Overcoming a fear of food can open up new experiences in cultural exploration. Photo by Mark_K (https://www.flickr.com/photos/alpima/)
Food can a gateway to learning about different cultures and their people, history, way of living and how different their culture is from your own. Yet there are factors that stop people from trying international cuisine on their own. One is fear of the new foods and the other is pickiness.
Normally being picky about the food is associated with children, yet it can continue further on in life.
The only thing I can say to that is stop and just try it.
Of course, it is easier said than done, and obviously, I understand that there are some people who can’t try new cuisines because of allergies or dietary restrictions. Yet there are still those who are picky and choose not to try something new. Simply not wanting to be adventurous and try new things shouldn’t be acceptable.
Just because it looks or the name sounds gross doesn’t mean it isn’t delicious.
As I young kid, I was a fairly picky eater. I knew what I liked and was happy to only eat the foods that I knew. My parents changed that when they would sit me down and force me to try new things. I grew to enjoy that. Being taught to try new delicacies opened my mind and palate to different cuisines, tastes and flavors.
Growing up based on that knowledge I figured new tactics to prepare myself to try new weird and exotic dishes”
Don’t ask, just try it.
Don’t ask what it is or what it’s called or what’s in it. The more you know, the less likely you are to eat I’s better to stay oblivious to what you are putting in your mouth.
You’re not better than anyone else.
Think back to when these dishes were created and that thousands of people have eaten them before and enjoyed them. Why can’t you?
Again, this is easier said than done. Actually following through with something like that can still be quite difficult. However, it is worth it. It will really give you an insight into another culture and how they are and their history. This can be seen in more developing nations where, when they cook meat, they use all the different parts as to not waste anything. You can discover how different countries have different takes on your favourite meal. If you love a fried rice, you would be interested in trying the Italian dish risotto or the Filipino dish arroz caldo, which uses rice in a different manner than you may be used to.
Food is a doorway to learning about diverse cultures and the people. No one should limit themselves to being picky and not trying new foods to expand their palette. Without doing that, you really limit the ability to learn about those cultures and foods, which really is a disservice to yourself.
