Picky eating is one of the most underrated and frustrating bad habits. It gets in the way when it comes to eating meals at school, work, social outings, and worst of all — trips. Not to mention trips with people you’ve never even met. My goal for the trip was to push myself on my own to try foods I wouldn’t normally be brave enough to eat in every place we went to. Here’s a quick glimpse at my journey.
Sydney
I’m a stickler for sweet, light drinks and I always refuse to try coffee because of its unpleasant, bitter taste — so I decided to begin with that. Exhausted, I ordered myself a hazelnut coffee, expecting something that tasted like Nutella, which I'm far from picky about. Boy, was I wrong.
Fortunately, I got some cute pictures of myself and this cute, European drink. Unfortunately, these sips were just so I could post something fun on Instagram. Maybe my coffee didn’t taste like Nutella, but the chocolate hazelnut filled syringe my yummy Nitrogen Ice Cream included made up for it.
The Outback
Stuck in the middle of the outback, my taste buds fell in love with the most unexpected food of all. Sleep deprived and ready to go back to civilization, we were fed kangaroo steak and camel burgers.
I resisted the urge to scream on the top of my lungs, and I ended up trying both. Surprisingly enough, I came to realize kangaroo tastes just like normal steak, and camel burgers are oddly delicious — I had three. Some people actually ate live grubs during this trip.. But I think I had pushed myself quite enough already.
The Daintree Rainforest
The Daintree Ice Cream Company had a Willy Wonka effect on me. I felt completely out of place as the woman scooped mango, wattle seed, soursop, and Davidson Plum ice cream onto my little white cup. I took my spoon as well as a deep breath, and I forced myself to taste these frozen treats.
Despite the fact I didn’t completely adore all the flavors, I was surprised that I actually did enjoy this dessert. Yes, I know this was just ice cream, but I was proud I tasted four new flavors — three of them which I had never even heard of before.
No, I didn’t eat a worm or a live animal, and no, I don’t all of a sudden open myself up to all foods, but after going on this trip and knowing I could eat things like a camel burger or an ice cream made from a super exotic fruit, I feel better.
I still don’t eat bananas, but I’ve progressed to eating smoothies with banana in them. I even tried a tomato my best friend grew. Going on this trip didn’t make me a food expert, but as someone who is extremely picky, it only taught me that it's okay not to like everything you eat, but giving it a try is so worth it.