Mushrooms. Link sausages. I have a huge issue with mayonnaise on most things and I prefer to get my sub sandwiches without condiments and add my own once I get home. I too must have something crunchy with my sandwich and prefer my bread to be toasted. I can eat things like chili fries but only the first few bites and only if the fries are insanely crunchy. I'll get half way through a hamburger but as soon as the bread gets soggy, that's it - I'm over it. So I often order things like sliders. less

In my other discussion, favorite style of pizza, I got to talking about not liking doughy crust and then started talking about what makes me gag. Okay, it's not the most polite discussion, but I'll go there

So, are there any foods you just can't swallow? How about work arounds you have to prevent gagging on some food?

One big thing about foods that I need to prevent my gag response, is they must be well browned!! What about you? Any of this an issue for you? less

I don't like the texture of bamboo shoots.

I also dislike "slippery" cornstarach-based sauces (like the stuff you're supposed to dip crab rangoon in, and other Americanized Chinese sauces that are cornstarch based. Cornstarch-thickened pie filling makes me gag too.

I won't enjoy a sandwich if the bread is mushy or untoasted (why does Wonderbread exist?), but it doesn't make me gag. Cornstarch sauces are the only thing that make me just say "nope, not going to even bother putting that near my mouth."

I'm cool with a little cornstarch as a thickener for stew. But once it gets to the 'coat your tongue' level, count me out. less

OMG, are you my twin or what? This is getting a little scary how we keep agreeing on things!

I LOVE toasted bread, that or crackers. I'll eat just the crust of french bread and will hollow out bagels & only eat the shell, but it has to be nice and brown to begin with!

All condiments, if I use any, must be on the side!! I want control & no soggy....ack...can't finish....typing.... you know what I mean anyway! I wasn't even able to eat mayo until a few years ago when I mixed a little in with a mustard to tame it, but it's a delicate balance, even then. I get revolted looking at the gloppy stuff that passes as mayo, it's much better made fresh and used right away, but still...it has an inherent gag factor that many can attest to!

I laughed out loud about the burger/slider thing. I am the appetizer queen because the small portions, like sliders, don't overwhelm me. My mom also gets the 1-3 bite limit on a burger; I can't even start most times. Even watching people scarfing big burgers can make me nauseated! I do better watching if they are using a fork & knife, without the dripping, sloppy mess...ack, again!

Oh,no hotdogs, EVER and don't get me started on gristle & cartilage. I saw what looked like a blood vessel in a piece of meat in Chinese food once & almost embarrassed myself at the table. I HATE when someone tries to hide undesirable pieces of anything in my food, which is why I get the fixins & assemble stuff myself @ home!

@Mwar, my girl, I knew you would find this topic!!! I am surprised about the squid & clams! But, there's no way to totally predict what sets people off, is there? Oh, and the fruit thing I totally get! I hate grit so much, I don't like most pears, purely on texture. less

I do believe we are twins! Sheesh, it's a relief to know I'm not the only one with this issue. Man oh man, we had to stop going out to our favorite wing place because I had the hardest time watching guys take a wing and stick it in their mouth whole and come back with a clean bone. It made me so sick to my stomach and any time I see someone "shovel" food in their mouth I get sick as well. It's infuriating because I have embarrassed myself at the table in public with recently met in-laws and it was something I was forced to explain - twice. The second time I actually teared up a little bit because it was such an intimate setting and emotions were already running high due to the nature of the visit itself.

When we go to places where someone else has cooked, I pray for a fruit/veggie/cheese platter of some kind so I can kinda-sorta fill up on that and then hope there's a bread course or a salad course in there somewhere so I don't walk away starving. We've left places and gone somewhere else afterwards just so I wasn't hungry.

Every doctor I've ever asked about it thinks I'm completely insane and has no explanation for it whatsoever. less

I do believe we are twins! Sheesh, it's a relief to know I'm not the only one with this issue. Man oh man, we had to stop going out to our favorite wing place because I had the hardest time watching guys take a wing and stick it in their mouth whole and come back with a clean bone. It made me so sick to my stomach and any time I see someone "shovel" food in their mouth I get sick as well. It's infuriating because I have embarrassed myself at the table in public with recently met in-laws and it was something I was forced to explain - twice. The second time I actually teared up a little bit because it was such an intimate setting and emotions were already running high due to the nature of the visit itself.

When we go to places where someone else has cooked, I pray for a fruit/veggie/cheese platter of some kind so I can kinda-sorta fill up on that and then hope there's a bread course or a salad course in there somewhere so I don't walk away starving. We've left places and gone somewhere else afterwards just so I wasn't hungry.

Every doctor I've ever asked about it thinks I'm completely insane and has no explanation for it whatsoever. less

I never even thought to ask a doctor about it! I guess because my mom has similar issues & my sister. It's probably a sensory phenomenon and the Dr. would have to be very specialized to even know what you were talking about. Naturally, they slap the crazy badge on you because that's what they always do when something is out of their range of experience, (in my opinion and I am not going to get into that issue here )

I always claim food allergies when someone asks at a social event why I am not eating whatever they want to make me eat. (If you want, and it will make it easier on you, I can come up with a good medical name for the "condition", just let me ask my dad, the physician. He's good at knowing obscure stuff!) Granted, I have a bunch of food allergies, too, so it is a natural fall back. For the most part, I do exactly what you do, eat the cheese & crackers, salad , or fruit, etc. -- stuff they usually haven't fooled around with, ha ha!

OMG, the image you gave me with the wings did actually make me cringe & stop reading for a minute! I often come home from somewhere & eat at home, so I totally understand the going somewhere else, afterwards thing! I had an elderly friend that I had to stop eating with because food would literally fall out of her mouth as she ate. And she had bits all over her clothes, the table...she almost never used the damn napkin & she didn't care about the food all over! I actually brought it up one day, thinking she might have a problem with her teeth, or some old age thing. No, she has always been sloppy like this & it doesn't bother her! Her boyfriend said he can't watch her eat, either, ha ha!

And she's not as bad as what you see when people shovel food, oh lord, don't get me started! Yes, it's revolting & it's poor manners! You want to eat like a pig, then go eat outside with the pigs! OK, I have no tolerance for poor manners. Etiquette, which fork to use, etc. does not bother me, poor manners, however, get me every time. I had to stop after the first date with someone I met through eHarmony because we went to eat. That, combined with poor grammar...well, enough said. I am fairly tolerant, just not of those two things and I'm also particular about hygiene!

Funny thing is I was just pulling a small pizza out of the oven at the perfect amount of crispy, brown goodness & thought to myself, "Gee, I should take a picture of this & show Stormy...nah, she'll think I'm crazy!" I kind of wish I did take the picture after all! less

I pictures. Do you also use your fingers to test your food and leave the very last bite of something regardless of how much you enjoyed the food itself? If I can't pick it apart and test with my fingers first then there's a really good chance I'm not sticking it in my mouth.

I also have issues with the noises people make while eating. If I hear one smack, slurp or chomp I get insanely angry and have to stop eating until I can talk myself down. It's sad. less

In my other discussion, favorite style of pizza, I got to talking about not liking doughy crust and then started talking about what makes me gag. Okay, it's not the most polite discussion, but I'll go there

So, are there any foods you just can't swallow? How about work arounds you have to prevent gagging on some food?

One big thing about foods that I need to prevent my gag response, is they must be well browned!! What about you? Any of this an issue for you? less

I pictures. Do you also use your fingers to test your food and leave the very last bite of something regardless of how much you enjoyed the food itself? If I can't pick it apart and test with my fingers first then there's a really good chance I'm not sticking it in my mouth.

I also have issues with the noises people make while eating. If I hear one smack, slurp or chomp I get insanely angry and have to stop eating until I can talk myself down. It's sad. less