Lucianovic - Suffering succotash: a picky eaters quest to understand why we hate the foods we hate

Praise for

SUFFERING SUCCOTASH

Using humor, gusto, and her sensitive if skeptical palate to great effect, Stephanie Lucianovic explains the mechanics of picky eating. She shows us why we like some foods and not others, and illuminates the mysteries of our sense of taste. It takes a picky eater to understand picky eaters, and we should all be grateful for Lucianovics inspired work.

Amanda Hesser, cofounder of Food52.com and author of
The Essential New York Times Cookbook

As a diner who will gladly eat the eyeballs off a shrimp, but who recoils in horror at the sight of a raisin in an oatmeal cookie, I adored Suffering Succotash. Stephanie Lucianovics charming and hilarious exploration of why we hate the foods we hate is packed to the gills with research on everything from sword-swallowers to supertasters and yet reads like a guilty pleasure. I couldnt put it down.

Suzanne Morrison, author of Yoga Bitch: One Womans
Quest to Conquer Skepticism, Cynicism, and
Cigarettes on the Path to Enlightenment

Lucianovic proves that hanging out with a picky eater does not have to be torturedo not judge the picky eater, just laugh as she learns to enjoy cruciferous vegetables.

Beth Lisick, author of Helping Me Help Myself and cocreator
of Porchlight, the San Francisco storytelling series

Hilarious and honest, Suffering Succotash is a fascinating read if youve ever gagged on your greens (or know someone who has).

Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan, authors of
Spoiled and cofounders of GoFugYourself.com

SUFFERING

SUCCOTASH

A Picky Eaters Quest to Understand
Why We Hate the Foods We Hate

Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic

A Perigee Book

A PERIGEE BOOK

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada
(a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL,
England Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephens Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin
Books Ltd.) Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia
(a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.) Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community
Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi110 017, India Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive,
Rosedale, Auckland 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.) Penguin Books
(South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa
Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

While the author has made every effort to provide accurate telephone numbers, Internet addresses,
and other contact information at the time of publication, neither the publisher nor the
author assumes any responsibility for errors, or for changes that occur after publication. Further,
the publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility
for author or third-party websites or their content.

Copyright 2012 by Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic

Text design by Laura K. Corless

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or
electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of
copyrighted materials in violation of the authors rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

PERIGEE is a registered trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

The P design is a trademark belonging to Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

First edition: July 2012

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Lucianovic, Stephanie V. W.

Suffering succotash : a picky eaters quest to understand why we hate the foods
we hate / Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic. 1st ed.

p. cm.

ISBN: 978-1-101-58700-3

1. Senses and sensationPopular works. 2. Taste budsPopular works. 3. Food preferences
Popular works. 4. NutritionPsychological aspectsPopular works. I. Title.

QP431.L83 2012

612.80846dc23 2012008772

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

PUBLISHERS NOTE: Neither the publisher nor the author is engaged in rendering professional
advice or services to the individual reader. The ideas, procedures, and suggestions contained in this
book are not intended as a substitute for consulting with your physician. All matters regarding your
health require medical supervision. Neither the author nor the publisher shall be liable or responsible
for any loss or damage allegedly arising from any information or suggestion in this book.

The recipes contained in this book are to be followed exactly as written. The publisher is
not responsible for your specific health or allergy needs that may require medical supervision.
The publisher is not responsible for any adverse reactions to the recipes contained in this book.

Some names and identifying characteristics have been changed to
protect the privacy of the individuals involved.

Most Perigee books are available at special quantity discounts for bulk purchases for
sales promotions, premiums, fund-raising, or educational use. Special books, or book
excerpts, can also be created to fit specific needs. For details, write: Special Markets,
Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

ALWAYS LEARNING

PEARSON

To my family, including the members with tails,
for all their love, patience, and laughs.

Three More Bites and Youre Done

For years Ive pondered the question of what exactly made me so hate so many foods for so long. Was it the texture, color, or odor of the foods, or just a primal need to fight the parental power of enforced eating? Eh, I couldnt tell you. I just knew I dreaded most mealtimes, and my older sister, Jennie, was just as picky.

Three years older, wiser, and stronger, Jennie broke most of the boundaries parents set out for children to break, and I followed (or not) as I saw fit. The truth is, I was fairly chicken about the whole boundary-breaking thing, and I really just wanted to avoid getting into trouble. YetI wanted to avoid food even more, so in those cases, where Jennie led, I followed. At a safe distance.

Even with my parents fairly generous Three Bites Rule, Jennie and I were determined never to eat more of any food we hated than strictly necessary. If we were really crafty, we wouldnt even have to taste a molecule of the food we were avoiding. After years of careful research and development, we designed a highly complex system of food avoidance techniques.

My parents way of getting food into us without making the actual act of eating a punishment was to use the Three Bites Rule. As in, Three more bites and you never have to see that particular serving of succotash again.

As devised by my parents (hereafter referred to as The Enforcers), the Three Bites Rule (hereafter referred to as The Rule) was understood by the children (hereafter referred to as The Picky Eaters) to be the following:

1. The Picky Eaters shall not invoke the The Rule at the beginning of the meal, as some part of the full helping must be ingested before requesting the application of The Rule.
2. For a bite to be counted and therefore subtracted from the overall tally, The Picky Eaters must be observed ingesting the bite by The Enforcers of The Rule.
3. An acceptable bite is required to be of sufficient volume. Said volume will be determined by The Enforcers of The Rule. For instance, a bite is not any of the following: a pea, a 1-millimeter piece of meat, half of a scalloped potato round, or a grain of wild rice.