Food Network - Adult Picky Eater

[jglass]

Did anyone see that show that was on FN the other night about adult picky eaters? They showed people seeking therapy even hypnosis trying to get over texture issues and other problems they have with some food.

My brother in law and his kids are the most picky people I have ever met in my life! He was just saying the other day he hated gravy of any kind. Said he hated the texture. I had made some dressing from scratch the other day and was amazed he really loved it. I had some cornbread and stale sourdough bread I needed to use up and tons of sage and thyme from the garden. They even told me to make sure I had written down how I made it.
You just never know what they are going to like or hate
When ever I cook for their holiday dinners Im always kinda afraid to make new things cause you never know what they will eat. My BIL always says my husband is as picky as he is. Jon is in no way as picky as his brother. The only thing Jon wont eat is veggies and thanks to alot of you guys help I have ways I slip them into his diet now.

 

[yoyo1198]

I just don't understand picky eaters. I learned to eat EVERYTHING. Just about had to or I wouldn't have eaten (Ha). Of course, I have my favorites but still have to be called to the table only once.

 

[jglass]

That is the way it was at our house when we were growing up to Yoyo. Many times a pot of pinto beans and a mess of wild greens looked like steak to us.

My Dad got social security disability and we could have done well on what he got a month but both of my folks were drunks and every month they owed most of the money to boot leggers who ran them a charge account. So we had very little left for groceries.

 

[chubbyalaskagriz]

I was at my sister's over the weekend taking care of their pets while they were out of town, janie- and I saw this program. It was interesting & enlightening!

However, I've experienced MANY picky eaters in my family and in the cooking biz and NONE of them suffered from these unavoidable phobias.

The picky eaters in my life have indeed been the nose-wrinkling stubborn folks who make a bad name for those who really do suffer from some sort of mental issue about certain foods.

 

[jglass]

I forgot you have a bunch of picky ones in your family to Kev.
I had never been around picky eaters til I married Jon and went to their first family dinner. His brother and his kids are very picky. My MIL & FIL say his brother has always been super picky so the kids picked it up from their Daddy. They have a new baby who will be a year old in Sept. I wonder if she is gonna be as bad as the other three?

I agree 110%!
However, I've experienced MANY picky eaters in my family and in the cooking biz and NONE of them suffered from these unavoidable phobias.

The picky eaters in my life have indeed been the nose-wrinkling stubborn folks who make a bad name for those who really do suffer from some sort of mental issue about certain foods.

 

[jfain]

I'm in the same boat with a bunch of stubborn eaters in the family. My Dad and his wife are junk food junkies. They won't eat anything fresh or made from scratch. This boggles me and it has nothing to do with phobia or allergies they just have some weird mental issue. Maybe they are addicted to high levels of salt and high fructose corn syrup in their diets? My Sister and her family are better but still rely on mostly packaged foods.

Hey Chubs I read an article yesterday on Bitten. There was a study of how long families spent in the kitchen when they cooked with convenience foods vs cooking from scratch. They found that convenience foods on average saved only 10 minutes of cooking time. I always wondered about this because when I make dinner it takes me about 30-45 minutes. People always say they don't have time to cook the way I do but I wonder do they think I spend 2 hours in the kitchen every day? I always assumed that hamburger helper must cut the cooking time down to 10 minutes but it seems that's not the case.

 

[Bubba707]

i've always been one to eat anything that didn't eat me first or run fast enough to escape. As far as the "convenience" foods, the boxed stuff like hamburger helper really doesn't save you any time at all in cooking, it just puts everything in one package. You can make the same thing from regular ingredience just as fast at a lower cost per serving.

 

[chubbyalaskagriz]

A lot of the convenience foods are there for folks who can't- or don't want to have to think for themselves. Or for folks who are super-busy, or aren't into cooking enuf to know their own way around seasonings and such. Sometimes cost can be a factor too- although not ALL of these products are cheaper- in fact, many are not.

I try not to judge folks who use convenience products because afterall, at least they're attempting to cook for themselves on SOME level. Afterall, stirring blue box mac and cheese at your stove might not be some folks' idea of a homemade meal- but at least it beats the drive-thru 7 nights a week!

I use many conveninece products myself. As often as I make scratch cakes using real cream, eggs, butter and high end products- I also always have box-mixes in my pantry. I also like Jiffy corn bread mix, Zatarain's cajun rice blends, hungry jack pancake mix, and many other convenience products.

I worked in gourmet kitchens for years, but I like a whole range of food. Today I mainly prefer simpler foods. I guess what I'm trying to say is I do appreciate fine food- but I am also a real and practical guy- and I'm far from being a food snob. I've certainly shoved-down more than a fair share of big macs, canned soup and store-bought cookies!

 

[Bubba707]

Yeah griz, me too. I was just pointing out that the convenience stuff isn't neccesarily the time and money saver some folks think it is

 

[chubbyalaskagriz]

Yep- I totally agree, Bubba...

 

[jfain]

Yeah griz, me too. I was just pointing out that the convenience stuff isn't neccesarily the time and money saver some folks think it is

That's exactly my point as well. Also the health benefits of learning a few from scratch fast recipes would be extremely beneficial as it allows you to control exactly what is in your food. My guess is that people who use convenience foods still probably make the same 8-10 dishes over and over so whey not learn to make that many from scratch then you would still not have to do much thinking about it. The occasional use of convenience foods is not a problem but using them pretty much exclusively I believe is dangerous for over all health.

 

[yoyo1198]

Sometimes, I use the box mix stuff as a base for whatever. Like tonight I'm starting with a box gumbo mix and I'll add my own spices, chicken/shrimp, okra, onions, garlic and mebbe some cayenne to 'kick it up'. I can't stand at the stove for any long period of time anymore (like the time it would take to make a roux) so the boxed stuff helps a bit.