Wedding Dilemmas

Weddings always seem to cause issues with me. If the bride and groom choose to have the guests choose their meals, there is usually only one option on the list that I feel comfortable enough ordering. It still always seems that there will be at least one thing on the plate that I won't eat. Peppers are some of the worst things for me, so "Mixed Vegetables" always makes me a little nervous. But I still prefer getting to make my own choice as opposed to not having an option and being given a pre-made plate. Because at least I'll know what I'm getting into from the start.
Unfortunately, that was the case for the wedding I went to yesterday. It was at the Coachman's Lodge in Bellingham, MA. I hate worrying so much about food. I feel like it's all I think about at times. I got lucky yesterday, though. Dinner was served family style. The waitstaff put soup, salad, bread, ziti with red sauce, roasted chicken, roast beef, and stuffed sole on our table. All of which looked delicious. Basically everything that can't go wrong. The only thing I was unsure about was the stuffed sole.
My father is a fisherman (by hobby, not trade). I grew up on an island, and my dad would go fishing all the time. So I grew up eating fish at least a couple times a week. I love most seafoods. Needless to say, I was very excited to see the stuffed sole come out. Unfortunately it had an unfamiliar sauce on top, and you really never know what to expect with the stuffing. Chefs love to put chipotle or jalepenos in unnecessary places. Because of this, I've grown wary of pretty much everything I've never eaten before. I have the best husband ever, though. Even though he makes fun of me sometimes, he understands my situation. He has become my taste tester. Any time I get nervous, he'll try it for me first. Luckily, the sauce on the stuffed sole was not spicy at all. I'm honestly not sure exactly what was in it, but it was delicious. There were red peppers in the stuffing, though. Red peppers at least stand out, making it easy to pick them out.
Passed appetizers can also be scary. The nice thing is the waitstaff is required to tell you what it is, and I can usually avoid the things I can't eat. Sometimes you get the surprise, though. Yesterday they came around with skewered chicken. No one told me it was marinated in beer, though. I don't know how most of you feel about beer, but I think it's one of the grossest things on the planet. The puff pastry items can be pretty scary, too. As I said, chefs like to put unnecessary flavors in food items. There's nothing worse than  expecting something ordinary and getting your mouth set on fire.
It may be stupid, because I know food allergies can be extremely severe, and I am honestly glad that with everything I am allergic to, I am not allergic to any foods. But I get frustrated with weddings that make exceptions and serve special plates for people with food allergies or people that are vegetarian/vegan and they never consider those of us that have problems with everyday foods. I think the issue is lack of knowledge. Although it's a common affliction, people still don't know much about it, if they know anything about it at all. That's another thing I'm hoping to do here; get a little more info out there. Hopefully enough to help all of us get a little more understanding in everyday situations.

Blasted Dental Hygiene!

Possibly a little too much information, but I don't floss. I don't know why; I just never have. Probably because I am pretty lazy, and it's just not at the top of my importance list. My dentist has been bugging me forever. Once she realized I just wasn't going to do it, she told me to mouthwash every day instead. I had never really used it much before that, but I went for it, and I am glad to say I do every day.
Anyway. the reason I never did was because it made me feel like my mouth was on fire. Everyone always talks about how it burns, but it never seemed to be to the extreme that I felt it. But I plowed through it. Four years of using it every day has definitely numbed the sensation, but some days it really does bother me.
I was in heaven the day I discovered alcohol free mouthwash. I still don't like mint very much (but that's a story for a different day), but I can deal for keeping my mouth clean. Unfortunately after the first bottle, my husband complained that his mouth didn't feel as clean. So now we've switched back to the one with the alcohol in it. I'm considering getting my own bottle at this point. I really hate it, but to keep my teeth in my mouth, I suppose it's a small price to pay.
I was checking them out at Target and was glad to see that almost every major mouthwash brand also makes an alcohol free version. I'm used to the Act Restore brand, and as a creature of habit, that's what I'll stick with. If you have a mouthwash of choice, check and see if they have an alcohol free version. It's definitely worth it. Especially if you have a problem with it like I do. Anyone have any recommendations or preferences they'd like to share?

Mmm...Pizza

I love pizza. Then again, I don't know many people that don't. But it has always been a struggle. As a kid, pizza parties always consisted of a cheese and a pepperoni. I always gravitated towards the cheese, since I couldn't eat the pepperoni. But even those that loved pepperoni ate the cheese first. If I didn't get in there early, I didn't get to eat. Everyone always told me to just pick the pepperoni off and it'd be fine, but it's not fine. the taste still remains on the pizza even without the slices.

I used to only eat cheese or hawaiian. I've gotten a bit more adventurous as I've grown older, but not much. I still prefer straight cheese, but I enjoy the occasional mushroom and onion (and believe me, it took me a long time to be able to eat onions) or hawaiian. One of my new favorites, though has become chicken, bacon and ranch, because really, who doesn't like bacon and ranch dressing?

It's still an ordeal when I order with a group, though. Inevitably someone wants pepperoni or sausage or peppers or something else I can't have. Usually we end up with two or more, so there will be at least one that I can have. But I'm almost always shorted on slices.

Tonight for dinner both my brothers-in-law were over and we agreed to order pizzas. Luckily, the place we ordered from only makes individual size bar pizzas, so everyone gets their own pizza with whatever they want on it. Of course I ordered extra cheese. If you're from the Randolph area, you've heard of Linwood's. It's a dive bar that only serves beer and pizza, and they're fantastic.

We don't order from there very often, mainly because they don't deliver and they only take cash. So I always forget that they put a piece of green pepper in the center of every pizza, no matter what kind you ordered. Like most super-tasters, I can't have green peppers. My husband loves them, though, so I pick it off and give it to him. Unfortunately, though, every first bite of every slice tastes like peppers. Because the pizza is so delicious, I tend to plow right through, and after a couple of bites, I've gotten the taste out of my mouth. But the pizzas are small, so the slices are small, and it's not long before I have to taste it again. 

Hopefully, now that I'm writing this down, I'll remember to ask for it without in the future. If any of you decide to order Linwood's, I'm passing this along so you'll know to ask for it without the pepper. It just goes to show you, though, even though you think you know what you're ordering, you may sometimes get something you don't expect.

About Me

I'm a (almost) 30 year old in Massachusetts. Married for 5 years to a wonderful man. I'm a graphic designer and I love it. And I'm a super-taster. If you have any questions about what a super-taster is, wikipedia sums it up pretty well. Check out their page at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supertaster. Also, a web search will bring up many other resources.

I wanted to start a community for other super-tasters where we can all share our experiences, suggestions and support. It's not an easy way to live, and for most of us, the other 75% of the population just doesn't understand. So I was hoping to find others that would.
There are many things I can't eat, most of which I'll share as time goes on.

If you're reading this, you're probably just like me. Sick of being called picky eaters, being told "It's not that spicy" or "You can't even taste the ______ in it." What they don't know is that we can taste everything in it. And specific things are worse than others.

I didn't know why I couldn't eat or drink certain things until a few years ago when I heard the term Super-Taster. The more research I did, the more I realized how exactly it described my situation.

Please, feel free to comment and share. I welcome the support, as I'm sure others will. We're all in this together and it couldn't hurt to make some friends along the way.