# We need a word for "an adult who eats like a picky toddler." **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 10, 2015, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-a-word-for-an-adult-who-eats-like-a-picky-toddler/717381 "2015-04-10T22:54:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-a-word-for-an-adult-who-eats-like-a-picky-toddler/717381/1 "2015-04-10T22:54:39Z")
You know: only eats or orders things like chicken strips or french fries, avoids green vegetables, is suspicious of trying new cuisines, etc. I can’t think of anything better than “pickytoddlerarian” but I’m sure you Dopers can do better. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![jayrey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/47e85d/32.png) [@jayrey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayrey)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-a-word-for-an-adult-who-eats-like-a-picky-toddler/717381/2 "2015-04-10T23:09:04Z")
I don’t have a suggestion but it’s a great question and I’m looking forward to hearing what the Dope has to say. Just today, as I returned to the office with a bag in hand, a coworker asked me what I had gotten for lunch. I replied, “Won ton soup, but it’s actually the wor ton won, the version with all the veggies.” She made a “ugghh” face and turned away. Based on this response, and other conversations we’ve had, not to mention how she looks, I’m pretty sure she’s a “pickytoddlerarian.” ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-a-word-for-an-adult-who-eats-like-a-picky-toddler/717381/3 "2015-04-10T23:09:14Z")
Finicky is the usual term. ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Hen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@Small\_Hen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Hen)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-a-word-for-an-adult-who-eats-like-a-picky-toddler/717381/4 "2015-04-10T23:14:22Z")
Independent? Autonomous? I don’t know, what else would you call an adult making a choice about what they put in their own body when it harms absolutely no one else, ever, at all? ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-a-word-for-an-adult-who-eats-like-a-picky-toddler/717381/5 "2015-04-10T23:16:38Z")
[Supertaster, maybe?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supertaster) Lately, I’ve been assuming that every finicky eater I meet must be a supertaster. Making up a biological condition keeps me from hating on them too much. ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-a-word-for-an-adult-who-eats-like-a-picky-toddler/717381/6 "2015-04-10T23:17:58Z")
G0sp3l ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-a-word-for-an-adult-who-eats-like-a-picky-toddler/717381/7 "2015-04-10T23:26:08Z")
> [@Small\_Hen](#): > > Independent? Autonomous? I don’t know, what else would you call an adult making a choice about what they put in their own body when it harms absolutely no one else, ever, at all? I’d have to agree with this. ---
**Author:** ![scootergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e99b99/32.png) [@scootergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scootergirl)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-a-word-for-an-adult-who-eats-like-a-picky-toddler/717381/8 "2015-04-10T23:28:25Z")
Oh I can’t think of anything, but IMHO, **overly** picky adult eaters seem to lack a sense of openmindedness and receptivity to new things in other areas too. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-a-word-for-an-adult-who-eats-like-a-picky-toddler/717381/9 "2015-04-10T23:35:15Z")
There are two young guys at work like this. I think they would happily eat KFC 3 meals a day. A bunch of us go out for lunch as often as we can and eat either Asian or Mexican. The two pickytoddlerarians are desperately keen to join us and have to scan the menu for suitably bland offerings. Some sort of chicken and rice seems to often be the choice. They sit there eating a plate of that while the rest of us share several plates of exotic stuff. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21825_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-a-word-for-an-adult-who-eats-like-a-picky-toddler/717381/10 "2015-04-10T23:40:06Z")
My suggestion would be: my sister. She’s not only excessively picky, she sniffs thing suspiciously. Dining with her is a joy… ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-a-word-for-an-adult-who-eats-like-a-picky-toddler/717381/11 "2015-04-11T00:18:19Z")
How about oligvore? A combination of oligarchy and omnivore. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-a-word-for-an-adult-who-eats-like-a-picky-toddler/717381/12 "2015-04-11T00:39:48Z")
pickytoddlerarian or toddlerarian do not convey the point of being selective about **food**. Picky eaters seem to be a much better term if one wants to be understood. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-a-word-for-an-adult-who-eats-like-a-picky-toddler/717381/13 "2015-04-11T00:50:00Z")
