If at first you don’t like it – try, try, try again!

There are things that I won’t eat.

Yes. You heard that right. I am a food blogger and there are certainly some things that I will not put near my mouth.

I don’t like to think of myself as picky, though. I like to think of myself as particular. There’s definitely a difference. For me, that difference is simple. Being picky comes with an almost gut rejection to certain foods without giving it much thought. For example, a picky kid might simply not eat any of his vegetables because they are green. Being picky usually involves no knowledge about the food itself - - its nutrition, how it was made, its lore, its stories. Being particular, on the other hand, means, at least to me, that you have really considered the things that you are going to put into your body. And that I am definitely okay with.

So what is the one thing that you need to do in order to be sure that you’re not deemed the ~picky~ friend in the group? Try things!

I know, you’ve heard it probably a hundred times since you were a child.

“Oh, just try it. You might like it!”

I’m sure that phrase haunts many of us who have tried something, multiple times, and to our friends’ and family’s dismay, still, don’t like it.

For the longest time, I was picky. I would not eat cheese -- unless it was on pizza. (Because who doesn’t love pizza.)

My cheese phobia was all based on one terrible experience I had as a child when my older brother fed me far too many cheese cubes (a story for another time). As I got older, I found myself struggling to explain to everyone that: No, I don’t eat mac n’ cheese. And, no, not grilled cheese either. I realized that maybe I needed to give cheese a try again. So I did, in small amounts, and at spaced out times. I first started with something simple: mozzarella. I knew, because I liked pizza, that I would probably like it. And I did!

While I still definitely don’t love cheese, I do like some cheeses and I can say with confidence what it is about certain cheeses that I do and don’t like.

For example, even after trying it again and again, I don’t think that I will ever like the overpowering quality of blue cheese. Parmigiano-Reggiano on the other hand, adds just the right amount of salt to any dish.

To me, that’s what matters -- the ability to articulate the aspect of a food that draws you in and, on the other hand, what you may not like.

You won’t have this ability the first time you try. Taste things multiple times, over different periods of time. Studies in children have shown that if you try something over and over again, you are more likely to like it.

So, if at first you don’t like something – try, try, try, again. Who knows? You may like it this time. Which new food will you try?