Mouthing Off | Picky eaters – I used to dislike them, until I realised I am one too
- Do you not eat veal because of the cruelty? Or maybe you avoid carbs? Andrew Sun would have had little time for you before
- But then he realised he avoids shark fin and picks onion out of his noodles
The last words you want to hear when dining out is for someone to start a sentence with, “Sorry but I don’t eat …”
Nothing good can come of the next words that come out of that person’s mouth, whether you’re eating at someone’s house or at the best restaurant in town.
Of course, there are people with legitimate allergies and health issues preventing them from enjoying certain foods. Despite their condition, these folks usually want you to have a good time anyway and enjoy the delicacies that they are not able to. This is the difference: they “can’t” eat, as opposed to the fussy nags who “don’t” eat due to some neurotic compulsion.
It could be a militant vegan who won’t eat meat and then moralises at the table when you order veal. Or perhaps it’s the picky health nut who is taking forever to order because he or she doesn’t eat carbs or anything too fatty (but has no problem asking for another glass of wine).
Another human appetite suppressant is the boring white-bread who’s afraid of anything ethnic or exotic. This can cover entire Asian cuisines as well as ingredients ranging from tripe, liver, tongue and smelly cheese to any sushi “that has fish on it”.
