Odds are that you might agree with a lot of the opinions shared in this list. They sound like common sense. Either that or people are more likely to agree with anyone who shares the same beliefs as they do. (Probably a mix of both.) However, some of these opinions are spicy to say the least.
The fact of the matter is that many folks have very different senses of taste. People’s genetics, how they were raised, the range of cooking ingredients they were exposed to—all of these factors play significant roles in what someone loves and loathes.
Salted caramel might wow some of us (hi there!), but others’ immediate reaction might be, “Yuck! I can’t believe anyone would eat that.” Similarly, some of us have no problem eating Brussels sprouts or green peppers; others hate them with their entire essence.
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We were curious to hear what the author of the thread, redditor u/CynicalHomicider3248, had to say about helping picky eaters get out of their comfort zone.
"I would recommend picky eaters to pick ingredients familiar to them, but pick a recipe that isn’t," they suggested.
"For example, if you like beef, bell peppers, and olives maybe try ropa vieja! Try to find recipes based on ingredients you enjoy and are familiar with, because it helps with sensory issues as well, which many picky eaters face," the OP told Bored Panda.
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"It’s far less daunting to find a recipe with ingredients you already enjoy when you’re trying something new," they shared some great advice with us.
Bored Panda also wanted to get to grips with cooking as a beginner. After all, the kitchen can seem very intimidating to people who are unfamiliar with it and have very little experience working with food. The author of the thread suggested that it helps to embrace a growth-oriented mentality.
"I would say don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Cooking is so intuitive, often even the worst mistakes can be fixed," u/CynicalHomicider3248 told us.
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According to the OP, the r/Cooking subreddit is a wonderful place to get advice. There are plenty of other great cooking-oriented online communities as well.
"If you’re too scared to make mistakes, you won’t ever learn from them, which is vital when it comes to cooking because it is when you can learn from prior mistakes, and start to mess around in the kitchen with recipes or ingredients that cooking becomes so much fun!" the OP noted that experimentation can be a ton of fun.
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The author also opened up about the inspiration behind their viral thread. "This may sound silly, but I had ordered biryani that day and it was FILLED with raisins so in a fit of rage I posted on the r/Cooking subreddit," they spilled the beans to us.
"I truly didn’t expect it to get so many responses! I think so many people joined [the conversation] because food is something so many of us have strong opinions on, and Reddit allows us a place to express those opinions."
Though we can’t change the genetic factors behind our dislike of certain foods (well, at least not yet), we can do something about the environmental ones. If you find that you’re only ever eating the same two or three meals over and over again, you might want to consider expanding your culinary horizons. But you shouldn’t jump into trying oysters, caviar, and lobster immediately.
Take things slowly. Get your feet wet by taking a small step out of your comfort zone. What’s important here is developing a sense of curiosity, not being so frightened by bizarre dishes that you never want to eat anything ‘fancy’ ever again. It’s a lot of fun to experiment with new flavors and textures.
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For example, for starters, if you hate olives, you could buy a jar of ‘em and eat just one. Try different types and brands, and use them in different contexts as well. Yours truly was never a fan of how olives taste, but I got used to them over the years.
I used to prefer just black olives, but I’m a fan of green ones now, too. I enjoy them the most with cheese and cured meats, but I won’t say no to olives in salads or on pizza, either. The important thing, at least for me, is that the olives aren’t stuffed with anything weird like fish or cheese. In short, you need to find what works for you and slowly introduce the ingredients into your life. It’s not a sprint—it’s a gastronomic marathon.
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However, this doesn’t mean that you should be brutally forcing yourself to like something if you fundamentally hate it. There are people out there who are simply more sensitive to certain textures and tastes. There’s nothing wrong with that.
If you gave olives or whatever other food a few fair tries, it simply might not be the food for you. There are plenty of other ingredients out there waiting for you to taste them! But it’s vital to be honest with yourself if you honestly went outside of your culinary comfort zone… or if you had one foot inside it, secretly hoping you wouldn’t like something new.
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