Ms. WW and the Neophobic
Ms. Wordless Wednesday visits to pass judgment upon my offering. I should just like to point out first, to a few “person[s]“ who may be in doubt, that I have a perfect “BBC English accent.” If that’s too tricky imagine that you are talking to the Queen of England.
“Well, that’s not too bad this week, maybe even a little cute?”
“You sound doubtful?”
“Well it would help if his eyes were open of course, but no, I just have this uneasy feeling that there may be some hidden agenda?”
“I never hide my agenda, I broadcast them.”
“Sad but true. Am I gonna have to guess?”
“You guessed right!”
“Dang! O.k. so this little guy is the one that doesn’t eat anything?”
“Right. Well sort of right.”
“You always qualify your ‘rights’ with ‘buts’!”
“‘Buts’ or ‘butts’?”
“Stop teasing or I won’t play.”
“O.k. He does eat, fine strapping little chap that he is, just not the variety that a parent would wish for.”
“Which gives him that label, the neophobic label?”
“Right, someone who eats less than 20 foods. We have high hopes that he will graduate to ‘picky eater’ some time in the not too distant future.”
“When he gets to 21 foods?”
“Exactly. What a star you are!”
“That reminds me, I just have to ask. You said he eats seventeen things. What are those things?”
“Is this a ‘you show me yours and I’ll show you mine’ kind of a deal?”
“Less of the kinky foreigner stuff please!”
“Fair enough. So he eats squeezy yoghourt, bananas, fries, cereal, cookies, raisins, applesauce, Belgium chocolate pudding, chocolate cake, pretzels, pancakes, Nutella sandwiches and Goldfish.”
“Geez I knew that the Brits were Math challenged, but I’d have thought that even you could count to 13!”
“Ah yes. You’re right it is only 13.”
“So what’s with 17 crapolla!”
“Well we sort of mislaid a few recently.”
“Mislaid! How can you mislay 4 foods when you only eat 17!”
“Indeed, I can see there’s no chance of pulling the wool over your eyes.”
“So, where did they go? How come ya lost em? Getting careless in yur old age?”
“Well you see if you don’t ‘practice’ your foods …..”
“Use it or lose it?”
“Right.”
“So can I ask which ones you lost?”
“Jello, wieners, pasta and rice.”
“Oh couple of primary carbs there!”
“Verily. We’ve been toying with potatoes too. But we have conquered bread.”
“Conquered?”
“Yup, only one kind though.”
“’WE’ ? Sounds as if this lil guy’s the one doin all the work to me?”
“How alarmingly astute you are, as always.”
“Sure, I just feel that he should get the credit he deserves.”
“How true and observant.”
“You know my little brother only ever ate cereal, chips and pizza. Today he’s six foot.”
“Golly! Just those three?”
“Well beer now he’s grown.”
“I wonder if mine will graduate to beer?”
“Tell you what, when he’s 21 we’ll split a keg.”
“Your generosity and support take my breath away. Such a weight off my mind.”
“Well ya know we all need a little love and understanding.”
“Sounds a little 60’s to me! Underneath it all, are you really a bit of a granola head?”
“Don’t use American terminology without warning me first! Geez I can almost hear your fake American accent!”
“Peace man! I love you guys.”
December 4th, 2007 at 11:56 pm
My little brother, when he was younger, would only eat yoghurt. He now eats many foods.
December 4th, 2007 at 11:58 pm
I can somehow palate the loss of rice, so long as Nutella sandwiches are still in the mix.
But look at those pasta fangs!
December 5th, 2007 at 12:25 am
What J likes to eat changes all the time. Last time we had tacos he loved them. The other night he told me he didn’t like them anymore. The only four constant foods we have here are chicken nuggets, yogurt, PB&J sandwiches and waffles. Everything else is a guessing game.
If only getting our kids to eat wasn’t so hard for them. I’m at least happy when I see something go in his mouth and he doesn’t spit it back out.
December 5th, 2007 at 1:57 am
“We have high hopes that he will graduate to ‘picky eater’ some time in the not too distant future.” My hope, too!
December 5th, 2007 at 2:53 am
I always think the fun begins in our house when we try to ‘hide’ food (in other words – sneak it in to the menu under disguise in order to boost the nutrient content).