I’d love to find a sort of nice-ish word to use. Just so I don’t have to be as rude as I feel when it comes up. I was with a group of people looking for a place to eat after a play a few weeks ago. There was a sort of “hey there’s a tapas place nearby” vibe amongst us, so we headed there. When we arrived, one person piped up and said she had to look at the menu first. NOT ONE SINGLE THING was edible according to her. Wut? Before I could get really annoyed with her (and I guess she gets a little credit for stopping us from sitting down, but after we walked 3 blocks to get there), I realized there was a sports bar next door. Pub food was fine with her so we went there instead. Whatever. Selective, maybe. Oh, you’re a _selective_ eater. Got it. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-a-word-for-an-adult-who-eats-like-a-picky-toddler/717381/14 "2015-04-11T00:51:24Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > Selective, maybe. Oh, you’re a _selective_ eater. Got it. Selectivore? ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-a-word-for-an-adult-who-eats-like-a-picky-toddler/717381/15 "2015-04-11T01:36:59Z")
Just speaking about my husband, but would pain-in-the-assian work? ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-a-word-for-an-adult-who-eats-like-a-picky-toddler/717381/16 "2015-04-11T01:59:11Z")
I have met picky eaters (adults) who only eat healthy food, no “toddler” food like breaded, fried meats and so on. they are selective, not childish, but don’t know what to call them. I am not one, btw, but I wish I was. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-a-word-for-an-adult-who-eats-like-a-picky-toddler/717381/17 "2015-04-11T02:06:54Z")
We need a word for “an adult who concerns him/herself about what other people eat.” ---
**Author:** ![get\_lives](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@get\_lives](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/get_lives)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-a-word-for-an-adult-who-eats-like-a-picky-toddler/717381/18 "2015-04-11T02:07:42Z")
> [@Small\_Hen](#): > > Independent? Autonomous? I don’t know, what else would you call an adult making a choice about what they put in their own body when it harms absolutely no one else, ever, at all? If it significantly harms their health, then yes, other people are harmed, because of the extra cost of their health care, and also because someone has to handle the chores, etc. that the unwell person can no longer handle doing. I could preach a long sermon about this, but I won’t. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-a-word-for-an-adult-who-eats-like-a-picky-toddler/717381/19 "2015-04-11T02:07:46Z")
> [@scootergirl](#): > > Oh I can’t think of anything, but IMHO, **overly** picky adult eaters seem to lack a sense of openmindedness and receptivity to new things in other areas too. Especially the types who will claim to not like a particular food. Then admit they’ve never tried it. ---
**Author:** ![dzeiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@dzeiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzeiger)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-a-word-for-an-adult-who-eats-like-a-picky-toddler/717381/20 "2015-04-11T03:06:44Z")
> [@scootergirl](#): > > Oh I can’t think of anything, but IMHO, **overly** picky adult eaters seem to lack a sense of openmindedness and receptivity to new things in other areas too. Do we have a term for “Assholes who think a differing sensitivity to spices or various flavors imparts a moral or intellectual superiority?” If I go “ew” when you describe a food you like, it’s the same reason I would go “ew” if you described your recreational habit of sticking your eyeball with a needle. Even if I haven’t tried that particular ingredient combination, I generally have a pretty good idea on how my mouth would react. Now, are there some people who would go “ew” for close-minded reasons, like they think that liking middle-eastern food makes you a terrorist or something? Eh, probably. But if you know the person well enough to know it is for the second reason and not the first, I don’t see any need to “label” him. If you don’t know the person well enough to know why he’s reacting in that way, then I see no reason to try and label him with possible inaccurate conclusions. We have enough bullshit labels out there in politics and religion and whatnot that are used to attempt to dehumanize anyone different than “us” without going out of our way to come up with more. But hey, if you really need a label, I do have one, though it may be a bit unwieldy. How about “ProbablyNotThePersonMicrowavingMustardGasCurryInTheBreakRoom.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-a-word-for-an-adult-who-eats-like-a-picky-toddler/717381.md?page=2)