PickiPedia: A Selective Glossary Of Eaters

The Cautious Eater: He always washes his hands before eating, avoids raw fish, unpasteurized cheeses and is revolted by paté.

Serve him thoroughly cooked meats, especially pork; washed and peeled vegetables only; cold food cold and hot food hot. Think food safety and avoid the exotic or unusual. Prepare raw chicken as far away as possible from the salad.

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Paranoid Eater: She is obsessed with mad cow disease and panics at news reports about food-borne contamination.

Serve her organic produce only, meat and dairy products without hormones. Actually, skip the beef. When she's on the guest list, wear your meat thermometer like a necklace.

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The Selective Eater: He turns green at the thought of greens and won't allow salmon in the house except as a paint color.

Stick to meat and potatoes and you should be okay.

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The Comfort Food Eater: She's still cooking out of her mother's recipe box.

Feed her what she knows. Grab that recipe box and commit it to memory.

-- Stephanie Witt Sedgwick

Sources: Thomas Sherman, professor in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at Georgetown University; Pamela Peeke, director of the Peeke Performance Center in Bethesda; and Julie Leopold, nutrition program manager for Inova Health System.