#SensoryIssues: Taste vs Texture – Food Dislikes

So, I was having tomato sandwiches for lunch today (been a long time since I’ve had those, and I remembered how much I enjoy them) when it suddenly came to me that I didn’t really like tomato sandwiches on brown bread, that they tasted better with white bread. Now, this didn’t really make that much sense, because I find that I prefer the taste of brown bread to white bread; it’s more interesting.

So I was trying to puzzle this out, and after a minute or two, I realized that it wasn’t really the taste of brown bread tomato sandwiches I was objecting to; it was the texture! Revelation!

Thinking about it, I believe a number of my food objections (not including spices – those are definitely taste-related – or melons, which make me feel nauseous) have to do with texture. Which is a bit weird, because I enjoy both calamari (squid) and escargots (snails), and they have weird textures. However:

  • Brown bread (aka whole grain) has a harshness to it, from the unmilled grains.
  • I like sliced ham… except for the “skin”, which I despise; in fact, I really dislike “skin” on any meat except non-processed (aka “sliced” or deli) chicken.
  • Cucumbers and zucchini are bleh, not only for the taste (which even I find way too bland) but the texture.
  • Celery’s texture is seriously unpleasant, even more so than the taste (which I also don’t like, I admit).
  • Pitas: They are way, way too dry for me, I hate that.
  • I’m not terribly fond of pork chops; again, they tend to be dry, and just the way the meat feels (even when it’s not dry) tends to strike me as unpleasant.
  • Bologna not only doesn’t taste nice (I could probably tolerate it if it was just that) but the texture, the feel of the compressed meat is just ugh.
  • Rice: It depends – here is one food where the texture really comes into play. Ordinarily I rather like rice (especially with sushi – something else with a “weird” texture that I love), but if it’s dry, no way. Hate it then.
  • Plain bread with butter. Toast with butter is great. Raisin bread with butter is… meh (I much prefer it as toast). But plain bread with butter? Really don’t like it. And that’s at least partially due to texture.
  • Eggplant. Most of my objection to it has to do with its texture, honestly. I suspect I could tolerate the taste if it didn’t feel the way it does. (Especially when cooked in something like a moussaka. Another food that literally makes me nauseous.)
  • One of my friends couldn’t tolerate onions – she found them slimy. Until she was put in charge of cooking and diced the onions rather than having them in the long strips. So sometimes a change like that can help!

So, something to think about! Especially if you / your child can’t really explain why they don’t like a food, but it doesn’t seem to be directly related to taste.

😉 tagAught

3 thoughts on “#SensoryIssues: Taste vs Texture – Food Dislikes

  1. Cynthia

    As I was reading this I opened a package of “energy chews” that I got for free at a sports store promotion. Put one in mouth and nearly died from the gooey slipperyy mushiness of it. The rest went straight in the trash. So appropriate.

    I think I’m more likely to not like something based on texture than on taste. I also find that some of my strongest food likes are texture-based. I love a mixture of crunchy and soft foods, like a salad with veggies and nuts or onion strings. Or soup with some raw bean sprouts thrown in at the last minute for crunchiness. People tend to look at me oddly when I comment on enjoying the texture of a food though. 🙂

    Reply
    1. tagAught

      Re the chews: Heh!

      And I agree with you re the texture vs. taste. It’s surprising, looking at my list above, how many of the things I dislike are because (or partially because) of texture. (Celery, cucumber and zucchini, etc….)

      Autistic Thought: Why would they look at you oddly? It’s perfectly logical to enjoy the texture as well as the taste of food! 😉

      🙂 tagAught

      Reply
  2. LHR

    It’s interesting to me when other people mention that they don’t like foods due to texture. Mostly because I’ve gotten flack a great deal while growing up for being a picky eater due to texture. I personally don’t like anything slimy and or thick and spongy (bologne, eggs, mushrooms…). It was a constant fight with my family because any time I hit a texture I can’t stand I would gag or a time or two vomit up the food. I’m odd in liking dry and firm textures. I was the kid who liked the days they over cooked the chicken til it was practically jerky. I’ve actually given up meat entirely now because the thought of hitting gristle or other such texture makes me urpy. Ugh.

    Reply

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