Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Must We Talk About This?!

Maybe I’m not such a boring person after all. I learned that my being picky over foods was a topic of conversation among my officemates when I was on leave.

Now, I feel I should defend myself here, since it seemed that I give the impression (not only to my officemates but to my friends as well) that I’m too maarte with food. The straight answer is that I’m not maarte. There are just… some foodstuffs that I do not and will not eat. Is that such a bad thing?

I think my 'choosy-ness' is a bit glaring because some of the stuffs I don’t eat are those that are enjoyed by everyone else. The most obvious example is apple. Yep, I’m not a big fan of apples. You can’t use the cliché “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” to me. But I have a colorful history with the “apples-to-oranges” analogy but that’s another story. I’m also averse to some “foreign” fruits like oranges, cherries, grapes and strawberries. Again, I ask: is that such a bad thing? If you think that I don’t eat fruits, then I have to let you know that I LOVE mangos. I can live with not eating any other fruits except mango. Minsan nag-uulam din ako ng mangga. I also like singkamas, santol, pineapple, watermelon, melon, lanzones, banana.

I also don’t like ensaymada. Just yesterday a client sent us ensaymada and they’re convincing me to try it and I was “DO NOT WANT!”. I don’t like how moist it looks and the texture I can feel when I bite into it and auugh.

I don’t like sinigang na isda because I can taste the lansa. My father, who hails from Quezon, likes sinaing na isda and I really couldn’t stand the smell of it! I do eat fish; I like galunggong (especially when it’s paired with monggo yum!) and dilis and dalagang bukid, but I like my fishes fried. And I think I’m going to have a problem if AND when I go to Japan because I don’t eat sushi!

What else? I don’t like baked mussels or clams, although there are rare times I do eat if it’s baked well. I don’t like raisins. I don’t like the sampalok from Thailand . I eat isaw but not atay. Don’t get me started on adobong atay. I don’t eat tuna. I can’t eat sardines straight from the can; it has to be ‘ginisa”. There are probably other foods I don’t eat but these are the first ones that come to my mind.

BUT… I don’t think the list above justifies the perception of me being maarte over food! I’m sure each of us has their own lists of foods-I’m-so-not-touching and the list will include stuffs more bizarre than the items I don’t eat. And, yep, my stuffs-I-love-shoving-down-my-mouth list definitely TRUMPS my do-not-want-ever list. So, who still thinks I’m maarte?

Now – my being a slow eater? Is a different matter and I have no defense for that.

2 comments:

k a r e n said...

Hahahaha!

Ya, everyone has a preference when it comes to food.. Maybe you're just really sensitive when it comes to certain types of food. I have very sensitive skin and I can't just wear anything because I react to the fabric. Some people would say I'm being overly difficult when it comes to clothing but that's because they don't get it.

Anyhow, I know someone who does not eat fruit..AT ALL! Just the smell of any fruit is enough to make him nauseous. So he's even worse than you when it comes to fruit.

I, on the other hand, love fruit. Mangoes are also my fave but I'll eat almost any fruit but I'm not too fond of chico, blueberries, kiwi, fig, and grapefruit. I am not a big fan of pineapple but I'm not completely adverse to eating it.

I am not a big fan of fish but it really depends on how it is cooked. Fried or baked fish is always a winner for me.. Not a big fan of "nilagang" isda. If the fish tastes like the sea or tastes a bit "muddy", I won't eat it.

So ya, bottomline is, you're normal. =P

Jela said...

Hi Karen! Thanks, I really need someone to tell me I'm a normal person hahaha!

I'm glad I'm not allergic to any food - or at least any of the stuffs I like! If I was told I can't eat, say, shrimps, well, I'd rather have the allergy than not eat at all!