Picky Eaters/Food Snobs

[CatPat]

I like Campbell's soups! And the boxed mac and cheese is also good, I was just looking for ways to make these differently on my own.

Remember one of my first posts asking about the boxed dinner and I didn't like it? It was under seasoned. That would have been good with some extra seasonings. I tried the same boxed dinner later and added more seasonings, some fresh chives and onion, garlic, sage, and it was very much better and I liked it.

I see what you mean, Pacanis. I think food is wonderful, and if it does come from a box or a can, it is well also. You can always fix it with seasonings. Sometimes we are on a time schedule and rushed, so this is what these foods from a can or a box are for. And they are good.

There's a girl in one of my classes who is a vegan. You don't want to know what she said about my ham and cheese sandwich and my Campbell's chicken noodle soup I had for lunch that day. I also had a thermos of whole milk. Cat = sinner!

With love,
~Cat

 

[Kayelle]

Ouch. I guess that makes me a food snob because I won't eat cooked beets?

My definition of food snob is someone who puts down the food that another person likes, or at lleast eats. And I don't mean, someone who puts down red meat because they are a vegetarian. I mean the people who instantly post in a thread with the usual: That tastes like cardboard; I don't know how anyone can eat that; Homemade is so much better; I won't buy premade/packaged foods; I only use fresh herbs... with the accompanying to illustrate you are making them sick by saying you ate a box of mac and cheese for lunch, or a can of Campbells soup, or used dried basil in a dish. Heck, even those that want to make sure they let everybody know that they haven't eaten at Burger King in thirty years just because they stopped there for lunch the other week. Gotta let the masses know it was highly unusual circumstances that forced you into the predicament of having to eat a Whopper and fries now... So sorry you had to become one of forty billion served
Although I have noticed Costco foods seems immune from this

oops, did I go on a rant?
Anyway, that's my definition of a food snob. Which is not exactly the same as a picky eater. A picky eater refuses to eat certain things. A food snob looks down their nose at others' food and refuses to eat it... for whatever reason. Is that what you meant, OP?
And that has nothing to do with stopping eating something for health reasons.

You can be passionate in your likes without stepping on others' likes.

"Someone's singing, Lord..."

Pac, you won't eat cooked beets because you've tasted them and don't like them? That's very different from saying "I'll never eat cooked beets".
How would you know you don't like them if you've never eaten them?

I very much agree with everything else you said.

 

[pacanis]

Fortunately this "little darling" and his mother had the same tastes.
I've mentioned before she would fix Swiss steak the way we liked it for me and her, and the way my father and sister liked it for them. That was well into my teens if I recall. Not when we were younger.
Also, mom and I liked mashed potatoes and gravy. My father and sister mashed sweet potatoes, so Thanksgiving Day meals always saw both on the table. And any meal that had mashed potatoes and gravy she would always make another potato for my father and sister.
My parents were strict on some things, but I guess food wasn't one of them.

 

[pacanis]

Exactly, Cat.
I still remember the post here by a popular member saying he made mac and cheese for him and his son, then quickly following it up (or as quickly as one can follow something up hitting the comma and the space bar) "and not that boxed crap".
Was that really necessary? I'm pretty sure we all knew it didn't come from a box.

But that said, I'll bet it's been 4-5 years since I've bought a box of mac and cheese. Not that I'm against it, I just always have the stuff on hand and the method to make my own now. Heck, it doesn't make no never mind to me where you get your food from. After all it's a "cooking" forum. Cooking is cooking. Scratch or bought. What's Andy's sig? You must first create the apple?

Kay, I couldn't tell you how they taste. Or cranberry sauce for that matter. I've never tasted either, nor was I forced to.
Squishy, red... oohp, errr ackkk

But if you like them go for it

 

[Dawgluver]

Exactly, Cat.
I still remember the post here by a popular member saying he made mac and cheese for him and his son, then quickly following it up (or as quickly as one can follow something up hitting the comma and the space bar) "and not that boxed crap".
Was that really necessary? I'm pretty sure we all knew it didn't come from a box.

But that said, I'll bet it's been 4-5 years since I've bought a box of mac and cheese. Not that I'm against it, I just always have the stuff on hand and the method to make my own now. Heck, it doesn't make no never mind to me where you get your food from. After all it's a "cooking" forum. Cooking is cooking.

Kay, I couldn't tell you how they taste. Or cranberry sauce for that matter. I've never tasted either, nor was I forced to.
Squishy.....
But if you like them go for it

No beets or cranberry sauce, Pac? You're missing out! I love pickled beets! And my cranberry sauce was awesome this year.

I also love the convenience of cream of something soups and Idahoan potato flakes in a packet! Not a fan of mac and cheese, boxed or homemade, but that's me, others love it. There's nothing wrong with using a few shortcuts! What would college years be without Minute Rice and Ramen?

 

[pacanis]

No beets or cranberry sauce, Pac? You're missing out! I love pickled beets! And my cranberry sauce was awesome this year.

I also love the convenience of cream of something soups and Idahoan potato flakes in a packet! Not a fan of mac and cheese, boxed or homemade, but that's me, others love it. There's nothing wrong with using a few shortcuts! What would college years be without Minute Rice and Ramen?

