What's in it?

I used to be what is called a picky eater.  I was afraid of what I might find by carelessly biting into my food.  My main issue was unexplained bits of food that were the "wrong" texture in another food.  This made eating many foods very difficult for me - particularly soup (don't worry you can totally pick stuff you don't like out of soup it just takes a lot of looking).

See look at all that horrible stuff in there! At least I don't see any celery . . .

My problem steams from a miss communication as small child. I was a rather shockingly literal kid and had just enough knowledge and vocabulary to be a danger.  I also tended to  form my own conclusions and stick with them, without confirming my new knowledge.

Ikkin says "I don't know"

So, I'm 3 or 4 and eating watermelon with my dad on the porch one hot summer day.  My dad is a person who relentlessly teases everyone and the story will get worse and worse until it is clearly an attempt to mess with you.  I had already learned that if it doesn't really make sense daddy is probably making it up.

But we are eating watermelon and he's spitting out the seeds.  So, I ask why do we spit them out. He responds "So, watermelon's don't grow in your stomach." Now I'm sure I'm not the only child that got told this rather than they taste bad or who want to bit into a big seed, but I had logic on my side.

in case you were unsure

As he was spitting them out and seeds did grow I assumed this was plausible.  Now, remember I didn't know about stomach acid yet.  So, I stopped eating watermelon (I wasn't the type of kid to take chances with watermelon plants, those things get big).  I also deduced if watermelons can grow in your stomach from seeds so can other seeds . . .

Flash a few months in the future.  My parents that their daughter normally a very easy kid to feed is turning down all kinds of food.  Not like when she was a baby and refused to let anyone put a spoon in her mouth because she had to feed herself, but really seemed to have an aversion to food. I was a logical kid remember, if watermelon can grow in your stomach so can everything else.  Who knows whats in those lumpy bits in your food and what they could do once given free reign in your stomach.

The black dots are the best part! Better than the tips - who eats that part ick!

So, I sit down to eat a banana and begin eating it like a cob of corn to avoid the seeds in the middle.  My mother says "What are you doing?" "I don't want to eat the seed." "?" "I don't want banana trees in my stomach." Penetrating stare to my father.  "I didn't do it! . . . I don't remember doing it . . ." So, I get straightened out on seeds.

I still hate seeds.  They aren't really food, but we eat them anyway.  I've learned to deal with it mostly.  I have issues with berries . . . the food to seed ratio is all out of balance.  However, this is a post about how I'm not picky any more.

After years of pickyness and generally weird food choices. For instance, I have always loved Avocados. I went to college and some how became friends with a slew of Hawaiians. Who liked to cook and I don't turn down food people make for me.  So, my years of trying things graciously began and I started to like it.

One of my friends once got asked if she took a canoe to school . . . 

Then they made me mochi and it was the turning point! It was a weird texture and I loved it anyway.  I then began my journey to try all the strange food I could find, at least once.  Through this I have learned that I actually like more foods than I dislike . . . other than jello . . . I just don't get it.  Its a stupid food it doesn't really taste like anything . . . I still distrust soup as well, but I'm getting better!