Can't. Eat. Ugly.

[Jenise]

So yesterday I went to a 3 p.m. meeting where everyone brought snacks and wine. I brought crispy little wonton cups filled with a shrimp remoulade, but I was still so full from lunch I didn't even taste my own contribution let alone help myself to anyone else's. Everybody but me filled a small plate of food. There were potato chips, dips, sliced cheeses and sausages, that kind of thing.

There was this one dish that got passed to me. It was one of the least attractive bowls of food I've ever seen. It was a shallow gray-green bowl full of a single layer of irregularly shaped, two-bite, flesh-tone oblong lumps. The person to my left asked what they were. "Pig testicles," I replied as I passed him the bowl. Well, that became the joke of the day as people asked for, or refused, the 'pig testicles'.

They really were THAT ugly. Turns out they were some kind of ice cream in a firm, edible, fondant-like non-melting strawberry coating. Strawberry should be a nice color, but there was nothing nice about this particular shade of pink. No one owned up to having brought them, but the lady to my right kept pushing the bowl at me, "But they're ice cream!" she hammered as I refused them for the umpteenth time, incredulous that this news didn't make everything okie-dokie.

There are, apparently, people in this world for whom anything is okay as long as ice cream is involved. I'm not one of them.

That probably wouldn't have bothered me all that much. Once I found out that it was ice cream, I'd have probably eaten it. Doesn't sounds at all appetizing, though!

I'm with Mike on this one. Dairy fat is a friend from way back... even if I have to close my eyes while eating it.

[Jenise]

You guys! I'm just a victim of that old observation that we eat with our eyes. We really do! And I more than most! As a small kid, there were so many things I wouldn't eat, and if I couldn't eyeball the identity of a prospective meal I wouldn't touch it. I never once thought, "if I don't like it I can always spit it out."

I will say, though, that an upside to this near-phobia I have is that I really take pains to make the food that I make attractive.

Well, maybe part of it for me is that I suck at any sort of artistic anything. I don't have the capability of visualizing what I want something to look like. Ask my wife - I've been completely useless when it comes to the design aspects of our eternal remodel. I've been into photography since the 80's, and once I see something in the viewfinder, I can figure out how to compose the shot, figure out the lighting, etc., but I have to see it first. I can't visualize a photo and then make it happen. So since I am so poor at this sort of thing, I guess it's a bit less important for me than for those who actually have some talent along these lines.

Well, maybe part of it for me is that I suck at any sort of artistic anything. I don't have the capability of visualizing what I want something to look like. Ask my wife - I've been completely useless when it comes to the design aspects of our eternal remodel. I've been into photography since the 80's, and once I see something in the viewfinder, I can figure out how to compose the shot, figure out the lighting, etc., but I have to see it first. I can't visualize a photo and then make it happen. So since I am so poor at this sort of thing, I guess it's a bit less important for me than for those who actually have some talent along these lines.

Interesting. You may have what's called aphantasia.

I hadn't heard of that and thought it might fit, but I went and took a survey and however it is that I think of things, it doesn't qualify me as aphantasic. That's an inability to form pictures in the mind, which is something I can do if I've seen something before. So I can picture the sun setting over the water from a beach because I've seen that. What I can't do is picture something I haven't already seen, like how the house will look if we put in a new patio. That appears to be a little different. Too bad - I kinda like the idea that there was a word describing that limitation.

As you may know, aphantasia is a spectrum. I don't know which survey you took, but if you're interested there are a number of TED talks, etc. on YouTube concerning the brain variation.

[Jenise]

What I can't do is picture something I haven't already seen, like how the house will look if we put in a new patio.

We're opposites. Regarding food, a friend was asking the other day how I come up with original new dishes. She thought it might be like painting. And I said no, I think it's more like songwriting. A songwriter can hear notes in his/her head that have never been been heard before, and I can 'taste' in my mind flavors and textures I have never had before. I very rarely have failures following someone else's recipe because I can mentally 'taste' a problem and detour before it occurs.

Oh my handicap is strictly visual. I have no problem conjuring up tastes and textures to target.

You guys! I'm just a victim of that old observation that we eat with our eyes. We really do! And I more than most! As a small kid, there were so many things I wouldn't eat, and if I couldn't eyeball the identity of a prospective meal I wouldn't touch it. I never once thought, "if I don't like it I can always spit it out."
I will say, though, that an upside to this near-phobia I have is that I really take pains to make the food that I make attractive.

I like my food to be pretty as well,

Jenise. I love the colors of fruits, veggies, and sometimes my food may not be as tasty as expected, but it does look good. I will never forget many years ago when roasting veggies became popular, and I started using the multi colored potatoes and mini peppers in a roast. Not only very tasty, but pulling that big sheet pan out of the oven and our guests seeing all the colors brought a lot of comments.

I think everyone likes their food to look attractive, but there are a lot of cultural/personal factors that shape what we find attractive (beyond the basic structural elements).

For a simple example, lots of folks will wax enthusiastically about their cut of steak, which looks revolting to me. We're both right!

[Jenise]

Well said, Rahsaan. And I must add that most food looks good to me. Fancy plating not required. And any food I really like will always look good (enough). My post is mostly making fun of myself--I don't actually enjoy being picky.