Oh I've had about 4-5 slices of pickled beets through the years. I love pickled eggs, so about every 50 pickled eggs I'll have a slice of beet But never a cooked beet like my earlier post said.
I think we had a thread a couple months ago about foods being appealing. Beets and wiggly cranberry sauce don't appeal to me. I couldn't even tell you if they are eaten with a fork or a spoon

 

[Zhizara]

I've tasted both beets and cranberry sauce. I don't care for them, but once in a great while I'll eat some, just in case there is some missing nutrient in them that they may fill for me. You know, kind of "just in case".

I can relate to the "that crap" comment about boxed mac & cheese. I've used it many times when money was extremely tight. I don't have to do that now, but I can relate to the comment.

 

[GotGarlic]

I can relate to the "that crap" comment about boxed mac & cheese. I've used it many times when money was extremely tight. I don't have to do that now, but I can relate to the comment.

I can relate to it, too, when it comes to certain products. But I try not to say it (or type it) out loud because it's rude to disparage something someone else likes.

 

[CatPat]

Perhaps one's upbring and past has much to do with our approach to food also. I've shadowed Mamma in her kitchen for my whole life I think. She always let me help and she taught me so very much.

Now Papa is showing me his grilling expertise. I welcome every meal, and I can't be picky or a snob. There are too many recipes here and on the Internet for me to try.

Food and cooking are one of my life's greatest adventures. If I ever adopt children of my own, I'll teach them just as Mamma has taught me.

One time, my cousins were staying with us (the two who failed here) and they refused some of Mamma's dishes. I was very offended and furious! They didn't stay long.

With love,
~Cat

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Depends on what you put in front of me if I'm a picky eater or not. Definitely not (I don't think) a food snob.

 

[Addie]

My generation were the children of parents who lived through the Depression. They carried those times into their marriage and the dinner table. Hamburger Helper, boxed mac and cheese and other foods of convenience were not available to our parents. So my generation grew up on food from scratch. Then we got married and had our own families. Money was not always plentiful, and those convenience foods helped feed a lot of families. I know it certainly helped feed my kids. A box cake mix was cheaper than making one from scratch. When money was plentiful, we were able to feed our families like we had been. We made the dishes our mothers made. And we were able to make those cakes and pies that we grew up on. Unfortunately, by the time that day came, my kids were used to the boxed items. But if we stuck to our guns and continued to make scratch foods, they began to develop more sophisticated taste buds.

As I got older, and health problems began to pop up, my intestinal tract decided to develop a mind of its own. That and food allergies were limiting what I could and could not eat. But I don't make a fuss about it to anyone. Today, I find most of the boxed items very salty. Cold cuts leave me cold. Again too salty. Yet they were the building stone for school lunches in my home. So now I keep my mouth shut and a quiet "no thank you" suffices when I am offered a food I can't have. Some times I will take a small spoonful. If pushed, I certainly don't want to discuss my health problems at the dinner table. So I just say I suffer from 'fatonmythigh' as one word and very quickly. I have found that if I say I am allergic, a whole conversation starts about food allergies. Not at the dinner table please.

If your income or taste buds lead you to convenience foods, then I say go for them. If you come across a food snob, change the conversation quickly. Nothing you say is going to make a difference to them. You owe no explanation to anyone for how you shop for groceries. You purchase what you can afford and like. There is no such thing as "real food" and "fake food." Just good or bad food.

 

[Steve Kroll]

As stated above, there is a difference between picky eaters and food snobs. Picky eaters are those who refuse to eat certain foods, usually because there's something about the given food they find unappealing. For the most part, I don't think there's anything wrong with being a picky eater. People don't eat what they don't like and there's not much you can do to change it.

My own mother didn't push me to try new foods, but my grandmother did. If my brother or I scoffed or picked at something on the plate, she would glare and say in a stern voice, "Quit acting like a baby and just eat it!" That was usually all it took.

Some picky eaters are just completely over the top. My father-in-law is a good example. For meats, he only eats beef, chicken, and ham. The only two vegetables he will eat are canned green beans and corn, and sometimes mashed potatoes (but only if they are of a consistency that meets with his approval). Ethnic foods are completely out, with the exception of pizza and tacos. Unfortunately, due to his pickiness, the man has boxed himself into a little world. While I like him on a personal level, he is very unpleasant to have dinner with.

Food snobs are a different animal altogether. These types invariably want you to know that their food choices are vastly superior to yours. On occasion I've been accused of being a food snob because I'm very selective in what I buy and cook for my family. The truth is, the accusers are probably right. I think I am kind of a snob. But I've gotten to the point where I try not to push my own choices on other people anymore, as I believe that crosses a line. As with picky eaters, I personally don't feel there's anything inherently wrong with being a selective consumer (vs. "food snob"), as long as you're not obnoxious about it. And if I go to someone else's house for dinner, I always try to respect the cook and the work that was put into the meal and generally eat what's served without complaint.

 

[Andy M.]

Well said Steve.

