Selective

A friend sent me this article today: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2010/11/29/adult-picky-eaters-recognized-having-disorder/

Never have I felt more understood than when I read this article. It described me almost perfectly. I have often avoided social situations that involve eating or drinking because I am embarrassed about being a picky eater. I've been told it's "childish" and have been made to feel like I'm being immature or bratty because of my selective tastes.

Consequently, I have faked a stomach ache when I'm desperately hungry to avoid acknowledging that I don't like anything that's being offered. I've lied about having eaten recently to avoid eating something else. And I even once snuck off from a work event and walked 6 blocks through Denver to McDonalds after picking away at some Chinese food our team had for lunch and trying to make my plate look as though I'd eaten something.

I like foods that are bland and usually processed, as this article describes. I love things that are salty, especially french fries. I've often thought that "more adventurous foods look like a plate of barf."

And I would definitely change this about myself above anything else. It has been such an embarrassing and limiting factor for as long as I can remember. I hate feeling like I'm offending a host if I don't like anything they offer, so I avoid going to people's houses for dinner unless they are briefed beforehand of my eating limitations. Even as a kid I preferred people sleepover my house than that I go to theirs, so that I wouldn't be faced with a dinner I couldn't eat. I hate feeling like people have to make special accommodations for me, even if they do it graciously and show amazing understanding.

As far as childhood associations with food, I was always a tremendously slow eater. Often because there was something on the plate I couldn't stomach the thought of eating, but I had to sit at the table until I ate it or until bedtime. So I'd hold out for bedtime. Sometimes I'd chew one bit of food for twenty minutes because my stomach was screaming at me not to swallow it.

Please read this article and know that my food limitations are not because I'm being stubborn or immature. I just don't experience food the same way you do...often just the thought of eating something unpalatable to me triggers my gag reflex. Know that if I turn down something you've worked hard to bake or cook, it's not because I don't respect or appreciate your efforts. Know that I would absolutely change this about me in a heartbeat.