Close mindedness in food revealing about life?

What do you think?

If a person demonstrates close mindedness about food - unwilling to explore food - only willing to eat very certain dishes and not a lot - does this ALSO reveal a general close mindedness about life?

I think it's easy to PRETEND one has worldly views about many an item. We can say whatever we want and fake our way.

But I still think, when you meet someone who is very touchy about what they eat, not at ALL adventurous with food, it points out an underlying problem with being overly reserved in life - at least being more close than open minded.

Having this argument with someone. He thinks I just put way too much focus on food.

Well, maybe. I am a foodie. But let's face it - food is an area you can't fake it by talking, when people actually witness you eat.....

What do you think?

Nancy S wrote:If a person demonstrates close mindedness about food - unwilling to explore food - only willing to eat very certain dishes and not a lot - does this ALSO reveal a general close mindedness about life?

No...well I guess maybe, depending on the individual, but not always (also depending on the individual).

A definitive answer if I've ever heard one.

stevez wrote:

Nancy S wrote:If a person demonstrates close mindedness about food - unwilling to explore food - only willing to eat very certain dishes and not a lot - does this ALSO reveal a general close mindedness about life?

No...well I guess maybe, depending on the individual, but not always (also depending on the individual).

I agree with stevez. No, wait, I disagree. Well, maybe. It depends.

Nancy S wrote:What do you think?

If a person demonstrates close mindedness about food - unwilling to explore food - only willing to eat very certain dishes and not a lot - does this ALSO reveal a general close mindedness about life?

I think it's easy to PRETEND one has worldly views about many an item. We can say whatever we want and fake our way.

But I still think, when you meet someone who is very touchy about what they eat, not at ALL adventurous with food, it points out an underlying problem with being overly reserved in life - at least being more close than open minded.

Having this argument with someone. He thinks I just put way too much focus on food.

Well, maybe. I am a foodie. But let's face it - food is an area you can't fake it by talking, when people actually witness you eat.....

What do you think?

I'm not sure if I could disagree more. Otoh, I do think I agree with the person who believes you put too much focus on food.

nr706 wrote:A definitive answer if I've ever heard one.

Well, how else can you respond to such a sweeping generalization? I know non-adventurous eaters that fall into both camps.

While I agree that this is a pretty sweeping generalization, there is a degree to which attitudes towards food and attitudes towards culture are linked. I know this article got panned on LTH, (The book authors quoted claim that the article misrepresents the original text) but much of the racism I experienced as a hispanic child in a nearly all-white community was couched in how "gross" our food was (e.g. calamari, avocado, paella, spaghetti bolognese..I would never have told my friends that we ate tongue on special occasions.)

While I wouldn't go so far as to say that adventurous eaters show tolerance vs picky eaters show prejudice, I would assert that xenophobes tend to keep a xenophobic diet.

Hmmm I have wondered about the connection between food and sensuality but not necessarily open minded ness. I do have some friends that could care less about food and wonder if that extends to other sensory areas of their lives too. Since its a personal issue, I have not delved into it.

In my experience, more often than not, closed-mindedness about food extends to other areas. Is that always the case? No. But it's a safe bet, though, not necessarily a sure thing. Fwiw, I have a friend who is convinced that squeamish eaters are also poor lovers.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:I have a friend who is convinced that squeamish eaters are also poor lovers.

Which raises the highly pertinent question, are squeamish lovers poor eaters?

ronnie_suburban wrote:Fwiw, I have a friend who is convinced that squeamish eaters are also poor lovers.

I know people who fall into both camps on that one, too.

Nancy S wrote:If a person demonstrates close mindedness about food - unwilling to explore food - only willing to eat very certain dishes and not a lot - does this ALSO reveal a general close mindedness about life?

This is an interesting question, Nancy S.

Based on a number of discussions with people at both ends of the food-acceptance spectrum, there are lots of possible reasons for a person to avoid new food experiences. A person's disinterest in new foods or combinations may reflect a cautious nature, which is not the same thing as closed mindedness. Some of the most far-thinking people I know are also quite cautious and systematic by nature. For a person who is cautious, it may be a question of creating dining conditions that are conducive to experimentation. This puts the onus on you as the person more comfortable with this sort of adventure. Certainly, one must begin with an acceptance of caution, whatever its source. Your friend may need more control over the experience than someone who can plunge in willy-nilly. In this case, I might invite my friend to introduce me to his or her favored food and to see what I learn from that.

