Vegetables

My brother Clark recently posted on his blog about the finicky eating habits of Shannon and myself in regard to vegetables. I have been known to be a picky eater. I am still a picky eater, though slowly I am growing out of some of my food phobias.

One help in this regard has been peer pressure. I never would have eaten fried coconut grouper with pepper jelly, (MMM!) were it not for peer pressure. Another reason I have tried more foods in the last few years is my vacation rule: you do things on vacation that you would not normally do at home. I'm not talking about things on the level of "Spring break! Woo!" or, you know, skydiving in Namibia, but little things. Ordering something off the menu that you wouldn't normally order. Trying something you wouldn't normally try. This policy had led to my eating the following items:

• the aforementioned grouper
• Maryland! crab cakes
• crocodile (a definite must-not for your next tasting menu)
• veal sausage
• sukuma wiki
• okra
• calamari
• pickled mushroom
• camel
• the schmutz you dip the calamari in (I think they would call it aioli in a restaurant)
• eggplant
• goat
• a sip of red wine (tastes like burning)

Most of the items on that list are very tasty. Crocodile, the mushroom, goat, wine and eggplant are not. To me. Please, sample them yourself! (Except the crocodile. Trust me.)

Anyway, the main reason I have for disliking foods is the texture. I have mouth texture issues. I know I'm not alone in this. My mouth doesn't like squishy things very much. No slimy things. The list of things I will not eat because of texture includes:

• squashes (except pureed in soup form)
• tomatoes* (all right in sauce and salsa form)
• avocado (except in smashed-up guacamole form)
• clams or clam chowder
• canned peas
• sukuma wiki
• pickled mushrooms
• mushrooms or fungus of any kind, really
• things that look like they may be smooshy or slimy (i.e. oysters, which I have never tried)

*Tomatoes, I have developed a laissez-faire attitude toward. I will pick around them in salads, but I will eat them in sandwiches. However, if a tomato falls out of a sandwich, I will not retrieve it. Anyone I cook for should not expect to find tomato in the salad. Or sandwich.

Foods I will not eat just because I don't like them:

• blue cheese
• Brussels sprouts
• green Jell-o
• cauliflower

This is not a comprehensive list.