I just overheard a coworker saying “Oh, I would never try that in my life!”, in a discussion of food. (This was about consuming a steak cooked less than medium well). It made me wonder what life is like for those who refuse to try new food, especially those who refuse to try mundane things like fried shrimp.
Why limit yourself? It seems like such a closed-minded way to view food. Help me understand?
I simply don’t like the taste of many things. I’ve never been officially tested, but I suspect I may have extra sensitivity to certain compounds, such that no matter how many other things are in a dish, I can still taste that one thing that I don’t like. I also suspect that I am more sensitive to all tastes in general, as there are many foods that have been described to me as “mild” that I find are quite strong.
Now, I’ll still try most things once. There are limits, mostly involving spiciness, but I wouldn’t want to be thought of as ungrateful or close-minded. It’s just that I’ve disliked far more things than I’ve liked when trying new foods.
I also resent the common refrain of, “You just haven’t had good [food in question] yet!” Actually, I probably have, and I still didn’t like it. It has nothing to do with how it is prepared or what other ingredients are in the dish, that food still has its fundamental taste that I don’t like.
It’s not food, but I like using wine as an example. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the cheap boxed stuff from the supermarket or some expensive vintage at a fancy restaurant, because both taste like overripe grapes in addition to whatever other flavours present, and I don’t like the taste of overripe grapes.