I’m not a picky eater. This hill is one that, up until recently, I was willing to die on. I grew up being the kid that ordered off of the grownup menu, not because of the larger portion sizes, but because there was nothing I wanted to eat less than chicken fingers, a cheeseburger, pizza etc. In my family I was known for being open to trying new foods and not scared of foods with intense or strong flavors. In fact, I was known within my family for being the kid who loved blue cheese, frog legs, fisheye, headcheese (I swear its not as gross as it sounds) and so many more “not kid friendly” foods. A big reason for this adventurousness was having grown up seeing adults in my family be unafraid with the foods they ate and being themselves adventurous. Another reason was the instilment of the “no thank you bite” meaning that I at least had to try one bite of everything before I could claim I hated something.
For most of my life, including now I would pick a chicken foot over a zucchini any day. But it wasn’t just zucchini, it was mushrooms, bell peppers etc. I still was deadest though on the fact that I wasn’t picky despite my hatred of these foods.
This idea of my pickiness was really put to the test however when I studied abroad in Japan for six weeks over the summer. Prior to going I was repeatedly asked by others if the food was going to be a problem for me. My automatic response was always ‘absolutely not’ because in my head I was like sushi, ramen, udon, tempura, curry no problem at all. I always said that Japanese cuisine was one of my favorites, so I was excited for the food.
Once I arrived in Japan, this claim of “I’m not picky” really got put to the test. When my sushi showed up and it was more than just tuna, salmon, and yellowtail that was first when my pickiness got put to the test. While certain types of raw fish were within my comfort zone, not all of it was and I found myself saying “大丈夫”, which means “it’s okay”, “don’t worry about it” etc. more often as my way of politely declining a dish. As I kept eating in Japan and getting more into traditional foods and further from the western approved Japanese food my pickiness got put to the test even more. Armed with my “no thank you” bite I kept trying every food on my plate whether I liked it or not even going as far as to try Japanese natto (iykyk).
After “no thank you” biting my way through Japan there were two things that became clear to me. One, you’d be surprised at what you love. I tried so many new foods that I thought I wouldn’t like, but ended up loving due to my no thank you bite, while I didn’t love everything I tried I was never not glad that I at least tried anything before claiming I didn’t like it. Two, it wasn’t that I was an adventurous eater, it was that I was comfortable eating foods within my culture and once you pushed me outside of that, that’s when things got iffy. Being half Chinese, foods like chicken feet, fisheye, jellyfish and more foods that might be seen as gross or weird were just normal to me. The revelation that I could be an adventurous eater while also still being slightly picky and having my list of foods I don’t like was life changing. I’ve now changed my claim to being an adventurous and open to new foods eater who is occasionally slightly picky.
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Comments
It’s surprising to see all the more “out there” foods you eat. Unless you lack taste or and feeling in your mouth, you can’t like all foods. Preferences and disgusts are not something we should look down on. Personally, I like a lot of cheap foods over the expensive like cheese, bread, most meats. As much as it hurts for people to hear, I don’t like steak. However, it’s still important that we are willing to step into the unknown and try things we don’t know. For instance, you’re adventurous yet you don’t force yourself to eat everything you get. It’s brave to throw your taste buds out there like that.
I myself was surprised upon abroad for the first time and see all sorts cuisines that are completely absent in my country. My eyes were opened when I found out that most Western countries didn’t like fish sauce, whereas in my country, it is used in almost every dish. Your experience of being confronted with new kinds of sushi resonated with my on experience of trying sushi for the first time. I too was initially picky and refused most seafood dishes, but Japanese sushi made me become more open-minded. Overall, I think your story is very interesting in how it shows how you matured and became honest with yourself.
Hi, I think a lot can be learned from the idea of a “no thank you bite”. This way people at least will try the food before dismissing it as unedible. I also think being an adventurous eater doesn’t mean you will like everything, but you at least will try everything.
Hi, I’m amazed by how confident you were going to Japan to try new foods! This is a great perspective to have when traveling to a new country. I think it is so cool that you enjoyed some of the foods that you were hesitant to try at first. Knowing myself, I would be so apprehensive to travel to a new country with a whole different cuisine. I like to keep my food in the “safe zone” and stick to things that I know that I like. It is wonderful that you recognized that you can still be an adventurous eater without having to love every single thing that you try. It is important to be open to trying new things and be honest about how you feel instead of shutting things out completely or blindly loving everything you try. This could go with many different aspects of life as well.
I have not tried many Japanese foods but I have tried natto that I got at an Asian market once and I actually like it a lot! What you write is true, by keeping an open mind and trying out something you would maybe find a little peculiar you even might find a new favorite food. I think there is something special about Lincoln because there are many restaurants in the city owned by people from different countries for everyone to enjoy their cuisines. One of my favorites is Fattoush restaurant on 27th street, their hummus is the best that I have ever had (I cannot eat grocery store hummus anymore) and that is where I tried dolma for the first time!