Food has different meanings for different people. Some people feel that certain foods are such an important part of their lives that they are almost a part of their identities. These folks tend to feel that new preparations get in the way of their experience of the critical, elemental foods, such that eating new foods (or even new recipes with familiar ingredients) creates a kind of dislocation or loss for them.

Some people just don't have a need for novelty in their food experience. Lots of us here on LTH seem to fall into the counterphobic camp regarding food- and many of us will happily eat all sorts of critters. But we LTH-ers also tend to go on and on about our pizzerias, hotdogs, diners, and other forms of comfort food. I guess we could do some soul-searching about all that. And, in spite of my tagline, (" We don't gamble. . ." etc.) and as much as we forget when we crow about what we have cooked and eaten lately, eating is not a competitive sport.

Josephine wrote:Lots of us here on LTH seem to fall into the counterphobic camp regarding food- and many of us will happily eat all sorts of critters. But we LTH-ers also tend to go on and on about our pizzerias, hotdogs, diners, and other forms of comfort food.

Thought-provoking post. It leaves me thinking that point-of-view is everything. The very same mindset about food that can be seen as counterphobia from one angle can be seen as a desperate search for novelty from another angle. Words like "adventurous" and "open-minded" have unavoidable positive connotations and words like "timid" and "closed-minded" have unavoidable negative ones, but in truth, there is nothing intrinsically superior about being adventurous compared to being not. There is only what works for you.

riddlemay wrote:but in truth, there is nothing intrinsically superior about being adventurous compared to being not. There is only what works for you.

Without adventurous we'd still think the world flat and moon made of green cheese.

G Wiv wrote:Without adventurous we'd still think the world flat and moon made of green cheese.

Wait...what are you saying??

G Wiv wrote:Without adventurous we'd still think the world flat and moon made of green cheese.

On the other hand, timidness may be evolutionarily more adaptive, since the timid get to benefit from the discoveries and advancements made by the adventurous without taking on the risks.

There's a certain subset of people who take considerable pride in their narrowmindedness ("I'm right, you're wrong; that's all there is to it.") and with these folks that same attitude seems to infiltrate all aspects of their lives, including food ("I'm a meat-and-potatoes guy; I know what I like and I like what I know; let's go to Applebee's"), and unless they experience some kind of epiphany along the way to Damascus, they are fated never to deviate in anything they ever do or think.

I think there is a high correllation between fussy eating and generally being a PITA. not sure if that answers the question.

G Wiv wrote:

riddlemay wrote:but in truth, there is nothing intrinsically superior about being adventurous compared to being not. There is only what works for you.

Without adventurous we'd still think the world flat and moon made of green cheese.

Per the Apollo 8 astronauts, the moon is made of American cheese.

It's certainly not Wensleydale.

jbw wrote: ("I'm a meat-and-potatoes guy; I know what I like and I like what I know; let's go to Applebee's")

This reminds me of my mom somewhat. I think she can be open minded after a little convincing. She often asks for recipes, but "nothing weird, not a lot of ingredients, nothing that needs a lot of chopping, etc." which makes it impossible. I remember I gave her a recipe for something delicious that was easy to prepare. However, it had one ingredient that was not a pantry staple but wasn't unusual, like thyme, or shallots, or something. She didn't want to make it because she didn't have it, even though she was going to the store that day. She just wasn't used to using it and wasn't about to start. Often when we go out it's either a burger or stir-fry. This dull style of cooking & eating rather saddens me, because there's so much out there that's worth trying. But if I was to make something and give it to her, she'd probably think it was good. Just how I got her to like corn pudding and Brussels sprouts with prosciutto at Christmas.

Mmmm...cheeese....

