Food neophobia: The fear of eating new or unfamiliar foods. Some people call it picky eating, but no matter what you call it, I have it. A shoutout to all my picky eaters out there who understand the struggle—the struggle of having absolutely no desire to try certain foods while everyone around you tirelessly tries to expand your palate. I guess the peer pressure has gotten to me, because here I am: Trying new foods that I had no prior intention of trying.
I would like to think I’m a unique picky eater; the foods I dislike are pretty random. Cheese, for example. I’ve hated cheese ever since I was little. There’s just something about it! Which may make the first thing I tried that much more impressive: a toasted bagel and cream cheese. I know, I know, cream cheese may not qualify as cheese, but hey, baby steps.
Toasted bagel with cream cheese: 8/10. I’m obviously a very plain person, which is probably why I liked the bagel and cream cheese so much. To me it tastes the same as a toasted bagel with butter, plain and simple.
The next food I tried was avocado toast. Whether you choose to believe it or not, I have never tried an avocado in any way, shape, or form. I chose the form of avocado toast because it is something I’ve always wanted to try but have never been able to bring myself to.
Avocado toast: 3/10. I really wanted to like this food, but unfortunately I did not. However, I feel like I should try avocado in the form of guacamole before I say I don’t like it.
Then, I tried chia pudding. I’m not going to lie, this was a last minute decision because I couldn’t think of anything else. But looks can be deceiving. Despite my tendency to dislike foods for purely visual reasons, I’m actually glad I tried it.
Chia pudding: 4/10. I liked the initial flavor a lot, and although the texture was slimy and the appearance was off, I would eat this food again. With that being said, at first the texture was very bad, but as I kept eating it it started to bother me less and less.
After the chia pudding, I ate quiche. Before I even tried it, I knew I wasn’t going to like it because—like I mentioned before—I don’t like cheese, and I’m not a big egg fan either. With that being said, I still managed to get the quiche in my mouth and successfully swallowed it.
Quiche: 2/10. Here’s the thing: when I first put it in my mouth, I was surprised I didn’t hate it. But then the aftertaste hit. I wrote in my notes that it was gag worthy. Honestly, I was a little more dramatic that day than most, but the aftertaste was probably the worst of all the flavors I tasted that day.
The last thing I tried was hummus. Going into this, I knew this one would be hard. But after 15 minutes (and some tears for effect), I finally got the pita chip with hummus into my mouth. And I liked it.
Hummus: 8/10. It wasn’t what I was expecting at all, but I was pleasantly surprised with the somewhat tangy aspect of it.
I know what you’re probably thinking: I’m not an extremely picky eater, I’m just extremely dramatic. I like to think I’m a little bit of both. Am I glad that I went through this emotional rollercoaster to expand my palate? To be honest, not really. But I’m proud of myself for actually doing it. The only negative thing that I got out of this experience is how I can no longer see the look on someone’s face when I tell them I have never tried an avocado.