 

[cave76]

I was raised in the Midwest. My mother was a very good cook but she always did the meat and potato stuff with overcooked fresh veggies, though. Pepper was the only spice besides salt and cinnamon for cookies.

Then I moved to California in my very early 20s.Whoa! Vistas of great food opened up to me and I never looked back.

I discovered that I could eat and love everything and I wanted my daughter, born a few years later, to not be picky. My ploy was to not offer her anything 'different' like beets or liver although my husband and I had them on our plates.

She wailed "I want some of that". I told her it was grown up food and when she got older she could have it.
More wailing and pleading. I gave in and said, o.k, but just one bite!

It worked on almost everything. I no longer had to avoid 'different' foods.

Yeah, o.k.----- report me to the Mean Mommies Police!

 

[Kayelle]

I was raised in the Midwest. My mother was a very good cook but she always did the meat and potato stuff with overcooked fresh veggies, though. Pepper was the only spice besides salt and cinnamon for cookies.

Then I moved to California in my very early 20s.Whoa! Vistas of great food opened up to me and I never looked back.

I discovered that I could eat and love everything and I wanted my daughter, born a few years later, to not be picky. My ploy was to not offer her anything 'different' like beets or liver although my husband and I had them on our plates.

She wailed "I want some of that". I told her it was grown up food and when she got older she could have it.
More wailing and pleading. I gave in and said, o.k, but just one bite!

It worked on almost everything. I no longer had to avoid 'different' foods.

Yeah, o.k.----- report me to the Mean Mommies Police!

Pretty darn smart, if you ask me.

Reverse psychology often works with little ones. I was a day care mother in my younger years, and when they would get too loud I'd start whispering. They'd always quiet down to try and hear what I was saying.

 

[Addie]

I used to like to have the kids in the living room with me at night. That way I could keep an eye on all of them at the same time. So I used to go around and shut off all the lights in the other rooms. Kids do not like being in the dark alone.

 

[dragnlaw]

there is a difference between picky eaters and food snobs. Picky eaters are those who refuse to eat certain foods, they don't like and there's not much you can do to change it.

Food snobs are a different animal altogether. These types invariably want you to know that their food choices are vastly superior to yours.

I try not to push my own choices on other people anymore, as I believe that crosses a line.

And if I go to someone else's house for dinner, I always try to respect the cook and the work that was put into the meal and generally eat what's served without complaint.

Hear hear..... well said! (Steve, hope you don't mind my editing!)

 

[bakechef]

My friends know that I cook mostly from scratch and at times I get the impression that they think that I'm a food snob, because we'll be discussing food and they'll say "sorry, I used a cake mix"

I like my recipes better than most mixes and convenience foods, but I totally understand that others haven't made dozens of cakes to perfect the recipe, or they might not have everything to make a recipe from scratch, heck they may not even want to.

Just because I don't care for something doesn't make them bad, just that my choices are different.

 

[bakechef]

There is also a socioeconomic component to brand loyalty. Often those of lesser means will be attracted to brand names because they think it makes them look less poor to others, and makes them feel better that they can have the "better" product. This is a real thing.

 

[taxlady]

...Food snobs are a different animal altogether. These types invariably want you to know that their food choices are vastly superior to yours. On occasion I've been accused of being a food snob because I'm very selective in what I buy and cook for my family. The truth is, the accusers are probably right. I think I am kind of a snob. But I've gotten to the point where I try not to push my own choices on other people anymore, as I believe that crosses a line. As with picky eaters, I personally don't feel there's anything inherently wrong with being a selective consumer (vs. "food snob"), as long as you're not obnoxious about it. And if I go to someone else's house for dinner, I always try to respect the cook and the work that was put into the meal and generally eat what's served without complaint.

Well put, I agree. I have been waiting to reply to this topic, because I wanted to write a meaningful reply. I'm a bit of a food snob. I often honestly find the "food snob" choice to taste better and seem healthier to me. But, I have no objection to buying/eating the "low brow" version if it tastes good and isn't full of weird chemicals.

I had to start reading labels back in the '70s, when I noticed that I have an unpleasant reaction to MSG. It meant that I couldn't buy most canned soups and lots of other pre-made foods, so I learned to cook them myself. I have no objection to pre-made foods, if they are made of healthy ingredients and taste good, e.g., Habitant Pea Soup. One of two canned soups I could find back then, that didn't have MSG. The other one was Howard Johnson's clam chowder.

There's another reason some people might be picky eaters. People have varying levels of tasting ability. BBC - Science & Nature - Human Body and Mind - Test your tastebuds

I'm a super taster, so I really dislike most bitter. I love chocolate, but not dark chocolate. It's too bitter. I've been told again and again that it's an acquired taste. I haven't acquired it and doubt that I ever will. I can taste the sodium bisulfate (or maybe it's the sodium benzoate) in ReaLemon. It's bitter and makes it unpleasant. So, am I being a food snob when I say I prefer stuff made with actual lemon juice or organic bottled lemon juice? I try not to be obnoxious about it, but if you ask me what I think of that homemade hummus with the ReaLemon, I'll tell you.