By Lee Scott
Every family has them. Those children that will not eat their peas or the crust on the bread. They moan when you tell them that dinner is a chicken casserole because they hate to have their food mixed together. You beg, you plead, you threaten or reward and still they will not put certain food into their mouths. Dinners become a battlefield when you just wanted to have a peaceful family meal. I know about this problem. My family has a picky eater. I know because I am the picky eater.
I was reminded again of this affliction while talking to a medical professional from Beaufort Medical Center at a recent Health Fair. He asked me about my diet and I told him I did not eat eggs. His eyes lit up as he asked “Texture or smell?” I grabbed his hand and smiled. A kindred spirit. We picky eaters identify with one another. “Texture” I said and off we went onto a discussion of all the foods that we would not eat. We compared notes as to how we handled it around non-picky eaters too. Responses like, “No, thank you, I am full.” when people are pushing food on us. This seems to be a very plausible excuse even though we may be filling ourselves up on bread and butter. He said that he does not discuss the issue with non-picky eaters since they cannot fully understand. I told him that I had recently done research and there were multiple reasons for someone to be a picky eater. One: Picky eaters have more discerning palates. The advanced taste buds allow us to be supertasters and our pickiness is for an evolutionary reason. (I like this one) Two: It is a disorder and we need professionals and medications to help us with our problem. (Why is everything a disorder nowadays?)
It is not easy being a picky eater. We maneuver in a world full of people with healthy normal appetites. We have side conversations with waiters because we do not always eat everything on our plates and have to assure them that the food was great. I still enjoy going out for dinner with friends. It is their companionship I enjoy and not necessarily the food. But overall, eating is much more enjoyable now. Since becoming an adult, all the family meals are peaceful.
