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Who amongst us, has the best pickiest eater story?
Let me see; as I child I wouldn't eat eggs in any recognizable form but had no problem with custard, which killed my mom since I claimed that I was "allergic" to them. Now, love them in any form and the runnier the yolk, the better. Also didn't like raw tomatoes and now love them. Otherwise, I did the whole not eating lamb and veal thing while a teenager and now bemoan the meals I missed out on. I do have to have fresh veggies on a constant basis or I get cranky. My mom started me on salad within my first year of life and I think that set me up for my veggie fixation. And now will try almost anything.
I am actually allergic to certain tree nuts (pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts) but not to peanuts (not a nut actually but a legume), pistachios, almonds, macadamias. Since I do actually go into anaphylactic shock, pretty sure that my allergy is real. My younger brother is allergic to all fish but not to shellfish or oddly, tuna in a can. Same reaction so same conclusion. Odd that both of our food allergies are somewhat common, but then shoot off from the norm (not peanuts but only certain tree nuts; not shellfish but just fish).
I nannied for a 3 year old who would only eat pasta, string cheese, baby carrots and chicken. And the occasional sweet but that was strictly a day-to-day choice. He had been doing that diet for a year and the pediatrician just said that he was healthy, was getting decent nutrients and to not stress about it too much. Now he's great so... His sister would only eat toast, pancakes, etc. (anything that was one layer and lay flat on the plate) if you made faces on it with various things. That was workable. Another kid I knew ate ketchup as though it was a food group. Oh, and one of my twin nephews (almost 4) is a vegetarian by choice. His brother is decidedly not.
Incidentally, if you want to find an extreme case, you might check out the blog dooce.com. Her older daughter Leta pretty much only eats brown foods, despises cake and if not given options that work for her, will eat only a bowl of croutons at school lunch. That would make me nuts.
Is it bad form to mess with someone's family recipe?
@shoneyjoe - I laughed out loud at your comment. I've so been there!
Otherwise, as has been said, changing hand-down recipes can be tricky, for all sorts of reasons that have nothing to do with the way the dish tastes. My husband's mother passed away last year (way too young and somewhat unexpected) and since then he has requested a lot of her dishes. Do I love all of them? Nope. Are there any that I hate? Just one and I am exempted from making it due to a food allergy. Have I made all of the rest in the last few months? Yes, with a few judicious changes if I felt they were really warranted. In most cases, he doesn't notice or at least doesn't comment and I don't point them out. It works for us.
Addicted to Garlic !! How bad is it ?
Growing up in South Louisiana, onions are the beginning of almost any savory cooked dish and my family has always added garlic for good measure. I haven't yet noticed any reason to slow down this habit, although I did realize recently that the tzatziki I had made a few days prior was a lot more pungent than it had been originally. I always seem to add a bit too much when making and tasting, somehow forgetting (or ignoring) every time that it will get stronger as it sits. I tell my husband that there are much worse faults, of which I possess many.
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About jawinfree
Location: USA
About: I grew up outside of New Orleans so food has always been a big part of my life. Cooking at home is very important to me - we rarely eat out or do takeout while at home.
Favorite foods: Asparagus, salads - grain or veggie-based, Veal Chops, Foie Gras (only about 3 times a year), smoked meats, pulled pork, jelly belllies, nachos, chicken (as long as not dry), flank steak, my dad's brisket, beets, snap peas....
I could go on and on.
Last bite on earth: Salad of roasted beets and goat cheese, a small portion of spaghetti with olive oil, parmesan and black pepper, a veal chop, grilled served with a half of a deep fried artichoke as found in the Travestere district of Rome. No dessert.
I went to a small, private, Catholic elementary school in south Louisiana. And we had awesome lunches, mainly because the women were moms, Italian, made most things from scratch and had been there forever because they liked the kids. I was just inspired to look at their current menu and much is the same - spaghetti (they made an amazing red gravy that I still remember), jambalaya, red beans and rice, turkey casserole, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, chicken parm. Hope that it is still similar in quality. We were definitely spoiled, as we learned once we got to the public high school in the same town.