"Melba's Jammin'" > wrote in message
...
> 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?


Absolutely no difference. They are both a complete royal pain in the ass
and I simply will not entertain their childish behavior. The last straw was
just one of those you described who ruined my Christmas Eve dinner in 07.
By the time she left I was about ready to throw her out on her ear. The
bitch even drove herself to the market to get fixings for her own hors
d'ouevres because I didn't make any she wanted to eat.

Nuts to them all. They will ruin any gathering and make you wish you had
never bothered. So whatever differences in motivation are irrelevant as
they are all a pain in the butt.

Paul