Being a picky eater is definitely hard. It gets much harder when itโs time to travel and see different parts of the world. Itโs beautiful to see the sights and take in the culture, but it might feel scary โ or even rude โ when itโs time for dinner and youโre faced with a dish that is completely out of your comfort zone.
There are lots of common problems picky eaters have, especially when they go on a trip. Here are 60+ of them, that every picky person can relate to!
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1. Youโre excited to explore, butโฆ
But youโre also kind of nervous about what kind of โinterestingโ food you might encounter.
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2. Your family questions you
They start questioning you and your eating plans before you even set out on your adventure! How should you know in advance?
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3. Predetermined meals
You know when youโre on a tour and sometimes the meals are predetermined? Yeah, that is a cause for some major anxiety. Have you no options?
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4. Snacks, snacks, snacks
Oh yeah, you bet you are the person with tons of snacks in your backpack at all times. You know, just in case there is nothing to eat while you are out.
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5. Youโre constantly judged by new friends
So you meet a new friend. You two are off to a great startโฆ You both share similar interests and music taste, but then when they invite you out to lunch and you canโt eat anything on the menu, they definitely judge a little bit.
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6. And youโre constantly questioned
If you admit you donโt like a certain sauce or spice, get ready to be questioned to no end!
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7. Major judgment from waiters
Do you want to ask your server to remove a certain ingredient in your dish? Go ahead, but prepare for major judgment.
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8. Language barrier
The language barrier absolutely gets in the way when traveling. Try telling an Italian-speaking adult that you donโt want any tomatoes in your pastaโฆ Confusion for days.
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9. Ordering the same stuff
Because it can be so intimidating, you usually wind up ordering the same thing over and over again when you are out. You may be a picky eater, but you donโt enjoy being bored either!
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10. If your food is served and thereโs a surprise ingredientโฆ
You have two options. You can either complain to the waiter or push all the weird stuff to the side and hope your friends donโt judge. Neither options are ideal.
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11. Maybe thereโs a moment where you decide to live life on the edge
But then you immediately get sick, grossed out, and definitely regret it.
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12. When you waste money on it
Thatโs the worst part though. Itโs one thing to take a risk and then not love it and move on, itโs another thing when you spend loads of money on itโฆ Youโll never get that back! Regrets all around!
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13. Or maybe you suck it up and eat it
Only to find that it literally makes you sick. Excuse me, please point to the nearest bathroom.
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14. You apologize all the time
Of course, you just feel like a total burden during the whole trip, so you find yourself apologizing over and over again.
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15. And you just feel constantly embarrassed
Itโs who you are, itโs a part of your identityโฆ And you canโt help it. You started to feel ashamed of it.
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16. You spend a lot of time explaining things
So much wasted time goes to explaining why you canโt eat certain thingsโฆ Why not just talk about fun things?
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17. You spend a lot of time assuring people too
Yes, you definitely tried the food before and yes, you definitely did not like it. That is a fact. Sorry!
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18. You are the most patient person ever
Being a picky eater comes with a lot of annoying things, but all of those annoying things ultimately teach you how to be super patient with people.
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19. You need to check out a menu before going in
Having to go to a restaurant without being able to take a look at the menu beforehand cripples you with anxiety.
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20. All of your favorite foods are on the kidsโ menu
You donโt get itโฆ Or maybe you do. Your favorite food is plain french fries anyway.
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21. Pizza toppings? No, thanks.
Why mess with pizza toppings? Simple cheese is all you need. None of this Hawaiian pineapple and ham stuff.
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22. Youโre constantly being made fun of
And you deserve a break! There is nothing wrong with eating the same meal every day for the last ten years.
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23. You secretly want to stick to the chain restaurants
Yes, you are out traveling the world, but there is something comforting about finding the nearest Olive Garden.
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24. Sharing a meal is impossible
People just have to make everything too complicated. You canโt eat the same spices and ingredients that they canโฆ So why bother trying to share?
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25. Having dinner at a friendโs house isnโt that nice for you
Someone else preparing your food is not what you want. You donโt want any surprises. Sometimes you wish your friends could stick to other things, like watching movies or going for drinks together.
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26. Traveling really just is not the move for you
You want to travel, but the foreign food just seems to risky. Maybe put that suitcase away.
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27. You can feel the silent judges
When you order the mac and cheese again and people are silently judging, you can feel it. That is okay.
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28. You always have some napkins handy
Because you are a pro at secretly spitting food into a napkin at the dinner table without people seeing.
