I got sick of being shamed for being a picky eater and not trying new things to eat, so I went and bought a bunch of TV dinners and tried them all.

I got sick of my friends and family giving me a hard time every time we go out to eat that I don't try new or "exotic" foods. Sometimes it would get rather ugly and others they would just make their comments and nothing would come of it. Well I got sick of them saying things, putting peer pressure on about what I eat, pointing out constantly that I can't say I wont like something if I have never tried it, or the 100 other arguments they had used to try to get me to try whatever new foods we have been eating. So I knew we were likely going out over the weekend, and that they were going to choose something where I would once again be put on the spot. So I went out and bought 6 different TV dinners and sat down by myself and tried them all. I got Sweet-n-Sour chicken, Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken and Broccoli, Chicken Pad Thai, Buttered Chicken, And Salisbury steak. I tried them all. None were really awful like I thought they would be. Well come Friday night, we went to a Chinese spot and instead of doing my usual and ordering the things I would have before, or just having drinks, I ordered Sweet and Sour Chicken again. They were all shocked, I didn't ask what was in it, didn't ask for any special modifications to the order, just how it came with fried rice as the side. One friend pointed out "decided to try something new for the first time in your life huh?" to which I replied that I had actually tried if during the week and knew it wasn't bad. It was like I took the wind from the friends sails, they were excited I had gone and tried something new, but seemed angry that he had not been there to witness it. After our foods came I was offered to taste a few other options, a beef and broccoli dish, and General Changs chicken, I didn't pass, just accepted the offers, tasted them, gave my opinion of the dish and went on. I have to be honest, it was a really quiet meal after, almost like they didn't know what to say while we were eating as I had taken the topic of my picky eating away, and now they didn't have a way to give grief. Maybe I was wrong to not try new things because I simply didn't want to try new things, but at least I got past that hurtle, and now they will not give me a hard time if I still choose to order a burger or whatever I usually would.