The Restrictions of Picky eaters seem to correlate with xenophobia

I know we already had a “picky eaters are annoying” post in unpopularopinions but I had a good conversation with someone there that I think warrants its own post.

I am not saying all picky eaters are xenophobic. I’m saying there is a correlation between ‘safe foods’ being western staples like chicken nuggets, pizza, hamburger, fries,etc… and never being international dishes. Is American food just so bland that these people fear any seasonings, sauces, or other meats? What is the barrier preventing these people from enjoying food from any other country? If it’s a texture thing- surely there’s something in Japanese food or Chinese that’s not slimy. If you can’t handle spice- skill issue, but beyond that- there are mild options in every culture as well. A lot of the picky eaters I see blatantly refuse to eat anything from another country and I think that says more about your prejudices then it does simply having a few dietary restrictions.

Genuinely correct me if I’m wrong: even if one of you is a picky eater but you include international food talk about your experience please I’m curious. Because the amount of times I’ve gone to a Mexican restaurant just for someone to order the whitest thing on their menu or someone has blatantly refused to try Indian at all makes me think you just dislike these other countries without giving them a chance and that is textbook xenophobia.