A major part of the holidays is food, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas. There’s Thanksgiving lunch, Christmas dinner, and plenty of appetizers and hors d’oeuvres in between. It isn’t typical, everyday food that is served and eaten during the holidays, though. It’s things we really only eat once a year, like stuffing, cranberry sauce, and ham. In my opinion, we eat pretty out of the box foods, and I wouldn’t ever think about eating them any other time of the year.
If you’re a picky eater or someone who only enjoys really simple foods (I’m talking to you, people who eat pizza or chicken nuggets for every meal), it can be hard to enjoy the holidays when all of this strange food is being served. Maybe you don’t like the texture of stuffing, or you hate the taste of turkey. Either way, it’s hard to sit through a holiday dinner and not eat the food you’re being served because it’s not your thing. Take it from a former picky eater myself — I’ve had to go through countless holidays not wanting to eat a single thing that was being served. Luckily, my taste buds have evolved, and I can now identify as an ex-picky eater. I’ve acquired my fair share of wisdom when it comes to surviving the holidays as a picky eater, so here are some tips to make it through this season.
Eat a little something beforehand.
If you know you’re not going to be digging into the dishes served at a holiday dinner, it’s a good idea to eat something before so that you’re not completely starving at the table. Consider eating a big breakfast or having a light lunch before dinner.
Growing up, my parents knew that I wouldn’t be stuffing myself like everyone else at the dinner table. So, they encouraged me to eat beforehand so that I wasn’t miserable watching everyone else eat while I had an empty stomach. I distinctly remember eating really big breakfasts of pancakes and bacon the morning of holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas so that I would be full all day.
I still practice this today when I know there won’t be anything I like at a meal. Plus, it serves as an excuse if someone asks why you’re not eating much — you can just say you had a really big lunch that day, which wouldn’t be a lie.
Mix and match foods.
Who says you need to eat the foods served as they are? You can get creative. If there’s one aspect of a meal you like, and a part of another meal you like as well, combine them! I was in a phase as a child where I hated meat, so I refused to eat turkey on Thanksgiving. But I loved gravy so much, to the point where I could eat it alone with a spoon. So instead of eating gravy with turkey, I just used the gravy on everything else, like mashed potatoes and stuffing. I would even dip cornbread into the gravy.
You can do the same for practically any dish. If there’s a sauce on a certain dish that you like, you can scrape it off and put it onto another dish. If you like the sauce on a pasta dish but don’t necessarily like the pasta, scrape it off and add it to the chicken being served. The other guests might actually praise you for how creative you are.
Have a drink ready.
Anyone who’s ever been forced to eat something they don’t like knows about the chew and sip method. Having a drink nearby, preferably something flavored like juice or soda, can help wash down the taste of something you don’t particularly enjoy. I’ve become a master at this method. I would recommend having a fizzy drink on standby, like ginger ale. Not only will the flavor mask the taste of whatever you just chewed, but the fizz of the carbonation will distract your tastebuds.
My grandparents love to make meatloaf during the holidays. I’m already someone that doesn’t particularly love meat, so meatloaf is pretty out of my comfort zone. But you know how grandparents (especially grandmas) get when you don’t eat every single thing that they offer you. So every holiday, I take a slice of meatloaf, and top up my glass of soda in preparation.
If you’re challenging yourself by trying a new food that you’re not sure you’ll like, it can be extremely helpful to have a drink ready. That way, if your tastebuds immediately reject the flavor, you don’t have to spit it out and look rude. Just grab your drink and wash the flavor away.
Don’t let the comments get to you.
If you aren’t digging into the turkey or buying a big slice of pie like everyone else, people are bound to notice. Don’t be surprised if the other guests at the dinner table ask questions or make some comments about how you’re not eating all of the holiday favorites. While you can’t stop people from talking, you can train yourself to not let them get to you. Remember that it’s normal to have preferences when it comes to food, and there’s nothing wrong with not liking certain meals. If someone makes any remarks, like “You’ve barely touched the sweet potato!” or “Why don’t you have some stuffing?”, you can always diffuse the conversation by saying something like “I’d rather just have more of the macaroni and cheese” or “I’m already pretty full from the cornbread.”
I’ve dealt with comments like these for pretty much my whole life, and after a while, you just get used to them. I’ve realized that some people just don’t have a filter and will say anything that comes to their mind, and you shouldn’t take it personally. Eat what you want and don’t feel guilty for being picky.