Food dislikes-as guest, but will politely eat

[tctrek]

I am an incredibly picky/fussy eater. I cannot cook at all, so DH does all the cooking. He eats anything that will not eat him, but he usually cooks for me.. the fussy one.

DH and I explored why I am the way I am about food and we discovered that my mother was an awful cook -- I used to stuff my mouth with her food and run in the bathroom to get rid of it. We had to clean our plates, so that was how I did it. I wasn't bulimic or anything like that, just couldn't stand the taste of it!! For most of my childhood, I lived on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

It took me over 50 years to discover the roots of my food aversion -- now I try to eat different things, but I'm not always successful. I eat foods that I know I like and that are healthy for me but a limited menu. Sigh... I know DH would love it if I was more adventurous.

[Owlie]

I will not eat boiled or canned veggies unless someone serves it to me, the guest. The first time I went to visit DBF at his house in AZ, he had BEGGED his parents to make what his family usually does for Christmas dinner when I was there. They always do Norwegian meatballs, lefse, cranberries and...green bean casserole. DBF, thankfully, won't eat green beans in casserole form. That still meant choking down a serving of tinned green beans.

I will not eat liver or organ meat in any form. Nor will I eat anything gooey, squishy or gelatinous, invertebrates, or veal. If said gooey/squishy/gelatinous thing is of vegetable origin, I'll try a bit to be polite. (And occasionally, it turns out to be good!) If it's of animal origin...no. I have mild allergies to "undercooked" soy products and peanuts. (I can eat tofu, soy sauce and roasted peanuts with no trouble--if it's been fermented or cooked at high temperatures, I'm good. But no soy milk or edamame for me.) I don't particularly like red wine or beer (well, for the most part), but I can get through a glass.

DBF is a picky eater on top of having odd food allergies. He's allergic to bananas, melons with the exception of one hard-to-find variety, black olives and sulfites. I do most of the cooking, and have yet to make something that he doesn't like (his mom was amazed) but I'm waiting. Oh, and nothing can be touching anything else on his plate. I let him serve himself. I've broken him of that habit at least for curries and things. (No, dear, the sauce goes ON the rice...)