Why Picky Eaters Are Great to Live With

Here are some random thoughts on why picky eaters are great to live with. Picky eaters come in all sizes, of course. There are the short ones, like the kindergartner who might live in your house. Then there are the tall ones, like your spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend. They share something in common, of course - they are all incredibly difficult to feed.

So what makes a picky eater, anyway? What makes a human being vastly prefer one set of foods over another? Dr. Lucy Cooke, of the University College London's Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, believes that food pickiness (or food neophobia) is 78% genetic and 22% environmental. This is reassuring to new moms who are desperately trying to get their infants to eat pureed broccoli (and failing).

Undoubtedly a portion of these picky eaters have "golden taste buds." They are able to discern subtle tastes and textures that are lost on most of us. Many are destined to go on to become successful chefs, food critics and food buyers. But they are quite a challenge to their parents when they're younger.

There are many other factors that influence food preferences as well, such as hormones and maturity. Teenagers are going to naturally prefer a different set of foods than babies or preschoolers. And adulthood is when most people become truly adventurous with food.

If you are someone's mom or dad, you probably live with more than one picky eater (although you may not know it yet), as we have learned that genetics is a significant player in the "picky equation." That being the case, this challenge is perhaps best tackled on a group level versus an individual level. If you approach the issue from that angle, no family member will feel singled-out or devalued in any way.

My best advice for feeding a group of picky eaters is to let the diners assemble the meal themselves. That neatly sidesteps the issue of having to prepare more than one dish at a meal. An example of this would be Mexican tacos: a stack of tortillas and a ton of side ingredients - i.e., meat, cheese, guacamole, tomatoes, onions, et cetera. That way everyone gets to make his or her own dinner, to his or her own specifications.

This concept exists in other cultures as well. Ethiopian food, for example, consists of a huge platter laid with flat injera bread topped with many small different mounds of food. The diners break off pieces of the bread and scoop up the food in the bread. If one diner doesn't want chicken, no big deal - he or she opts for the beef entrée instead. By the way, if you are someone who likes to eat with your hands, this is the cuisine for you!

The idea is to present your family with as many dining ideas as possible - "food field trips," if you will. Try one of the over-the-top weekend brunches that most fancy hotels offer these days. All of the food is laid end-to-end, and you don't have to cook any of it yourself. This is especially good for small children. It's been my personal experience that children will try different foods more readily when they are put in a different environment than they're used to.

And cooking together as a family is always fun, although it's probably best to save this for the weekend, due to time constraints. Pull out all the stops - line up every ingredient you've ever wanted to cook with. Try some challenging recipes. Let the little kids help out, too. As many wise people have noted, kids are usually much more willing to try foods they have helped to prepare. Incidentally, there are many other benefits to cooking with your kids besides great meals. Check out this article in WebMD, which credits family cooking with opening the lines of communication in a family and discouraging teen drug abuse: http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/guide/cooking-with-your-children/.

After many food field trips, you will observe the same dishes emerging again and again as family favorites. These are the recipes you should stash for future preparation. Don't be surprised if your kids start writing class papers on them (without pressure from you), or if people outside your family say things like, "Your husband (or wife) was telling us yesterday about your great lasagna. Got a recipe for me?" It's okay to turn your family into "foodies." As they go on in life, they will look forward to cooking their own food and then sharing it with others. That's a great gift to give to anyone.

Of course, as everyone in your family unit ages a few years, you will have to repeat the process all over again! But hang in there. Here's the true reason why picky eaters are great to live with - they always know where the tastiest food is, and if it isn't being served anywhere, they know how to create it themselves. If you hang out enough with these people, you are guaranteed a wonderful, knock-your-socks-off meal every night of the week.

And that's not a bad thing at all, is it?

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/10/dining/10pick.html?_r=1&pagewanted=2 (article on childhood food neophobia and Dr. Lucy Cooke)

http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Cookbook/Ethiopia.html -- here's a resource for Ethiopian cooking.