Kimberly's reply in Jill's thread, "Let's Talk About Picky Eater's Again
<G>" got me to wondering if there is a difference between picky and
fussy. In my mind there is, but I am having a difficult time
articulating it. Here is what Kimberly said:

"I was about to write, "I consider myself a picky eater"...but really,
it's everyone around me that considers me a picky eater. I've tried
pointing out to them that I am actually not picky, I just like what I
like and don't like what I don't. They didn't buy it. I admit that I do
have a touch of OCD when it comes to certain foods. Corn, for example.
Whether on the cob or off, nothing but butter, salt & pepper should
ever touch my corn. No creamed corn, no corn is soups or stews, and for
the love of all things Holy, do *not* mix the corn in with the taters
and gravy! Abomination. I try, whenever possible, to make sure none of
my foods touch, unless of course they were meant to be touchy feely
with each other. For example, green beans (or any vegetable really)
should never touch the gravy, but potatoes can touch meat and gravy and
dressing. All those things get eaten as one. On the other hand, if I
have a baked potato, it doesn't get to touch anything, since it's on a
separate plate. And no sweet stuff on my savory stuff, please. No
apples with the pork, and definitely not in my dressing. No pineapple
on my ham, and not on my pizza either. The sole exception to this would
be bbq sauce, because I like the tomato-brown sugar type. Ok, so maybe
I am picky."

Where does "like what I like and don't like what I don't." fall? Fussy
or Picky?

What about, ". . .and for the love of all things Holy, do *not* mix the
corn in with the taters and gravy!" Fussy or Picky?

Or, ". . . green beans (or any vegetable really) should never touch the
gravy, but potatoes can touch meat and gravy and dressing." Fussy or
Picky?

What about, "And no sweet stuff on my savory stuff, please. No apples
with the pork, and definitely not in my dressing. No pineapple on my
ham, and not on my pizza either." Fussy or Picky?

I am inclined to call Kimberly a fussy eater while I describe my
son-in-law as a picky eater. Kimberly's peculiarities make me roll my
eyes and say, "Ohfer. . . ! Whatever" and my son-in-law's leave me
grumbling about how I am to prepare a dish to satisfy his peculiarities,
a big one of which is about textures. He wants Prego out of a jar with
ground beef browned and added but heaven forfend if the amendment to the
jarred stuff should included chopped onion or celery. I want to say,
"Ohfercrissake, just eat it, will you?"

Would my well known disdain for that which is beety put me into one of
the two categories? IMO, I'd say not, because there aren't that many
things I feel that strongly about. There are lots of things I'm not
fond of but will eat if they are set in front of me.

I repeat my question: Is there a difference between a fussy eater and a
picky eater? How would you describe the differences?
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://web.me.com/barbschaller - good news 4-6-2009
"What you say about someone else says more
about you than it does about the other person."