Do any of you have a picky eater? I have one, but I am determined that he will not be "cereal boy" when he grows up. (I won't name names, but some of you know who "cereal boy" is! LOL!) I thought it would be fun to document some of his picky habits for posterity.
Christopher has a funny pickiness. He wouldn't eat pizza until he was almost 4. One day he decided he'd eat it, but to this day, if he sees sauce seeping through the melted cheese, he won't have anything to do with it. Also, he will only eat pizza from Little Caesars, Pizza Hut, or Costco. And only pepperoni. He wouldn't eat anything dipped in any kind of sauce until he was 5 or 6, when he decided ranch dressing was okay to dip chicken, fries, and occasionally carrots, but that's where his dipping ends.
When he was two he was diagnosed with a food sensitivity. Certain textures of food would make him instantly throw up. I was worried he had a food allergy. As he got older though, I couldn't figure out why he could eat applesauce, pudding and yogurt, but absolutely no soups or sauces! Similar textures, opposite results. He gags and throws up every time, except for when I make potato chowder with crumbled bacon, go figure. Maybe it's a temperature thing. Warm and smooshy equals throw up!
Christopher eats hamburgers plain and will only eat homemade ones, not ones from a restaurant. He eats a peanut butter sandwich almost everyday in his lunch. In grades 1-3 it was peanut butter and honey, this year it's been downgraded to just peanut butter. Occasionally he will eat a turkey and mayo sandwich, but he has to be in the mood for it. He won't eat anything with a sauce or gravy. Spaghetti noodles are served with grated parmesan cheese only. He also doesn't like some of his food touching. He eats tacos as follows: a pile of meat, a pile of cheese and a pile of chips to scoop with. He won't actually eat a taco.
This past year he has progressed a lot. He decided he likes eggs over medium instead of only scrambled. Don't ever put cheese in his scrambled eggs, he hates it! Omelettes are totally out of the question. He has recently come up with the funny idea that he likes to stack a scrambled egg on a piece of very lightly toasted toast and then crumble a piece of bacon on top. I paid him a dollar to taste cheesecake on Christmas eve. He didn't like it, and it made him gag, but at least he tasted it! Money seems to be a great incentive for trying new things lately.
He hates shredded hash browns, but will eat cubed or french fries. He'll eat a little mashed potatoes now, but no baked potatoes. It's the same vegetable for crying out loud!! UGH! He hates pies, cobblers and crisps. He loves cakes and cookies. He hates coconut, walnuts and almonds, but loves cashews, peanuts, and hazelnuts.
A few months ago, we got Christopher to try raw cabbage for the first time. We probably paid him. Anyway, he likes it! He says it tastes like carrots. Yesterday I had a bag of salad mix on the table. You know the kind with iceberg lettuce, shredded carrots and red cabbage. Nothing fancy. Christopher goes "Oh, cabbage" and grabs a piece of lettuce. I nonchalantly look away as he eats piece after piece of lettuce, thinking it's cabbage. Finally, I pointed out that it was actually lettuce. He says, "Hm, tastes watery in my mouth" and continues to eat. I, again nonchalantly, ask him if he'd like some ranch dressing to dip it in. He says ok and I poured some on his plate. He ate two of my handfuls of salad mix, dipping each piece individually in ranch. When he was done, I pointed out that that's what a salad tastes like. Maybe there's hope yet!
I refuse to change what I'm making to fit his likes and dislikes. He hates me sometimes for it. I hope that someday he'll appreciate my stubbornness. I love so many kinds of food and want him to experience the pleasure that different types of food can give. Jim tells him all the time that he will be sorry some day when he has to feed himself and I'm not there making yummy things for him. I just hope he won't starve on his mission! I love him so much, funny eating habits and all.