The little blighter can pick a foreign flavour a mile off – almost like a sniffer dog!!!
December 5th, 2007 at 2:58 am
My nephew used to only eat chips and eggs as a kid, now he’s a chef and eats anything! That’s why I’m not so bothered with my 7yo’s bad eating habits.
December 5th, 2007 at 3:18 am
My junior will eat popcorn, chips, “Tyson” chicken nuggets,french fries, crackers with a small bit of peanut butter,oreo cookies,pizza, black olives,hawian bread,yogart,bananas and most recently…TA-DA
Apples! Yes he will eat those now and that is a big deal!
He seems to love the starchy foods the best. Sometimes I do not care what it is, I just want him to eat something! The above list is subject to change at a whim.
December 5th, 2007 at 3:58 am
Oh, someone who lives my life. Right now Boo will only eat chickpea bread with mustard, fries, apples, bananas and sausages. But I am thankful. Truly thankful, cause there is some variety there.
I swear I will knock out the next person that says ‘well my sister only ate french fries and she is fine’…….
December 5th, 2007 at 4:01 am
I’m trying to think of Ben and his “old” pickiness.
Apples, ice cream, chicken nuggets, fries, McD hamburgers,cereal, milk, chips, cheese.
At 5’8″ and 160 pounds, he’s not so picky now. He still hates casseroles.
December 5th, 2007 at 4:30 am
LIVE GOLD FISH!?! *faints*
December 5th, 2007 at 5:34 am
I used to be a picky eater and I was thin.
I’m not a picky eater anymore- not thin anymore, either!
December 5th, 2007 at 6:05 am
It was a voluntary tasting? He looks as as though the mere passing of the pasta over his lips is about to make him pass out. LOL
I used to try to sneak things on Rosie. Different textures really tested her gag reflexes… Gelatin still gets to her. ;o)
December 5th, 2007 at 6:16 am
We tried to give Connor a cherry this weekend. It was covered in whipped cream from a milkshake, he gagged and moved the cherrie to his lip and gagged again until one of us took it.
Tacos piss him off, after all the hard work of learn to use utensils he didn’t care for eating with his hands. Not that he would mind much if it were pudding or peanut butter.
Your poor guy does look a tad as if he isn’t sure about the pasta.
December 5th, 2007 at 7:27 am
I’m not autistic, although my husband might argue about that a little, but I am a horrendously picky eater, seems to run in the family. I have a terrible time with textures, that’s the hardest part. As I got older it improved somewhat but not a great deal, must have driven my mother mad. It’s nice to know there might be a biological reason for it, I’ve always felt my pickiness was a defect of my character.
December 5th, 2007 at 7:50 am
We’ve lost some foods too, and it is frustrating. Awesome on the pasta though! I’m really going to have to write out Jaysen’s food consumption and see if he would qualify for neophobic or just picky.
Now, BBC English accent? I dated a man from England, and he made fun of my choice in music because I really like this guy Billy Bragg. He said Billy Bragg didn’t speak “the Queen’s English”. Is that different from BBC English?
Love,
Confused American
December 5th, 2007 at 8:58 am
Im not even going to start on C and food!
December 5th, 2007 at 9:10 am
Hee hee! That’s great!
Buddy will be four in a couple of weeks and only eats carbs. Bread, crackers, cookies and dry cereal… oh, and chicken nuggets and french fries. He likes Danimals Smoothies and powdered donuts, too. We’ve been able to get him to eat three kernels of corn in the last month. That’s quite an accomplishment.
December 5th, 2007 at 9:17 am
I despair about this topic. I read other people’s comments about what their picky kids will eat and at least they are all eating protein sources, even if it’s chicken nuggets every day!
Liam only eats white and brown food–bread mainly and plain pasta. Sigh.
December 5th, 2007 at 9:30 am
I remember a doctor telling me “If he gets hungry enough, he will eat whatever you put in front of him.” Nope. Actually, he won’t. My little guy would rather not eat at all than put something like potatoes in his mouth. I’m convinced that he would make himself sick…
December 5th, 2007 at 9:38 am
my hubby is a picky eater.
