fussy eater?

It seems that Anderson also dislikes fruit and vegetables. I am baffled at why he would attempt to eat spinach on the air. That’s not exactly what I would select as the first vegetable to try – and I certainly wouldn’t want to try it in front of millions of people. He might have been better off trying sweet potato fries, or honey glazed roasted carrots. Then again, I don’t know what kinds of food Anderson does like. I tried those because I have a sweet tooth. I don’t know if he does. What I do know is that you are more likely to enjoy something that has the same qualities as something else you like. That’s why sweet vegetables were a little more palatable to me than celeriac which is firmly planted in the dislike category, just slightly above the “Stroganoff Column“. Work with what you like and you are more likely to find new foods you’ll eat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sM8KWZM0VAY

http://www.andersoncooper.com/2011/09/26/anderson-eats-spinach-for-the-first-time/

http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2011/12/01/anderson-cooper-eat-your-vegetables/

The Bitter End

So far I’ve examined some of the more subjective reasons that some people are fussy eaters. Today, I want to look into one of the more scientific reasons. Some fussy eaters dislike bitter foods. Well, it turns out that may have it’s roots in the early days of hunting and gathering. These days we know what plants are poisonous and avoid them by name or sight. Back then, they had to rely more on taste and, apparently, a lot of poisonous plants have a bitter taste. If you ate them you would get sick and possibly die. Early man often had a dislike of the bitter tastes of these plants. Maybe it was from seeing others eat berries and die. Perhaps they ate them, got sick and lived – only to avoid them in the future. Who knows?

To this day, some people dislike bitter foods. Could that be part of an age-old defense mechanism? Perhaps. Still, why some people choose to eat foods like sour cream or Limburger cheese is beyond me. I suppose it has something to do with people not dying after eating them. Personally, I’m not about to take the chance.

Fear of the Unknown

I’ve discussed some of the reasons I don’t like some foods – like the way it smells, feels, or looks. I started to think about a lot of the foods I don’t like, or rather, say I don’t like – even some of the ones I now eat like tacos. As I thought about it more, I realized that sometimes it’s just a fear of the unknown.

It’s a little hard to admit, but sometimes I won’t try something just because I’m afraid of how it might taste. Even if it doesn’t smell bad or look bad I’m still worried that it will somehow gross me out. Fortunately, this is the one aspect of fussiness that I do have some control over. I have made up my mind that I will at least try something before I say I don’t like it (unless it smells revolting). It’s not going to be easy, but I am going to try to be more open to new foods.

So is there anything that you think I might like? Give me a recipe and I’ll try it and let you know how it turns out.

A Subtle Difference

There is a subtle, yet huge, difference between the phrases “I don’t like …” and “I don’t think I like …”. More often than not, fussy eaters use the first one when they actually mean the second. Perhaps subtle isn’t the right word to describe the difference. Most non-fussy people know it quite well and usually ask the follow-up question “Have you tried it?”.

You see, fussy people are really more likely to think they don’t like something they haven’t tried yet. I say I don’t like most fruits and vegetables, but in all honesty I’ve tried only a few of each. That’s why I was willing to pick up celeriac at the Farmer’s Market last weekend. I’m planning on making an effort to try more of the things I say I don’t like, but haven’t actually tried.

Are there any fruits or vegetables you think I might like? Keep in mind that I have a major sweet tooth.