When we envision a picky eater, we usually picture a child between the ages of one and five, roaring with anger because his dino nuggies are not perfectly shaped. 

We do not expect a grown adult to refuse outright to eat broccoli unless it’s fried, or so heavily blended and disguised in a sauce that it’s barely a wisp of a vegetable. But there are, truly, some individuals who don’t grow out of their picky phase.

Now, this doesn’t include people with dietary restrictions, for medical reasons or otherwise. Allergies, religion or personal beliefs are all perfectly valid grounds for having a limited diet, so long as you ensure you’re getting essential nutrients through other means. But there are people who are completely capable of eating all sorts of foods, but simply refuse to venture beyond the same three dishes. 

There is more food available in the great wide world, and healthier ones, than pizza, pasta and some variation of potato. There are more cuisines that exist than just Chinese, and more Chinese dishes that exist than just orange chicken and fried rice. And eating Domino’s every day does not make you a connoisseur of Italian cuisine. 

As someone who had to make a conscious effort to expand her palate, especially after coming to college, it’s admittedly very difficult to stray from the food that’s familiar and comfortable. But there are so many unique flavors from all sorts of cultures, and to resign yourself to merely one or two of the same, recycled tastes is to do yourself a great disservice. 

There are people that won’t eat anything above a particular spice level, who won’t even consider trying anything with a foreign smell or visual appearance. While having preferences is absolutely normal, what’s not normal is precluding yourself from experiencing a vast array of culinary delicacies simply because… well, it’s new. 

The sort of food you like now only appeals to you because that’s what you were exposed to growing up. If you were raised eating food from an entirely different continent, you would end up liking that. And, of course, our sense of taste changes throughout our lives, and can even be trained. It’s the reason why your childhood diet of ice cream and mac and cheese would (probably) seem unsustainable and undesirable now. 

Don’t be the person at a restaurant that orders a dish, only to leave out half the ingredients and swap the other half for different things entirely. If you see your dinner partner’s eye twitching, it’s not because they’re enthralled by your gastronomical inventiveness. 

It’s absolutely fine to have dishes that you will not, under any circumstances, eat—I would rather pluck all my teeth out and wear dentures than ever go near egg salad—but it gets a little ridiculous when you go to a restaurant and can’t find a single thing to eat. More than appearing annoying to other people (which, undoubtedly, they do), picky eaters are depriving themselves of the opportunity to try new and different foods, and even to find a new favorite dish. Because “I like what I like” can only go so far when you’re stuck with the palate of a two year old and can only order off the kids’ menu.