In my case, until a few years ago, I didn’t see the fascination with food. My Mom wasn’t much of a cook, rarely venturing into the unknown. My Mom would say that I ate to live I didn’t live to eat. We only had three seasonings in the house which were salt, pepper, and Laury's seasoned salt. It wasn’t until I moved out and was visiting a friend’s house that I realized that good, tasty food could be made at home. That was the beginning of my culinary adventure.
So I guess in my case it wasn’t about being a picky eater, it was more lack of experience. I can’t say I’d go all out like A. Bourdain, but I do try to sample what I can, when I can. I don’t exactly live in the most culinary diverse area, but I do like to sample different things or cook different dishes that are outside my "comfort" zone.

and yet MikeW here you are reading and posting on LTH so there's hope for you still!

This is a very thought provoking post.

Once you get past a certain age of childhood, when picky picky eating is still somewhat acceptable, I think that being at least willing to TRY things (if they don't conflict with your beleifs or allergic or other issues (DON'T get me started on THAT topic) is very much a matter of open-mindedness.

There aren't many things I wouldn't be willing to at least take a taste of..
maybe bugs.
dirt
although I probably ate both as a kid and just don't remember.

And my hubby always calls crawfish water bugs
so there you go.

good topic.

Great post. One of my friends and I talk about this all the time and I have to say I agree.

I was afraid of trying new things up until after I graduated college. Was I more reserved, no....just maybe not sure of life in general and unsure of myself, in which I would protect my persona by not speaking up and being reserved. But now, I am not afraid to say what I think or speak up or of what people think of me as well I am very open minded on food and life in general and am not afraid to try anything once. Maybe a connection? Maybe just an obsession with food as well.

irisarbor wrote:and yet MikeW here you are reading and posting on LTH so there's hope for you still!

It's just too bad that I wasn't until I was 39 (now 43) when I found I had a passion for food. Both the CEO and CFO come to me for cooking advice.

teatpuller wrote:I think there is a high correllation between fussy eating and generally being a PITA. not sure if that answers the question.

Based on what I've seen here, I'd have to agree.

Interesting question and overall, my gut would tell me that there is a correlation between being "open minded about food" and open minded about life in general. But thinking more, there may be a little more of an experience-based variable that shouldn't be overlooked. The typical midwesterner living in a small town may not have the opportunity to be adventurous with food as say, someone living in a large, diverse, urban environment.

I would like to hear from a market research person that has experience here. Obviously, if you open a trendy restaurant with "new" food choices, you'll need to know your demographic. If you can capture a number of variables and leave out the ones that refer to being "trendy" or "doing what others do;" would you find that your target demographic considers themselves as "adventurous," "open-minded," "well-traveled," "culturally knowledgeable," etc?

Someone has to have this formula - if it truly exists. Until then, I'll say that the person would have to had a previous opportunity to be "adventurous" or "open minded" rather than those traits being possessed "naturally."

but much of the racism I experienced as a hispanic child in a nearly all-white community was couched in how "gross" our food was (e.g. calamari, avocado, paella, spaghetti bolognese..I would never have told my friends that we ate tongue on special occasions.)

A lot of this depends on perspective. I grew up in largely Italian American and some Portuguese communities in the Northeast and none of these foods mentioned would raise an eyebrow. But I have a lot of friends from there that would never eat Indian food or Chinese beyond the basic Chinese-American. So are they close minded or open minded?

Close-mindedness sounds a bit strong in this case because of the negative connotation. Some people think of food as nothing more than nourishment and there's nothing wrong with that.

Instead of food, think about music or movies for instance. We all have our preferences and disliking band x or movie b doesn't make us close-minded or a pita, does it? Some people may look at a piece of sushi in the same way the average Chicagoan would regard a Japanese rock band.

Going back to food, where instead of sight and sound, we put things in our mouths. Eating is arguably the most intimate of sensory experiences next to sex. It can't be helped if some people have strong opinions when it comes to food.

To answer your question, I don't believe that eating habits and life outlook have any correlation at all. Some of the most wonderful people I know wouldn't even touch a steak cooked medium rare.

to broad of a generalization in my opinion. There are probably closed minded picky eaters who are open minded in other parts of their life. I also bet there are people who are openminded towards food who are close minded in other areas of their life.

I try to not paint with such a wide brush or live my life based on such such sweeping generalizations.