Hilary that would grate on my nerves, as well. With my stepdaughter it’s a way for her to begin to articulate her tastes. Before she used to write off entire food groups. I don’t like “sauce.” I’m sorry, but that is entirely too broad of a brush to paint with. Since then we’ve discovered that there are very few sauces she doesn’t like and most of those weren’t homemade anyhow. I can accept her not caring for Carolina BBQ based on not liking mustard. That makes sense, but to write off all “wet” foods without having SID is patently ridiculous.

I sometimes welcome criticism. I don’t like backseat drivers, however. My incredibly picky husband loves nothing more than to polish off some delicious and well prepared meal and then deliver some “constructive criticism.” If it is a new dish, I can welcome it, especially if it is a considered comment. If it is some obligatory “next time you should try…” on a perfectly fine dish, which comes up way too often for my taste, I usually don’t take it as gracefully.

She would rather starve than put something in her mouth she is afraid of. She can’t tell you why (most of the time), but she knows she will not eat it.

But I am (I hope) in a less common situation, and it is certainly a good way to open communication and find things that everybody likes.