I’ll admit it, I’m a picky eater. I’m one of those “I don’t like vegetables, things I’ve never tried before, and no, my food cannot touch” people. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I’ve been like this for as long as I can remember. No matter how much my mother has tried, she (nor anyone for that matter) can not get me to try new foods. I hardly ever get the urge to put an undiscovered food in my mouth. I have been chided, scolded and even called a brat for the way that I eat. Most people assume that I’m watching my figure (I am not) or that there is a deeper underlying problem to my pickiness (no NYT, it’s not that either). I quite honestly believe that my eating habits stem from the way my mouth processes textures.

First, yes, I do know all the foods I am missing out on. For years I refused to eat avocados and guacamole. The whole green, bumpy skin, onions, and better thing did not appeal to me. There was also a slight mix up because in Jamaica, where my family originates, they call avocados "pears." I hate pears so when I was offered a “pear” I did not understand that my family was actually offering me an avocado. I digress, I had my first avocado two years ago. It was secretly slipped into a turkey sandwich that I tried at a restaurant. I could immediately tell that that the consistency of the sandwich was off; my taste buds detected something too mushy. I pulled the sandwich apart looking for the culprit and while doing so I realized that I actually enjoyed the taste. It was a weird moment for me because after years of being told, “you don’t know what you’re missing out on” I actually found out. So yes, I do know that I probably do like other foods that I am unwillingly to try but bear with me while I explain.

The consistency of my food is very important. If I have a hard food and a soft food those foods cannot touch because then the hard food will become soggy. This will confuse my mouth which makes me sick and even slightly nauseous. It’s weird and uncomfortable to bite into a piece of fried chicken only to find that the potato salad has caused it to be mushy and wet. I also have a hard time with foods that look hard but are soft and vice versa. I cannot take the consistency of yogurt; it makes me sick. Like, it is a liquid, a solid, this in-between taste that my mouth can’t decipher? If my mouth can’t make sense of it then my brain can’t either and it gets added to the list of things I will not eat. I sound crazy and I do acknowledge that but I can’t help it. Consistency is one of the top reasons why I am a picky eater.

There are some foods that have weird consistencies that I surprisingly will eat, like apple sauce. I did not like apple sauce until a year ago when I had all 4 of my wisdom teeth pulled. It was so painful that I could not eat anything but apple sauce for a week or so. I didn’t like it up to that point but after being forced to eat it, it grew on me. I found that the trick to eating apple sauce is to drink it like a sauce (GOGO Squeeze is the best way). This way I can trick my mouth into thinking it is just juice.

Sometimes I wish I was not a picky eater, that I were more adventurous and outgoing with my food choices. I wish that consistency did not rule what I can and can’t eat. But slowly I am learning to introduce myself to new foods. As the saying goes you really don’t know what you’re missing until you try it so it can’t hurt to try.