December 5th, 2007 at 9:48 am
I’ll eat anything anybody wants to give me…which is quite a problem for my waistline or lack thereof! xo
December 5th, 2007 at 9:54 am
Mmm, nutella. I’m sorry did you say something else?
December 5th, 2007 at 9:58 am
primary carbs?
ooooooh hot dogs. got it.
December 5th, 2007 at 10:12 am
Maddy, you are a RIOT!
(And I think Ben’s eating may qualify as one step under picky eating, come to think of it. I had always thought that he was a picky eater, but I think things are actually more dire than that…sigh.)
December 5th, 2007 at 11:01 am
Mine would like to eat only pizza, but i won’t let her becasue i am SO MEAN!
December 5th, 2007 at 11:24 am
Princess has always been a picky eater, but as time goes by, with a lot of hard work and creative ideas, it is improving. Things like goldfish and parmesan cheese (she says stinky cheese) make tomato soup acceptable. Tomato sauce, stinky cheese and noodles is better than noodles with meat sauce.
I made the wonderful discovery with her that salt and cheese makes a lot of foods more acceptable.
It took me almost six years, but we are expanding her food horizons a little at a time, we just had to find her definite hit foods first and then work to include those in new things.
December 5th, 2007 at 11:40 am
/grin oh my what a cute lil Pasta Vampyre!
December 5th, 2007 at 11:59 am
love the pictures!
December 5th, 2007 at 12:58 pm
Ah, finally! I’ve been trying to get to your site (I’ve got you bookmarked) for days, but every time I pull up your page my computer freezes up. It didn’t do that today. Yeah! Maybe when my hubby hooks up the new computer I’ll have better luck.
I was a pretty picky eater when I was little too. I can recall many a night stuck at the dinner table by myself until bedtime. Ahhh. Now I love food. All of it. Too much of it.
December 5th, 2007 at 3:17 pm
As you know our picky eating has gotten much better over the past year. But I can sympathize. Such cool glasses! Oh, and I just give you my neighbours english accent and call it a day. It may or may not be accurate but it’s the best I can do.
December 5th, 2007 at 3:27 pm
I wouldn’t worry too much about his limited acceptance of different foods … most of us are overnourished and overfed in the First World anyway. Bodies are very resilient … they’ll take what they need and whats good for them ….
Have you a “plummy” English accent or just the Queen’s?
December 5th, 2007 at 3:46 pm
Peace, mon!
On a completely different note—-some students have been doing skits from ancient Greek history and they all started to use “British” accents (Jersey style)…….
December 5th, 2007 at 7:36 pm
soo cool!!!
December 5th, 2007 at 7:42 pm
Geez. Thirteen foods? I can’t imagine…
December 5th, 2007 at 8:35 pm
I’m jealous of your accent and I haven’t even heard it. The conversation was amusing.
And there have been days that I have lived off Nutella sandwiches. Good to know I’m not alone
December 5th, 2007 at 8:42 pm
“First ever voluntary pasta consumption” This is great.
My brother has multiple disabilities, including autism, and the menu of foods he finds palatable is very narrow. He is highly attentive to temperature and texture. He mostly eats oatmeal and drinks Ensure. Though he likes spaghetti, apple juice and chocolate cake, too. :0)
December 5th, 2007 at 9:45 pm
What in God’s name is nutella? And goldfish? You mean those pretzels right? I hope.
December 5th, 2007 at 9:47 pm
Yay! I believe in celebrating new foods with a full display of fireworks. I will be checking the skies for yours. Should you see any fireworks at odd times of year, you will know that we have finally conquered apples or bread, our latest foes!
December 6th, 2007 at 8:42 pm
Jello is no great loss…
December 12th, 2007 at 4:08 pm
my boy used to eat spaghetti with a fork but graduated to eating it with his fingers as he got older. its much more of a skill you know…
May 1st, 2008 at 8:36 am
hi there. my son is food neophobic and i have never met anyone else who has gone through this. i was wondering if you’d be willing to correspond with me about this? i am wondering how your son is doing and if you had intervention of any kind? i haven’t read all of your entries, so i don’t know if you’ve mentioned it. we are seeing a psychologist now who is trying to help. we will see. i hope to hear from you.
January 27th, 2009 at 12:00 am
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