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29. You hate upscale restaurants
You donโt care how fancy it is, 12 courses of foreign-sounding ingredients sounds like your very own personal Hell.
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30. Most ingredients boggle your mind
How do people voluntarily eat raw fish? Or bread crust? Or spinach? Or anything green? You truly donโt know.
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31. Sometimes people get frustrated with you
You wish they knew that getting frustrated wasnโt going to solve your picky eating habits.
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32. When you find the one thing you like at a restaurant
Itโs game over. That is the only thing you are ordering for the rest of the trip. Safe.
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33. When your friends buy food for you on a trip
They think they are giving you a nice surprise, but they donโt know that you actually canโt eat that and they just wasted their money. Now you seem rude, and then you feel bad for it.
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34. Bad choices
When youโve been out and exploring all day, and then itโs time to eat. Sometimes you only have two options: eating something you absolutely hate or starving to death.
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35. Food basically shattering all travel plans
Yeah, it is not going to be easy. Especially if youโre traveling with other people. Might be best to just stay home.
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36. Trust issues
Justโฆtrust issues all around. Your mom, your friend, and your friendly serverโฆ they are all capable of poisoning your taste buds.
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37. Trying hard to not judge others
The judgment goes both ways, to be honest. You usually find it really hard to not spoil someoneโs trip and accidentally make a grossed out face at whatever dish they are eating.
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38. Youโre sick of your โusualโ foods
But that doesnโt mean youโre going to change!
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39. Asking a restaurant if you can still order from the childrenโs menu
Youโre definitely not a child anymore, and you might be in a foreign land, but they should be able to understand that you are a picky eater.
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40. People thinking you are childish
So what? You donโt like vegetables! Eating unseasoned chicken wings feels very adult though.
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41. Being hungry most of the time
That is what tends to happen when there is nothing appetizing in front of you. We love a hangry (hungry and angry) tourist.
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42. Friends and family gifting you cook books
They think a book will change the way you eatโฆ Ha!
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43. There ainโt much on your plate
When youโre at a foreign buffet and everyone is trying a little bit of everything, your plate will mostly consist of one thing. Maybe two, tops.
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44. People constantly tell you that โyou donโt eat anythingโ
Youโre right, I donโt! And Iโm proud.
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45. Giving most of your food to someone else
Usually you only like about half of what is on your plate. You push the other half off to the side. Your friend sees that and offers to eat it for you and of course, you say yes. You donโt want anything to do with it. Maybe sharing meals isnโt so hard after all.
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46. Paying full price for half the food
When youโre out and ordering food, you request they take out most of the ingredients that come with it. But you still pay full price.
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47. Sometimes you tell people you are allergic to something, even if youโre not
Itโs just easier that way.
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48. When your food order comes out wrong
You feel awful for sending it back. Suddenly itโs a whole โthingโ and your weird food tendencies are magnified.
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49. People are always trying to get you to taste stuff
They donโt believe that you did try it. And that is why it is easier to say you are allergic.
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50. Grocery shopping isnโt much easier
You decided to stick to groceries while on your trip, instead of going out for every meal. It still isnโt easy though and you find yourself analyzing every single ingredient.
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51. You will accidentally eat something you hate at least once
Itโs the best way to ruin a trip.
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52. Your biggest family fights stem from your eating habits
They just canโt understand how you are in France and donโt want a chocolate croissant. You canโt expect them to understand.
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53. You feel like youโre offending just about everyone
The local Spaniard is kind of like, โuhhโฆ whatโs wrong with my croquettes?โ Nothing is wrong! Youโre just picky.
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54. When you meet the love of your life on your trip
And then immediately scare them away on your first dinner date, for obvious reasons.
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55. Itโs tough when you meet more potential friends on your trip
Because they will most likely want to get food, and then they will judge you hard based off of what you order โ or donโt order.
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56. Maybe it would just be easier to not go on a trip!
That is a reoccurring thought you have to yourself over and over again as you make your way to the airport.
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57. Your travel buddies are genuinely worried for you
And then you spend most of the trip trying to reassure them that you are fine and that this is actually normal life for you.
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58. Your travel buddies are excited for the new food
You, on the other hand, most certainly are not. And youโre already preparing to dissapoint them.
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59. You wish you could understand what all the excitement is about
When people are learning about the background behind certain foods, you wish you could understand and care but you justโฆ Canโt.
60. When you finally do eat something new, the whole world will hear about it
No matter where you are, everyone around the globe will be cheering for you.
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We are sure every picky eater can relate to these struggles while on vacation!
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