Macaroni and cheese, chicken nuggets, grilled cheese. American kids are known around the world for their bland, boring palates. But what happens if you never outgrow the kids’ menu? Today on the show, we’re exploring the secret lives of adult picky eaters. Why are some people so finicky about their food? Is it psychological? Physiological? Can we blame our parents, just like we do for everything else? Is pickiness incurable? And why do we even care what foods other people do or do not put in their mouths?

This episode features: Alissa Nutting, novelist, author of Made for Love, and professor of creative writing at Grinnell CollegeKimberly Trout, certified nurse midwife at Pennsylvania Hospital and professor of women’s health at the University of PennsylvaniaCatherine Crawford, author of French Twist: An American Mom's Experiment in Parisian ParentingStephanie Lucianovic, food writer, children’s book author, and author of Suffering Succotash: A Picky Eater's Quest to Understand Why We Hate the Foods We Hate

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices