Food neuroses that drive you nuts

[Fat Guy]

I was shopping with my mother the other day and, on the way home, she said, "Oh, I forgot to buy eggs."

"No problem," said I. "I bought two dozen. You can have one of them."

She replied, "But I don't like the brown ones."

No amount of evidence was going to convince her that white- and brown-shelled eggs taste exactly the same. I knew not to bother. She'd rather make a whole 'nother trip to the store than eat a brown egg.

I'm sure we've all encountered maddening food neuroses like this. Please do share.

[petite tête de chou]

When I was first dating my husband he didn't eat any meat that had a bone in it. Nope to pork chops, steaks, chicken(!) and don't even *think* about a whole fish or any crustacean. Very annoying. But then I'm the sort who will happily give the meat away and gnaw on the bone, fat and gristle. He's a wee bit better but I really look forward to the day that I can serve a whole piece of meat without having to cut it neatly from the bone, slice it, then finally, serve it.

[Anna N]

He's finally over it but for most of our married life hubby refused to eat pasta. He loved spaghetti and meatballs because, after all, SPAGHETTI IS NOT PASTA!

[markemorse]

Father-in-law "doesn't like curry". You can serve him a vindaloo, masaman, rendang, whatever, and he'll love it...just don't tell him it's a "curry" when he asks what it is. And he's an excellent cook (Italian).

[Syrah]

Father-in-law "doesn't like curry". You can serve him a vindaloo, masaman, rendang, whatever, and he'll love it...just don't tell him it's a "curry" when he asks what it is. And he's an excellent cook (Italian).

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Snort... because let me guess "curry is what they do to hide bad meat"?

That's hysterical.

[hummingbirdkiss]

my son does not mix food ..he eats his food clockwise and does not like them to touch unless the food is like a curry or something that is good on rice ..or a bowl of Pho is fine with stuff mixed up in it ...but do not mess with his clock wise order of putting the garnishes in!!!...he mixes the soup and then settles each garnish in a clockwise fashion then eats them in order that way.... on a plate with several items they will be in piles all alone and they are consumed one at a time in a clockwise order so he can taste each thing alone ..

he also does not eat mushrooms because they have "vents" not because he does not like them just because of the "vents"

this child grew up went to culinary school and is a fantastic cook but God forbid you interfear with the boys neurosis!!!

My worst and it drives other folks (not me though) nuts is I can not eat off a fork with bent tines ...I have rejected fork after fork in life and would rather eat with plastic than put a fork in my mouth that has bent tines...or three tine forks (shudder) ...I also like my food in odd numbers of three..do not ask ..I know there is medication but it would stiffle my creativity and this is livable because if my food is not in odd groups of three I just eat less until it is!

my dad will not eat bananas ..he is not allergic says he loves them has not specific reason except that someone said it was "bad luck if you eat that banana" one time in his life ...not even banana extract ...

it goes on but I think you get the drift ..everyone in my family is neurotic as Hell ...none are driven nuts by these thingsand we wear it proudly ..but it does make other people crazy sometimes!

I am very accepting of other peoples neurotic tendencies because I really understand!

Edited February 22, 2008 by hummingbirdkiss (log)

[Chris Hennes]

My mom's new husband is "allergic" to white cheese. The yellow stuff is fine...

[tino27]

My mother has an issue with goat cheese.

Cheese from any other animal is fine.

When asked about this aversion, her response is, "But it's from a goat!"

It's not even the fact that she doesn't like the taste of it -- she won't even try it.

I just sigh and neglect to mention the fact that it's in a dish if I know she will be having some.

[Domestic Goddess]

Hubby will not eat an egg with runny yolk nor a hard-boiled egg. Fried eggs are fine as long as the yolk is really cooked, Oh, he doesnt' eat any kind of seafood at all. And he married a tropical girl who lived by the seas from a long line of a family of fishermen.

Eldest son would not eat strawberries or mangoes. Or any kind of food or drink that has those flavors.

Youngest son would not readily eat any kind of cooked egg but will eat egg mixed in with other kinds of food.

Me? I'd eat anything except live baby octopus and raw marinated crabs (I can hear Sheena giggling).

[FlourPower]

I once dated a girl that didn't like garlic or onions. That didn't last long.

[Zeemanb]

During the entire 2 1/2 years I lived with my last girlfriend, whenever I cooked for her I had to destroy the meat in order for her to eat it. I'm not just talking about "well done", but literally cooked to the point of being shoe leather. I could slow cook a nice pork roast or shortribs, but since it was too "wet" she much preferred when I'd take a boneless porkchop, coat it with Shake n' Bake, and then bake it to the point that it was welded to the bottom of the pan. There are brands of beef jerky that were more tender. Oh, and speaking of beef jerky, the big indicator I got from her early on that she leaned this direction was when I totally forgot about some boneless shortribs I had put on the smoker and they cooked for 2 or 3 hours longer than they should have........"oh man, this is the best bbq you've ever done!".

And I won't even get into the whole "over-seasoning food to the point where your tongue bleeds" topic.......the girl liked her salt and dried spices.

[scubadoo97]

My SIL will not eat any kind of meatball. Hamburger, no problem. Go figure

[markk]

Two come to my mind, though only one's a neurosis; the other's an oddity.

I too had a friend (who used to eat my cooking regularly) who would cry if the foods on his plate touched or "co-mingled". Sadly for him, my idea of a meal is a main course with many complementary sides, served on what I call dinner plates though others call serving platters, and by design, things co-mingle. One particularly successful night I served a pork roast with 5 sides, and his wife exclaimed "wow - not only does each side go with the roast, they go with each other no matter what combination you take!"

He wept.

The second one is my partner, who when I met him ate like a picky child. No fish, no shellfish, no organ meats, nothing you touch with your hands, etc. With time, all that changed. Now his favorite foods, aside from as much foie gras as he can get, are things like duck thighs (i.e. confit) and braised or confit thighs of pigeon, pheasant, etc. Yet when we go to the Thanksgiving meal, he still takes only white meat turkey. It boggles the mind. Of course, it means I don't have to fight him for the legs or share one, but I find it mind boggling.

[jsmeeker]

When I was first dating my husband he didn't eat any meat that had a bone in it. Nope to pork chops, steaks, chicken(!) and don't even *think* about a whole fish or any crustacean. Very annoying. But then I'm the sort who will happily give the meat away and gnaw on the bone, fat and gristle. He's a wee bit better but I really look forward to the day that I can serve a whole piece of meat without having to cut it neatly from the bone, slice it, then finally, serve it. 

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a female friend of mine is the exact same way. Can't be on the plate with a bone in it.

[ruthcooks]

One of my brothers, when he was a child/teen, would not eat chicken wings because "chickens don't wash their underarms".

[Fresser]

When I was first dating my husband he didn't eat any meat that had a bone in it.

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You should have taken him to the Boneless Chicken Farm Restaurant.

[Shelby]

I have a friend that categorizes cheese into two groups:

"white" cheese and "yellow" cheese

She only eats "yellow" cheese.

[snowangel]

My mother has to salt everything before she even tastes it, and then wonders why my cooking is "way" too salty.

BTW, I have to have syrup in a separate place on the plate; I'm a dipper!

[Toliver]

I have a friend who will not eat white food. Period. I've never heard the complete story as to why he won't eat them.

The poor man will never know the pleasure of eating whipped cream or mayo (or Miracle Whip ).

[jbh]

When I was first dating my husband he didn't eat any meat that had a bone in it.

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Where does this come from? I have a friend who's exactly the same way.

[JimH]

My sister will dissect meat to remove every visible speck of fat. She looks like a surgeon in the OR.

[Shelby]

My sister will dissect meat to remove every visible speck of fat.  She looks like a surgeon in the OR.

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Dang, the fat is usually the best part!

[Fat Guy]

So what's it all about? Any amateur or professional psychoanalysts have any theories?

[saltylicious]

My wacky co-worker claims an allergy to manteca/lard/piggy fat, that it gives her serious indigestion.

She eats a McDonald's Sausage McMuffin every morning, no problemo.

[maggiethecat]

So what's it all about? Any amateur or professional psychoanalysts have any theories?

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I'm no mental health expert, amateur or pro. To quote, (I believe) the "Book of Common Prayer," our food neuroses are an outward and visible sign of our inward and spiritual wonkiness. And as DivaLV says, at what point does a preference become a neurosis?

I think Steven's mother's refusal to accept a free carton of brown eggs over white is a teeny weird, unless she's covering them with sequins and gilt and turning out mini Faberge egss a la Martha Stewart. Maybe she'd rethink her prejudice if she was told, as I was, that the shell of a brown egg is slightly thicker than that of a white egg, and is less susceptible to hairline cracks and salmonella. (I don't actually know if that's true.)

I have a friend who won't eat scrambled egss, no matter how good, without hot sauce. I mean, he'll freak! That is certainly a preference, but he's so hysterical about it that it might push him over to neurotic status.