Picky eaters something to be studied

Duke University's Medical School is conducting an interesting survey online of adults who are picky eaters. According to the blurb on their website, "Most people have foods that they dislike or will not eat. However, for some people, unusual or picky eating leads to distress or problems."

I've been told by many people that I am a picky eater. Friends and co-workers like to point out when I say I don't like something, which apparently I do a lot out at restaurants or when talking about meals.

Even though I write a food column each week in the Life section of the Weekend Pinnacle, I am certainly not adventurous in what I eat. Anyone who reads the column on a regular basis will probably notice the almost complete absence of seafood recipes. It's not something I eat, so it's not something I cook and it's not something I write about. Others who know me personally will also know that anytime a recipe calls for dark chicken meat, I substitute white meat. If it has bell peppers, I pick them out of my serving. If it calls for jalapenos, I leave them out or substitute in a milder pepper. I don't eat tofu, eggplant, zucchini or anything that has an unpalatable mushy texture. I avoid pork chops, pork shoulder, pork tenderloin but am totally fine with pork sausage and ham.

The main things that make something not appealing to me are texture and smell. The smell of curry is enough to make me nauseous and the smell of fish is equally appalling.

I don't eat anything that comes out of the water - except perhaps rice. That includes fish, shellfish, seaweed and anything else someone might come up with. The last time I ate fish I was probably 7 years old and it was probably a tuna fish sandwich at my grandparents' house. I've had friends who have tried to cure me of my dislike of fish. I tried a bite of teriyaki mahi mahi once at a restaurant. It tasted good - but it still brought about a gag reflex and made me lose my appetite. I tried a tiny taste of fish in South Africa at a friend's insistence and again the gag reflex kicked in. He said he didn't realize I actually have a physical reaction to it and asked me to never try fish again. A few years ago I ate a stuffed mushroom that a friend assured me had to crab in it. I swallowed it and ended up sick for days - which perhaps could have been a food allergy but since I never ate shellfish I didn't know about it.

So I thought I might be a candidate for the survey and decided to take it a few days ago. It's sort of the first step in gathering information so there is no long-term commitment to follow up studies or any requirement to taste test things in front of researchers. Once I started taking the survey, I realized that perhaps I am not as picky an eater as I thought. The questions include things about avoiding social situations or not going to restaurants.

I will admit that I do dislike potlucks because I don't like eating dishes when I don't know exactly what is in them. But it is also because I think a lot of people just aren't very good cooks. When I do have to go to potlucks, I generally stick to what I brought and scout out a few other safe dishes. If I am going to a new restaurant, I do check out the menu on the Web site to ensure there is something I like. There almost always is, unless it is a seafood restaurant. So I wouldn't say I stay out of situations because of picky eating habits.

It does ask if you lie to people about your eating habits and I emphatically say no. I am open about all the things I don't like to eat so people know not to offer them to me.

I did try to break out of some of my pickiness this year by making resolutions to eat at five new restaurants and to cook with five new ingredients. I did get a few ingredients I liked, but I also got one that I will never use again. When I made quinoa at the beginning of the year halfway through dinner the gag reflex kicked in and I couldn't finish my plate. Now the sight of quinoa turns my stomach so I've added that to the lengthy list of things I don't eat.