During a mock interview a couple of months ago, Dr. R asked me what my greatest weakness was. I answered in front of the class that I'm afraid of driving. It's not exactly true anymore, but my sixty-something classmates got a real kick out of that. It would be truly sad if I were immobile and incapable of getting myself to destinations. Good thing I'm not.
But really, I think the biggest weakness of mine is being a picky eater. For as long as I can remember, I've always hated eggs. I have never eaten a single hard boiled egg in my 23 years of life. The sulfurous smell of eggs repulse me. The texture of eggs prepared in any way makes me queasy. The way the shell pieces stick to the underlying membrane is gross. The way they turn from transparent to opaque when cooked bothers me as well. My family has been cognizant of this erm, peculiarity, of mine from the start and has always been understanding and accommodating (leaving out eggs in certain dishes, asking me if I want noodles before they crack in an egg, etc.) That being said, I still use eggs as an ingredient in baking. My 3 criteria for eggs are: if I can see it, smell it, or taste it, I won't put it in my mouth.
Besides eggs and all of its more subtle applications (like fried rice, egg custard tarts, and meringues) other foods that I don't eat are shrimp, squid/calamari, oysters, raw fish/sashimi, goat cheese, veal, and lamb.
Not eating these foods is sometimes restricting, if not socially debilitating. For example, most dim sum dishes contain shrimp. In the past, I have avoided eating dim sum with friends because I know I'll just go home hungry and eat another meal. When I eat dim sum with my family, I feel more free to order what I like without being singled out. One would think that my avoidance of eggs would cause me to hate breakfast. But it's actually the opposite. I love breakfast and brunch. As long as the restaurant has an assortment of baked goods or pancakes and coffee, I'll be happy. Plus, ruling out every omelet or egg dish on the menu, I'm usually left with one or two things to choose from--easy for indecisive people like me. This is perhaps also why I enjoy baking so much--who doesn't like freshly baked cinnamon swirl bread, blueberry scones, chocolate croissants, or buttermilk biscuits for breakfast? Yes.
So, what do I do when I'm at a nice restaurant with formal company, and there are foods that my hosts/dinner companions insist I try? I'll usually accept graciously, place the food on my plate, and then eat around the offending dish. The last thing I want to do is to draw attention to my food preferences. A couple of years ago, I had lunch with a friend's family and he announced that I don't eat any of the list of foods above. His mother just gaped at me. She might've also said a few snide comments about being spoiled and not knowing what's good in life. I felt embarrassed and wanted to leave. I don't think the situation would have been mitigated even if I had lied and said I was allergic to eggs and seafood--the damage had been done.
I'm not sure why people judge me quite so harshly. People avoid other things all the time--blood, exercise, giving to the homeless. I suppose food habits are just more apparent on a daily basis.
A big obstacle for me would be international missions or other cross-cultural immersion, if not for the spiritual and mental toll, then for food. Asian cuisines are typically abundantly varied. But what if someday I find myself in a small village somewhere in the world? How can I turn down a lamb stew if that was the only thing my hosts served? Would I go hungry rather than eat hard boiled eggs for a meal? My biggest fear is that I would lose my lunch (or dinner) as I have before when people push me to eat these foods. I suppose I'd rather be hungry than sick...but I don't know. As strong-willed I am in other areas of my life, I've willed myself to accept certain foods with only limited success. Maybe I should go on Fear Factor or something, if only that were still around.
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