Confessions of a Picky Eater (or a Selective Eater)

All of my life I have been "picky" or as I like to call it "selective." My friends and family can all atest to that.

I never liked veggies much. I still don't. There are only 3 or 4 that I will even eat.

It was tough when I used to go to camp (girl scout or church camp) I couldn't find anything I liked. I can remember at girl scout camp they made me try "V8" juice. BLECH!!! I can't look at that stuff in the store to this day!! Then they also made me try tea. Ooooh! I hated that stuff too. Tea and Coffee, are both icky!

It was at high school that I found more things to try to my liking. I can remember eating a chicken tetrazinni and boston cream pie. College food was much worse. And so my friends and I would drive out 8 miles for some Pizza Hut Pizza.

My parents used to say, "You don't know what you're missing." Just to get me to eat better. But that didn't get me to eat any better. Once I found myself telling J that exact same line when I was trying to get him to try potato skins. I had to laugh, it didn't work on him either. But later on he did eat them and likes them now.

While I was cooking supper tonight, I thought to myself, "My mom never made this for me." I was making my family's favorite Tater Tot Casserole. I picked this recipe up a few years back from watching a 5-10 minute cooking segment on the local TV station called "Some one's in the kitchen with Todd." Ordinary people would come out and cook their favorite recipes on this local segment during the noon news. There were no chefs from local restaurants. So once in a great while there would be a new recipe for me to try out.

Sometimes I think back on what my mom used to serve me when I was living at home. I remember meat loaf. But the recipe that I use now is slightly different than what she made. I had a good friend who told me what to add to make it better.

But my parents liked things I just absolutely cannot stand to eat and to this day I have never served them at my house. I can remember the smells of these food and I get nauseous just thinking about them. Sauerkraut, Ham and Beans, Oyster soup, Chili and so when my mom would make these things I would get an alternative meal. I can't remember what but I know I didn't eat these things. ICK! The smell alone was awful.

Then I can remember my mom loving to eat peanut butter. I am allergic to peanuts and it was horrible. I wouldn't let my mom kiss me goodnight if she had that on her breath!

My relatives would always kid me that I wasn't getting much to eat because I was so picky. But later on I did put on some weight because I was eating the wrong types of food.

I am not perfect now, but I think I'm a little less picky. But then again if you've seen me at a church dinner, you would still say I am picky. Oh well!