Picking and Chewing

Today’s Daily Prompt:

Are you a picky eater? Share some of your favorite food quirks with us (the more exotic, the better!). Omnivores: what’s the one thing you won’t eat?

I wouldn’t say that I’m a picky eater. Ian may beg to differ, but he doesn’t have room to talk.

I’ll try just about anything. My sister brought me some durian candy once. It wasn’t the best thing I’d ever tried, but it wasn’t the worst, either.

I don’t like Brussels sprouts, beets, or liver. I am willing to give Brussels sprouts another chance, though, as I haven’t had them in probably twenty-five years. Beets I tried this year. I didn’t like the beet part, but the green part is mighty tasty, especially in soups. I think I’d give liver another shot as well. It’s been about as long for liver as it has Brussels sprouts.

My pickiness doesn’t come in when we’re talking specific food items. It comes into play where quality is concerned. Ian picked us up some sandwiches today from Subway, and I texted him my list of toppings:

lettuce pickles black olives

if good: tomatoes onions cucumber

Ian knows my vegetable qualifications when it comes to sandwiches.

I am very particular when it comes to tomatoes, especially. I prefer them slightly on the unripe side. Completely ripe is tolerable, but if there’s the slightest hint of mushiness, it’s game over. I can’t do it. And I only eat raw tomatoes in sandwiches and salads. Never out of hand. Abby will terrorize a container of cherry or grape tomatoes, and she has her own cherry tomato plant every summer, but not me.

I hated onions when I was a kid. My mother can attest that it used to be a dealbreaker if they put onions on my Happy Meal cheeseburger. Now, I love them. White and red, not particularly yellow. I am slightly less particular when it comes to onions. I’ll tolerate a hint of translucency in fresh onions, but not much more than that. They must be crisp and of a decent thickness. I make sure to remove the thin layer under the papery outer one when I’m making my own sandwiches, but I know sandwich artists aren’t as choosy. I won’t fault them for that; I know not everyone has my onion standards, and there’s food cost to consider.

I don’t usually buy cucumbers. I’m not that excited about them, unless I get a hankering for cucumbers and vinegar. But on a sandwich, just like onions, cucumbers must be crisp. I do not eat abused cucumbers.

I thought I wasn’t picky, but does someone who isn’t picky have such standards for their produce? I don’t think it’s really me being a picky eater. I just place a high premium on quality.

I think I just outed myself as a vegetable snob.

At least I love radishes.

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